Wigan Warriors are set to play a Super League match against rivals Warrington Wolves in Las Vegas as part of the NRL’s showcase event next year. Prop forward Tyler Dupree supports the proposal for his team to participate in this major event. In March, the NRL opened its season in America for the first time ever with a double-header at Allegiant Stadium, drawing more than 40,000 fans.
The England international has strong ties to the United States. His great uncle, Billy Joe Dupree, was a Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl winner in 1978, and his grandfather, ‘Champion Jack’ Dupree, was a blues singer from New Orleans who traveled the world before settling in England.
It’s no surprise that the 24-year-old Warriors star is eager to play a fixture in Las Vegas, and he also plans to explore his family heritage with his mother in the future. The reigning Super League champions are no strangers to expansion fixtures, having previously played at Barcelona’s Camp Nou and participated in the first-ever Super League match outside Europe against Hull FC in Wollongong in 2018.
Dupree said: “I think that’s something that everyone will be putting their hands up for. I know my mum has put her hand up to go as well!
“The prospect of going there is really exciting. I hope it does get over the line, and I’d hope it would be good for us and good for the game. We’re talking about expansion, and I think that’s one of the best places to expand.
“I’d feel it would be great.
“The traveling fans would enjoy it, and I think the locals over there would really enjoy it as well. Americans are well-known for getting behind any sport, regardless of what it is.”
“The traveling fans would enjoy it, and I think the locals over there would really enjoy it as well. Americans are well-known for getting behind any sport, regardless of what it is.
“On the biggest stage, it would be good for the players, good for the team, and good all around.
“It would be a great step forward into the expansion of the game.”
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