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Live sport on SN this weekendVegas, Global Round, Expansion: NRL CEO answers all the big questions
Nicholas Quinlan • November 14th, 2025 6:43 pm
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo has joined Jimmy Smith on SEN Afternoons to answer some of the big questions facing the sport and the competition at the moment.
From the decision to have Artificial Intelligence help create the 2026 fixture, whether the Las Vegas games have been a success as planned and the potential expansion to 20 NRL teams, there was very little that didn’t go undiscussed by the two.
Have a read of some of his answers below.
How did the NRL get to a stage of using AI for the fixture?
AB: “We’ve been using software for a number of years, and so this is an extension of that.”
“FastBreak AI is a company that has developed software that can transact or process information a lot quicker."
“And like any AI, and everyone listening has probably messed around on ChatGPT or whatever the case might be, but the benefit of AI is the combination of being able to ask the right questions and then being able to interpret the results and iterate it and have another go at it."
“And the processing power of the software is such that we were able to turn the draw around over and over and over again until we could iron out all the niche differences and get ultimately a much better outcome."
“So, the power of the processing got us to an outcome where, for example, this is the lowest five-day turnarounds we have had in our history. So, only 12 five-day turnarounds in the men’s and only three in the women’s. No club has more than five turnarounds. That's really important for player wellbeing."
“Also, much better distribution of the byes. These aren’t the sort of sexy things that people look at, but they are really important to the integrity of the competition.”
Why has the NRL changed its fixture to limit the turnaround between teams that play each other twice?
AB: “I understand the fans' frustrations, and what we had in previous years is teams playing each other twice early in the season with a small gap between those matches.”
“We’ve worked pretty hard to make sure that there is at least six weeks between those games.
“There’s not many of them that occur within that period, and they are at the back end of the season after Round 20, which means the club has played most of the other opposition first before they have their return match-ups.
“So again, another good outcome. But of course, you don’t get everything right, and there are a few nuisances there.
“If you’re a passionate fan looking at it from your clubs’ perspective, you can see what’s good in it, and I’m sure that there is some things there you would like to see improved.
“But that’s the beauty of having to manage all these different constraints, and there’s normally a storyline between why we can’t do something. It could be a stadium is not available or a particular request of a club to get a weekend fixture as opposed to a weekday/night fixture.”
Was there any consideration for the NRLW to have some ‘clear air’?
AB: “Of course, we looked at that and consider that, and we’ll continue to do that, particularly as the NRLW may expand in future years.”
“However, I think what we have is just a phenomenal situation where we have, through the Origin period, we have the women’s Origin kicking off first, overlapping into the men’s Origin."
“And then obviously, the start of the NRLW in mid-winter running through to the grand final. It’s a real point of difference for our sport, and I know the players really love it."
“The fact they are playing in the winter, the fact that we have both competitions finishing on that Grand Finals day, it’s something pretty special."
“It also means that we’ve got a uniform international window for both the men’s and the women’s game."
“So, there are arguments for both sides, and as we expand, that will be a consideration in terms of when you start and when you finish."
“But we know big crowds…like the draw this year, we have 30 doubleheaders between the men’s and the women’s game."
“Now we know that the players and the fans love that, an opportunity to see both their men’s and women’s team playing at their home stadium. Every team (that has an NRLW team) has that twice, and we've got 30 of those (overall)."
“That I think is a real boost for the men’s and women’s competitions.”
Have the Las Vegas games been a success in what you initially expected?
AB: “I think it’s fair to say that we have been unbelievably delighted with the way in which Vegas has captured the imagination of not just Rugby League fans but all sports fans in Australia and New Zealand at the start of the season, which has given us a massive boost. So yes, absolutely”
“But the real reason for us going to Vegas and we’ll continue to do this is we believe in Rugby League.”
“We believe in the globalisation and the international opportunities that Rugby League presents."
“We’ve got the best competition in the world, we’ve got the greatest athletes, men’s and women’s."
“And unashamedly, we have a bold vision to continue taking the game to new markets and America is strategic for us as would other markets would be in future years."
“Because when fans of any sport see and experience Rugby League, we have no doubt that they’ll become sticky and stay and start to follow teams and individual athletes."
“That’s a long-term game plan. That’s not going to happen overnight, so we’ll continue to do that and certainly make inroads. It was never going to be a quick success."
“And international broadcast rights, we are unders in terms of what we think we can get in future years."
“So, in 10 years, we’ll look back and go, ‘Wow, Rugby League is now being monetised and being celebrated and watched around the world. That’s ultimately the vision.”
Were you able to progress the idea of Global Round during your trip to England?
AB: “Well, it’s exciting, we’ve got a lot of interest.”
“And there is different markets that we want to go to and different markets that have an interest in playing."
“And of course, a partnership with the Super League to do that is terrific because fans from England coming as well as fans from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific."
“That’s an exciting opportunity and in many respects, an extension of Vegas just on an even bigger scale with multiple markets, multiple opportunities for our fans to travel and see new countries and experience new stadiums."
“But more importantly, an opportunity to showcase Rugby League in these markets, whether they be in the UK or the Middle East and beyond.”
Any further progress on a 20th team?
AB: “No, at the moment our focus is on making sure that the expansion in ’27 with the Perth Bears and ’28 with the PNG Chiefs is successful and helping those clubs get ready to enter the competition."
“And making sure that the design of the competition, for the structure of the move to 18 and then 19 teams, is successful."
“Obviously, it makes sense to think about further growth beyond that, and we’ve spoken before about the options that a 20-team competition gives you."
“Nothing further to say at this particular point in time. At the moment, we’ll focus on our 2026 draw, and of course, we’ll keep an eye on further expansion opportunities down the track."
Listen to the full interview below:
