'We were disruptors then and we're disruptors now'
THE staging of a Super League match in Las Vegas is another example of the kind of principles upon which rugby league was born.
That is the view of Warrington Wolves chief executive Karl Fitzpatrick and his Wigan Warriors counterpart Kris Radlinski, who between them were the driving forces behind the competition's first ever game to be played on American soil.
Of course, there had to be a winner and a loser and from a Warrington perspective, Fitzpatrick admits to being 'very disappointed' at how his club's enjoyment stopped when the action started as Wigan ran out convincing 48-24 victors at Allegiant Stadium.
However, he says the desire to be different which saw the sport founded back in the 19th century was in full view throughout the week.
'It's been an absolutely incredible, phenomenal week,' he told Sky Sports after the game.
'Ourselves and Wigan were among the founding fathers back in 1895 – we were disruptors then and we're disruptors now in 2025.
'We've broken new ground and we've put our fantastic sport on a global platform.
'Obviously, we're very disappointed in terms of the performance as we wanted to reward our loyal fans who had travelled over, but overall it's been an incredible experience.'
The NRL – the organisers of the second Rugby League Las Vegas event that was successfully launched last year – invited Wigan and Warrington to face off as part of an expanded weekend having been impressed by the number of English fans that travelled to watch the action in 2024.
And with more than 10,000 supporters heading over from the UK this time around, it was confirmed post-match that a Super League fixture would once again grace Allegiant Stadium in 2026.
After some difficult times for the sport in recent years, Radlinski was delighted they could give the English game a moment in the sun while he also paid tribute to the thousands of fans who travelled.
'There will be a lot of headlines about the scoreline, but I wanted this for Super League. We want what we deserve,' he said.
'We've had some difficult times – I think back to the CEO meetings during Covid when we were fighting to try and keep the sport alive.
'This is for all of our clubs, even the volunteer clubs on a Sunday morning.
'This is achievable in our sport and I'm so proud – I'm so proud of all the Northerners who have travelled to the other side of the world.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
33 minutes ago
- USA Today
Coco Gauff ‘surprised' by Aryna Sabalenka's comments after French Open win
Coco Gauff 'surprised' by Aryna Sabalenka's comments after French Open win Show Caption Hide Caption Jessica Pagula on accomplished Coco Gauff, Emma Navarro, Madison Keys Tennis player Jessica Pegula discusses how amazing it is to have other amazing American women in tennis dominating the sport. Sports Seriously American tennis star Coco Gauff, 21, is fresh off her first French Open win, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the finals on Saturday, June 7. Gauff's victory marked the first time in a decade that an American had won the French Open. However, Gauff's moment of celebration was short-lived after Sabalenka made some shocking comments to the media following her loss. "I think she won the match not because she played incredible," said Sabalenka. "Just because I made all of those mistakes, if you look from the outside, from kind of easy balls." Although Sabalenka later retracted some of her comments, praising Gauff for how she "played with poise and purpose." The original comments had already been aired out, and Gauff was certainly taken aback by her statements. Tennis News: Coco Gauff's French Open title came with a trophy she wasn't expecting Coco Gauff 'surprised' by Sabalenka comments In response to Sabalenka's comments, Gauff told "Good Morning America" on Monday, "I was a little bit surprised about the comments and everything but I'm gonna give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure it was an emotional day, emotional match." Gauff continued, "I know she was probably a bit emotional after that match and it was a tough loss." Gauff went on to call Sabalenka a "fighter" and "a tough opponent," noting that the windy conditions during the finals were very tough on both of them. That is something that Sabalenka noted as well, citing that Gauff "handled the conditions much better." Have Gauff and Sabalenka played before? Heading into the French Open finals, Gauff and Sabalenka had a career match record of 5-5 against one another. Gauff has now pulled ahead at 6-5. Gauff is 2-1 against Sabalenka at Grand Slam finals. French Open final highlights: Coco Gauff wins title in thrilling battle over Aryna Sabalenka
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
We were lost souls after Olympic fish-bowl: swim aces
