Trbojevics the 'Kelces of the NRL' as teams hit Vegas

Tom Trbojevic has been asked about comparisons between his family and the Kelces in the NFL as the locals embrace rugby league's arrival in Las Vegas.

TOM TRBOJEVIC.
TOM TRBOJEVIC. Picture: Jono Searle/Getty Images

The Trbojevic trio are being sold to America as the NRL's version of the Kelce brothers, as local media interest grows for the Las Vegas season opener.

The NRL's historic march into Vegas has been met with interest in the US, with almost 38,000 tickets sold and ample billboards in Sin City promoting the game.

The match has also attracted some local media, with coverage from as far as the New York Post and television slots on CBS in Las Vegas.

As other teams arrived in Vegas on Wednesday, Manly players were quizzed over the chance to feature on the same field the Super Bowl was played at 20 days earlier.

Other comparisons between the codes are also easy to draw.

Tom, Jake and Ben Trbojevic will start together against South Sydney on Saturday, with the superstar fullback playing his first game since last June.

There are arguably no better-known siblings in world sport at the moment than the NFL's Travis and Jason Kelce, with the former dating Taylor Swift and the pair podcasting together.

Travis is now a three-time Super Bowl winner at Kansas City and the game's premier tight end, while Jason is arguably the game's best centre at Philadelphia.

"I feel like there is a lot of differences between us and the Kelce brothers," Tom Trbojvic quipped when asked by local media about similarities with the NFL stars.

"I'm respectful of what they've been able to do.

"But look, we're far away from what they've been able to do in the world of sports. As a fan of both of them it's hard to compare us to them."

Often regarded as one of the more humble and quietly spoken players in the NRL, Trbojevic was asked who the Travis-type personality was among the brothers.

"I think we're all Jason, aren't we? None of us are Travis," he said.

"We're very far from outgoing people. Everyone would probably say I am, but that's probably going a bit far."

One Manly player enjoying the Vegas distraction is Luke Brooks, with the fact he is about to play his first match away from Wests Tigers largely overshadowed.

Brooks did not train with Manly's main group on Wednesday with an undisclosed niggling injury, but the five-eighth said he is not in any doubt to play.

"It's just something minor but I am all good to go," he said.