Bulldogs Experience NFL Luxury in Las Vegas Ahead of Historic NRL Clash
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs players have been treated to an extraordinary pre-game experience, training at the Las Vegas Raiders' $100 million headquarters ahead of their historic NRL clash in Sin City. The players were surprised with a visit to the NFL team's state-of-the-art facility, where they got their first look at Allegiant Stadium, albeit through a miniature version.
Starstruck by NFL Magnitude
The experience left the NRL stars genuinely awestruck by how the big leagues operate on the other side of the world. "All the boys were pretty stoked," Sean O'Sullivan said. "Even if they didn't play NFL fantasy or they don't watch NFL, just being here, the magnitude of it, this facility, words can't even describe it."
Time to Lock In and Focus
After enjoying their fun in Sin City, the Bulldogs admit it's time to lock in and focus on the job at hand. The side has acknowledged that the anticipation of the Vegas trip had become a distraction back home. "We actually had a training session before we left and it was probably the worst one of the season just in the fact that I think boys were so excited to sort of get out here. We sort of lost focus a bit," Max King admitted. "It's a long way to come to lose a game of football so we definitely know what's at stake."
Key Player Updates and Team Dynamics
Matt Burton was moving freely during training as he recovers from a hamstring injury. All eyes will be on how he combines with Lachlan Galvin, who's preparing to take charge as the club's permanent halfback. "It's been a tough year or two for Lachie. We want success for our club through him, but from a personal level it would be great to see him go well. Like I said, he's had one of the best pre-seasons I've seen," King said.
Strategic Advantage and Opponent Movements
The Bulldogs are the first side to train in Vegas, getting the jump on their opponents, the Dragons, who only arrived on Sunday, a full two days after the Dogs. Meanwhile, there was no field training for the Knights, but they found a pretty good spot to do recovery. Newcastle players took in the famous Fremont Street before it's flooded by thousands of rugby league fanatics on Friday.
- Bulldogs trained at the Las Vegas Raiders' $100 million facility
- Players were starstruck by the NFL's state-of-the-art operations
- Team acknowledges Vegas anticipation caused distractions at home
- Matt Burton recovering well from hamstring injury
- Bulldogs arrived earlier than Dragons for strategic advantage
- Knights opted for recovery on Fremont Street instead of field training
