NRL Las Vegas Wrap

Edward Briggs

The NRL season has begun once again on American soil, with Las Vegas hosting the opening fixtures for the third straight year. A record 45,719 fans packed into Allegiant Stadium to watch the first two matches of the 2026 campaign, with the remainder of Round 1 to be completed back in Australia next week.

Knights 28 – Cowboys 18

Kalyn Ponga produced a captain’s performance as the Newcastle Knights opened their season with a 28–18 win over the North Queensland Cowboys.

The Knights struck early when Ponga launched a towering bomb that allowed Fletcher Sharpe to outjump Scott Drinkwater and score the first try of the 2026 season after just six minutes. Newcastle doubled their advantage soon after when Sharpe batted back a cross-field kick, allowing Greg Marzhew to crash over in the corner for a 12–0 lead.

The Cowboys clawed their way back into the contest midway through the first half. Tom Dearden exposed an injured Sharpe in the defensive line to send Heilum Luki over, before Murray Taulagi finished a sharp short-side movement to level the scores at halftime.

Newcastle regained control after the break. Ponga burst through the line before linking with Bradman Best for a try, and shortly after Dom Young crossed in the corner following slick work between Ponga and Dylan Brown.

Taulagi grabbed his second late in the half after a clever grubber from Jake Clifford, but the Knights’ defence held firm in the closing stages to secure a strong start to the Justin Holbrook era.

Bulldogs 15 – Dragons 14

The second game of the night produced a dramatic finish, with Canterbury-Bankstown captain Stephen Crichton slotting a last-second field goal to seal a 15–14 win over the St George Illawarra Dragons.

The Dragons opened the scoring through a Valentine Holmes penalty goal before Jacob Preston crashed through to give the Bulldogs their first try of the season. St George Illawarra responded quickly when Damien Cook grubbered into the in-goal for Emre Guler to pounce and reclaim the lead.

Canterbury capitalised on ill-discipline from the Dragons to edge ahead before halftime, but the contest remained tight throughout the second half. Crichton created a moment of brilliance after the break, beating Holmes from a scrum and flicking a pass to Jacob Kiraz for a try.

Debutant winger Setu Tu produced an acrobatic finish in the corner to bring the Dragons within two points, and Kyle Flanagan later levelled the scores with a penalty goal to set up a tense finish.

Both sides had chances to win before full time, but with the match seconds from golden point, Crichton calmly slotted the decisive field goal from in front of the posts to hand the Bulldogs a thrilling victory.

The Las Vegas showcase once again delivered drama and a strong crowd, with the season now shifting back to Australia to complete the opening round next week.