Matty Johns sure NRL’s physical game will convert Americans to fans

LAS VEGAS — You may forgive Matty Johns if he has a few pangs tugging at him wanting to be in uniform on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium, where Australia’s National Rugby League will begin its season with a unique out-of-country doubleheader featuring four of its marquee teams.

Johns, who’s now a 52-year-old media personality and TV host who speaks about the game he played professionally from 1991-2002, will be a big part of presenting the Manly Sea Eagles, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Brisbane Broncos and Sydney Roosters this week and educating the uninitiated about NRL.

“I retired 22 years ago, but I do have dreams through the night sometimes that I’m putting my boots and socks on,’’ Johns told The Post over the phone before making the trip to Las Vegas for this week. “Then I finally wake up and go, ‘Oh, Jesus, thank God I was only dreaming.’ ’’

It’s not that Johns doesn’t miss playing. What he doesn’t miss is the physical grind and the toll it took on his body over the years. The broadcast desk is a much safer, tamer place.

But it’s that very physical toll that Johns believes is going to attract the U.S. sports fans who attend the matches but don’t know a lot about the sport.

This splashy affair in a city raging with an overstimulation of activities is an historic one. It marks the first time in the NRL’s 116-year history that a season opener will be played for premiership points outside of Australia or New Zealand.

And Johns knows precisely what’s going to draw those curious about the sport.

“For the uninitiated, the first thing that will strike them is the physicality, with no helmets or pads,’’ Johns said. “The other thing that will really strike people will be the pace of the game, and the fatigue that eventually you’ll start to see set in during the second half. The big guys will really tire. Most people on the field will play the full 80 minutes on offense and defense. That lends itself to a lot more unpredictability as the games evolve. It sounds strange, but the more fatigue there is the faster the game moves.’’

Johns said he’s “really excited for the players and for the game’’ with this foray into America.

“It’s not just trying to teach the game to an overseas audience, but the publicity and hype it’s created here in Australia is fantastic,’’ Johns said.

Johns played nine seasons with the Newcastle Knights alongside his younger brother, Andrew.

He also played one season each with the Wigan Warriors and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.

He’s now a massively popular Rugby League media media personality and commentator who’ll be broadcasting all week from Las Vegas.

Since 2011, Johns has been a co-host on the Sydney breakfast show called “The Grill Team,’’ and since 2012, he’s has been a part of the Fox Sports NRL coverage. 

Johns said, when the four teams for the doubleheader were announced, he immediately thought the Rabbitohs and the Rooster would be pitted against each other.

“Two of the sides going over there have arguably the greatest rivalry in Australian sport and that’s Rabbitohs vs. the Roosters,’’ he said. “They border each other. Traditionally, the areas are so different. The Eastern suburbs and Bondi coast are the rich and affluent and right next door you’ve got South Sydney, which is really tough working class. 

“When these two sides play, they nearly lift the roof off the stadium,’’ Johns went on. “They draw huge crowds. The hate is not manufactured in any way, shape or form. When they sent the four sides over (to Vegas), I thought that they would put that matchup for Las Vegas. But I think that’s a fixture that (NRL) would like to keep to Australia, because of the size of the crowd they’ll get for the match.

“There are certain fixtures that people put a circle around and say, ‘That’s a special one.’ When those two sides play, it is really special. A couple of years ago, they played a finals match — like a playoff game (in the U.S.) — against each other, and it was sold-out stadium and caused a lot of debate because it was a very violent game with the people in crowds being sent off right, left and center.

 “My being a child of the 70s — my dad played in the 70s into the 80s — I loved it. People were saying it was so bad for the game … but no one asked for a refund.’’

It’s unlikely anyone will be asking for a refund after Saturday’s matches — particularly given the litany of juicy storylines that intertwine these teams.

 Among them include three brothers playing in the starting lineup for Manly — from oldest to youngest Tom Trbojevic, Jake and Ben. 

Manly coach, Anthony Siebold, coached the Rabbitohs in 2018 and recently stoked some flames for Saturday’s showdown with his old club when he ripped into the Rabbitohs for training in San Diego, not Las Vegas, in advance of the match.

Manly is the only team that’s been based in Vegas ahead of matches, with the other three clubs staging camp in California.

“It would be nice if the Bunnies came and promoted the game in Las Vegas,” Seibold said, tweaking his former club to reporters at Sydney Airport before flying to the States. “One of the reasons we’re going there 11 days beforehand is to promote the game. The NRL have wanted to take the game to Las Vegas so we’re doing our job. All our training sessions are open sessions so supporters and the media are more than welcome to come to all of our sessions.

“Every team has their own way to prepare, but we feel obligated and obliged to promote the game in Las Vegas where the game is being played. We want to promote the game and be visible in Vegas.”

Acclaimed Aussie actor Russell Crowe has a financial interest in the Rabbitohs and is a huge supporter, very visible around the team.

Another of the huge storylines for the week is Adam Reynolds, the captain of the Brisbane Broncos, because he was a long-time star for the Sydney Rooster, whom the Broncos play Saturday. 

 Tickets for the NRL matches are available and can be purchased through Ticketmaster, with the prices starting as low as $19 — a far cry from the lowest face-value price of a Super Bowl ticket last month ($950). Seats in the lower tier start from $39 and go up to $189 for club seats.

Allegiant Stadium has a capacity of 65,000 and about 35,000 seats have been sold, according to reports. 

This marks the first time in the NRL’s 116-year history that a season opener will be played for premiership points outside of Australia or New Zealand.

The first of the two matches begins at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time and can be seen on “Watch NRL,’’ a streaming App.

The best place to find the “Watch NRL” app is by searching in their preferred App Store. That’s how fans can best find it to download / subscribe.

The ticketing link is NRL.com/Vegas and tickets are available from $19 + taxes.