England and Great Britain rugby union sevens star Alfie Johnson scored two tries on debut for Warrington - but the first of the eight Vegas teams to play a match in 2025 crashed to defeat.
Coach Sam Burgess rested most of his top 17 at home to feeder team Widnes, with debuting Papua New Guinea international Dan Russell among the tryscorers too as the Wolves led 22-12 shortly after half-time - only to concede 24 unanswered points on the way to a 36-22 loss.
Assistant coach Richard Marshall indicated the team he fielded against Widnes included many players competing for very few available spots on the plane to McCarran International.
Former South Sydney forward Zane Musgrove was one of the older Wolves to get a run.
“He wanted some minutes,” Marshall explained. “Getting Zane to play longer minutes and having that quality for a little bit longer is his challenge. We’ve got some vision to look at and see how he can improve but I thought he carried strongly for us.”
A squad of 20 is expected to travel to Vegas for the clash with Wigan on March 1, for which they will prepare with an opposed session against NRL champions Penrith.
An injury to former Knights forward Lachlan Fitzgibbon has given Russell his opportunity, although Fitzgibbon is expected to have overcome the long-term shoulder problem before the plane departs.
Earlier, Burgess said he had obtained visas for most of his squad to keep his selection options as open as possible.
“We don’t know who we’re taking - we’ve blanketed the whole squad almost,” he said.
Panthers: Vegas wants you
“Everyone’s got ESTAs. It’s round three for us. Things can change, probably will change - judiciary rulings and injuries, it’s just the nature of the beast.”
Burgess said the experience would be an eye-opener for those of his players who’d not been part of the NRL.
“It’s down to us as professionals to manage the week and the hype - it’s going to be so different to a week in Super League,” Burgess said.
“Because the NRL media are going to be there - it’s going to be crazy for our boys, a new experience.
“It will be good experience for them as players, learning to manage external pressure.
“There will be that big game intensity, the big fan day on the Thursday night... it will be a good experience for them to feel that pressure, that heat - and then get on with the game.
“It’s our job. Our job is to go there and play well. That’s the bottom line. If you keep the main thing the main thing, it’s hard to get confused.
“You know: enjoy the other experiences, enjoy being in Vegas...
“I think it’s exciting that they’ve been brave enough to attack a different market.
"Only time will tell but it’s the biggest sporting market in the world. You can only think it’s going to be good over time. They’ve committed to five years.
“They’re doing it properly. That’s what it needs.”
