“I’m the biggest supporter of the women’s game, so I don’t want to count them out,” he said.
The Jillaroos are unlikely to feature in Vegas next year.Credit: AP
“Australia were just too strong. It just shows that when you have a professionally run, semi-professional rugby league competition, you’re gonna be that far ahead of anyone else in the world, and we are.
“We have the best NRLW competition: it’s professionally run, the women have reached a level at this stage of their evolution that I’ve never seen. They are so far advanced, they’re so good, so skilful, they’re so brilliant that the poor old English never had a chance.
“In saying that, I was proud to show them off, to show how good our women are, the entertainers they are. They didn’t let me down.
“Unfortunately, the English competition isn’t an NRLW, and it will take some time to catch up to us.”
V’landys predicted this year’s event would either break even or turn a “small profit” and was keen to lock in the participants for next year’s matches within a month of returning to Australia. He added that he was confident rugby league would have a presence in the United States long after the initial five-year contract to stage games in Vegas expires.
“Every attribute that the American sporting public love, we have in our game,” he said.
“I’m more confident than ever that we’ll be in America for the long term, absolutely.
“It will just grow and grow. Already the Las Vegas tourist bureau has asked us to extend our contract.
“The beauty of it is that they have made us a major event in their calendar.
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“A rugby league weekend is a major event in their calendar, we’ve brought $100 million in economic stimulus, so to be put it on as a major event with the likes of the NFL in the space of two years is extraordinary.”
The Herald’s travel expenses to Las Vegas have been partly funded by the NRL.
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