The Canterbury Bulldogs have touched down in Las Vegas ahead of their season-opener against the St George Illawarra Dragons and have been checking out the sights and sounds of Sin City.
As rugby league takes over Vegas, Canterbury headed out for what will no doubt be an unforgettable night out, with the players and staff arriving at The Sphere to watch the iconic band The Eagles.
According to The Daily Telegraph, club bosses wanted to ‘make this a trip to remember’ and have dipped into their coffers to buy the team and staff members tickets to the gig.
But tickets for the show aren’t cheap, especially considering the Doggies stars were given some great seats in the 20,000-capacity venue’s lower tier.
It is believed that around 40 players and staff have travelled out to Vegas for the match.
Canterbury Bulldogs bosses treatedtheir players and staff to tickets to watch The Eagles on Saturday
It is understood that the club have spent nearly $20,000 on the tickets, which individually cost $700 each, with Viliame Kikau publishing a snap of the concert on his Instagram story
An average ticket for The Eagles concert costs around $700, and given that bosses had bought seats for the entire playing group and staff, The Daily Telegraph reports that the Bulldogs are expected to have spent more than $20,000 on the tickets.
Lachlan Galvin, Sitili Tupouniua and Viliame Kikau all published snaps from the concert on their Instagram stories, showcasing the stunning visuals projected onto the Sphere’s internal display during the concert.
It is also believed that an additional 85 members of Canterbury’s staff have travelled to the US for the match. All staff involved in the footy club were understood to have been invited to fly out for the week-long extravaganza, with the Bulldogs footing the bill for their travel.
The club is becoming one of the most popular destinations for players at the moment.
The Doggies landed Lachlan Galvin from the Tigers last season, while star man Stephen Crichton put pen to paper on a new deal at the end of 2025.
Canterbury had, according to The Daily Telegraph, also offered players and staff the opportunity to bring their extended family members to Vegas for the match.
After suffering defeat by the Penrith Panthers in last year’s NRL semi-finals, Ciraldo and Phil Gould will be out to improve on their 2025 season, with a strong start against the Dragons in Vegas.
The Knights, who take on the North Queensland Cowboys next week, have also been checking out the Strip’s top attractions.
The Bulldogs will take on St George Illawarra on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, while the Knights play the North Queensland Cowboys
Cameron Ciraldo’s side are understood to have offered all members of the Bulldogs’ staff the chance to travel to Vegas with the side
According to The Australian, the side arrived in Vegas 24 hours ago, and had a team dinner at an Italian restaurant called the Stanton Social, which is located inside Caesars Palace.
‘We’ve been hanging out, a few dinners, a few lunches, looking around and seeing the place,’ Dylan Brown told the outlet.
‘We walked up and down the Strip. It’s pretty nice. It’s a good place to be.’
The Knights are scheduled to begin their pre-match preparations in the coming days and on Monday will head to Vegas’ UFC gym for a training session.
Ponga added: ‘For our fans, from a small country town, to have their team over here representing them and all of Newcastle is a massive thing.
‘For us as players, I think it’s important to understand that and respect this moment.
‘But we also have to remember that not every dedicated Knights fan can be there, there will be thousands watching us play from back home wishing they could be there, so it’s also important for us to remember that, too.
‘For the fans that are over here, there is no doubt they’ll get around the whole experience and I can’t wait to hear the Newcastle chant at Allegiant Stadium.’