League plans to rob the NRL during Las Vegas matches, fixture, GWS Giants, Sydney Swans

The AFL is getting set to cash in as the NRL prepare to capitalise on the international audience in 2024.

The NRL will launch next season with a double-header in the US at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL.

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The games will be played on March 2 in America with the Manly Sea Eagles, South Sydney, Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos kicking the season off.

But as the NRL attempt to capture a piece of the expansive American market, the AFL are loading up to pinch the Sydney market away.

GWS Giants director Jimmy Bartel revealed that the league is planning on hosting marquee games in Sydney early in the season.

“While you go on holidays, we’ll rob your house,” Bartel said on the Yesterday’s Heroes podcast.

“We might be starting a week earlier next year. I think the AFL have genuinely looked at how the Giants and the Dogs went with only one practice game, and both sides did OK in round one.

“They were concerned about injuries and things like that. I think they’ll move it forward by a week because we’ve got the extra round.”

Since 2008, Carlton and Richmond have kicked off each new AFL season at the MCG, but that could all be out the window from next season.

The AFL was criticised for missing out on a golden opportunity to cash in on the NRL-dominant Sydney market during the NRL’s Magic Round.

With the entire league playing in Queensland, both Sydney clubs didn’t play a home game.

Criticism also came in after they elected to host the first ever Gather Round in AFL-mad Adelaide despite Sydney being keen to host.

Giants boss Dave Matthews said the earlier start to the season in Sydney would help the AFL claim a larger piece of the pie.

“Starting the season earlier in Sydney makes great sense,” Matthews said.

“The key thing that we speak to the AFL about is that we have to do things differently up here.

“Differently in terms of promotion, ensuring both teams remain competitive and looking at the best slots to engage our fans.

“It’s such a cluttered and competitive market.”

Sydney CEO Tom Harley earlier in the season urged the league to take advantage of the NRL starting their season overseas.

“It shouldn’t come as a surprise to hear that we missed some opportunities when it came to fixturing games here this year and we all acknowledge it was a big miss,” Harley said to The Age.

“Whether we bring the season forward and kick it off in Sydney or look at other blockbusters, that move should come after a really strong campaign across the Sydney market starting off at the back end of summer.

The Giants popularity has grown as they’ve surged into a preliminary final showdown against Collingwood.

A win would propel them into their second AFL Grand Final which would only help further the case for the league to hand them a blockbuster opening game to kick off the 2024 season.

Bartel suggested a Swans vs Melbourne clash at the SCG could be on the cards, a matchup made even juicer if ruckman Brodie Grundy gets his wish to join the Sydney club after a failed stint with the Demons.