Kaylee McKeown was in a dark place. And Mollie O'Callaghan suddenly realised she had no friends outside of her sport. They were two lost souls after swimming in the fish-bowl of the Paris Olympics. "Coming off the Olympics, I was in a really dark place mentally," McKeown said. "When you go from such a high, straight back to such a low, and you're left scrambling for ideas on what you're going to do next, it is hard to find your feet once again." In Paris, McKeown became the first Australian to win four individual Olympic gold medals. And the first swimmer to successfully defend Olympic 100m and 200m backstroke titles was given the honour of being Australia's joint flag-bearer at the closing ceremony. McKeown, who also won a silver and two bronze in the French capital, was an Olympic legend. All within three weeks of turning 23-years-old. "I don't think people really know ... how much pressure we put on ourselves," McKeown said in Adelaide at Australia's selection trials for the world championships starting late July. "You're just so fixated on wanting to swim for yourself, for your country and for your team. "You have all that amount of pressure to just do it ... and it (winning or not) really just comes down to nail bites." McKeown arrived in Paris with her 100m backstroke world record just broken by American rival Regan Smith. O'Callaghan arrived in Paris with her 200m freestyle world record just broken by fellow Australian Ariarne Titmus. "I'm the exact same as Kaylee," O'Callaghan said. "There's immense pressure to perform at the Olympic Games, it's the pinnacle of our sport. "A lot of it is ourselves that put the pressure on because we know the work that goes behind it. "Not a lot of people get to see the training sessions, the time, the dedication put in, because we don't really have a life outside of swimming - it's just all swimming." O'Callaghan won three gold medals, plus a silver and bronze, to be Australia's most successful athlete at the Paris Games. All within four months of turning 20-years-old. But after the Olympic high, came the low. "I noticed I don't have friends outside of swimming because I have dedicated such a strong amount of time from school to now," O'Callaghan said. McKeown and O'Callaghan soon realised they needed extended breaks from the pool. "It was just letting my hair down, having some fun and realising the hard work that I actually have put in over the years to get what I have," McKeown said. O'Callaghan discovered there was a life out of the water. "That was something after the Olympics I got to learn, was actually having that freedom for five months to be able to go places, do things, without the consequence of swimming or having swimming in the back of my mind," she said. "And it's just a nice refresher to know that there's opportunities and there's other connections outside (swimming) because a lot of the time our bubble is just swimming." Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Wild card Lois Boisson, Coco Gauff move on in French Open
French wild-card entry Lois Boisson advanced to the semifinals of the French Open with a 7-6 (6), 6-3 win over sixth-seeded Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday in Paris. Boisson, 22, fed off the support of the crowd and dispatched the 18-year-old Russian to become the first French semifinalist at her home Grand Slam event since Marion Bartoli in 2011. She also became the first woman to reach the semifinals at her debut Grand Slam tournament since Jennifer Capriati at the 1990 French Open. 'It's incredible. Thank you for supporting me like this. I have no words,' Boisson said as she addressed the home crowd after the match. 'I ran a bit too much because I was so tense early on, but I fought hard in that first set, which was so intense. At the start of the second, I felt a little empty, but I hung in there and finished the job.' Boisson didn't play in Paris last summer because of a torn left ACL. Now, she is one win away from playing in the French Open final. 'It's incredible, no matter what, given what happened last year and all the difficult moments I went through,' Boisson said. Boisson, who is No. 361 in the WTA rankings, will face a tall task in the semifinals against second-seeded Coco Gauff. The latter overcame sluggish play and rallied to a 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1 victory over fellow American Madison Keys. Although Gauff has yet to face Boisson in her career, she said she's ready to overcome her opponent's home advantage on the clay courts of Roland Garros. That same crowd frustrated Andreeva on Wednesday. 'I have played Jasmine (Paolini) in Rome,' Gauff said. 'I've played Jasmine and Sara (Errani) in Rome. I've played Caroline (Garcia) and Kristina (Mladenovic) here. So I have some experience playing against a crowd that maybe is not rooting for you. It's something I'm looking forward to if it were to happen. 'I think there are two ways I have (coped with) it in the past. Either, A, just pretend they're cheering for you, and B, just using it and not letting that get to you. I have been in crowds where they are 99 percent for me, so I don't have an issue with it. I hope everyone will be respectful and things. If not, it's cool. 'I think it makes sports exciting, and I can't get irritated at the fact that someone is rooting for their hometown hero, because I would do the same.' On Wednesday, Boisson overcame 3-1 and 5-3 deficits to upend Andreeva in the first set. The former then rebounded from an early 3-0 deficit in the second to win the match in two hours, eight minutes. As for the 21-year-old Gauff, she overcame 10 double faults and won eight of the match's final nine games to win her match in two hours, 11 minutes. Neither Gauff nor Keys played a clean match. Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion, hit 25 winners compared to 60 unforced errors. Gauff had 15 and 41, respectively. 'I have a lot more work left to do, but I'm going to savor this one today,' said Gauff, who reached the French Open semifinal for the second straight year and the third time overall. Keys saw her 11-match Grand Slam winning streak come to a halt. 'With her ability to cover the court,' Keys, 30, said, 'you're going to have to win the point multiple times before it's actually over.' Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
