Footy heavyweights back plan to have the Bunnies play Manly in the USA to open the 2023 season

A plan to make footy history by having Souths and Manly play the 2023 season opener in America has the crucial backing of two NRL heavyweights – with one club boss keen for the move to become a regular feature.

South Sydney CEO Blake Solly has thrown his weight behind the proposal, which was reportedly first pushed by Sea Eagles owner Scott Penn and would see the two teams sell rugby league to the immense American market.

And Solly is hoping an overseas game won’t just be a one-off for the code. 

‘If it’s something the NRL are keen to invest in the long term and we understand that Manly are talking about taking a game there, we’d love to be the opponent,’ Solly told the Daily Telegraph.

‘If the NRL think that the United States is a serious opportunity, we are happy to support their efforts.’

…while Rabbitohs owner Russell Crowe (seen watching a game with Chris Hemsworth, right) has obvious pull Stateside thanks to his stellar movie career 

Solly added that he is a big fan of the NFL’s move to hold games in the UK every season and the way it benefitted not just the sport as a whole, but the clubs who played overseas. 

The proposal to hold a game in the US fell through when the NRL tried to bring it to fruition for the 2019 season with the backing of Channel Nine and Fox Sports.

Since then sports betting has been legalised in several American states in a move that opens up a new revenue stream to help the NRL fund the match.  

Bunnies CEO Blake Solly (pictured) has thrown the club’s weight behind the plan to play in the USA and hopes it’ll be more than a one-off 

Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic (carrying ball) will be a focal point for selling the game to America should the proposal come off 

Manly and Souths are great fits for the venture because Bunnies owner Russell Crowe and Sea Eagles die-hard fan Hugh Jackman are so well known Stateside.

Bunnies part-owner, tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, is also part-owner of the Utah Jazz team in America’s National Basketball league, and the team played an exhibition game against British Super League’s Leeds Rhinos in Florida in 2008.  

The match would be held a week before the competition starts so the two teams can recover from the time-zone difference before their next games, with the likely venue to be the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

It wouldn’t be the first time a big-time game of rugby league was held in the US, though; in 1987 the NSW and Queensland State of Origin sides played an exhibition game in the Los Angeles suburb of Long Beach in an effort to drum up interest in the sport.