NRL boss urges Donald Trump to attend Las Vegas opener featuring Warriors

Herald graphic of potential Warriors fan, Donald Trump. Photo / Photosport

Powerful Aussie league boss Peter V’landys has made a plea to Donald Trump to attend the Warriors’ opening NRL game in Las Vegas, making an appeal to the US president on a Fox TV breakfast show.

The US broadcasting corporation will carry the clash between the Warriors and Canberra on free-to-air.

V’landys used Trump’s favourite catchword - “great”. He touched on Trump’s favourite subject — trade surplus — with an attempted joke. And he also used flattery, the key to unlocking Trump’s backing for anything.

V’landys said Trump could give league exposure that “money cannot buy” if he attended the March 2 season-opening promotion, which will also include repeat champions Penrith playing Cronulla.

“It would be priceless — there is no other person in America who could help generate awareness about rugby league than the president,” V’landys said on Fox on Sunday.

“It would be worth millions of dollars and provide us the real breakthrough we have been looking for — it would go a long way to putting league on the map."

Fox is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and is an overt Trump supporter, but V’landys was untroubled by the broadcaster’s famous bias.

“I know you [Trump] watch Fox & Friends, which is a great programme, extremely fair and balanced,” V’landys told Fox on Sunday.

“Mr President, we want to introduce you to the toughest game on earth, rugby league, in the world’s sport and entertainment capital, Las Vegas.

“We know you love physical, tough, contact sports. There’s no sport more brutal than rugby league, our players don’t wear pads or helmets.

“As you know, Mr President, the US has a trade surplus with Australia, one of the rare countries. You attending will balance this out a bit.”

Trump is a Las Vegas fan, where he often attends sports.

V’landys added: “It’s not impossible ... we know plenty of people who have ties to him.”

Former president Joe Biden declined an invitation to attend last year’s games in the States.