All-You-Can-Eat Buffet At Caesar's Palace Reminds Dragons Fan Of Glory Days When Kogarah Oval Had A Sizzler Next Door

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT

The NRL's 2026 Vegas Round is underway, and the Australian rugby league fans that have made their way to the Nevada desert are blending in far better than anyone could have imagined.

Namely, the St George-Illawarra Dragons fans, who are more than well-versed in the cultural etiquette that comes from having an entire business precinct kept afloat solely by poker machines.

One prominent Dragons fan on tour is Rockdale-based sheet metal fabricator, Lachlan Blacknathe (52), who has somehow found a trades conference in Las Vegas that turns this entire trip into a tax write-off.

With two blokes from work forced to mingle with his rowdiest childhood mates, Lachlan has perfectly massaged this four-day trip down to the very last Qantas points.

And what's even better, is that it feels just like home! The ideal holiday for suburban Sydney rugby league tragics.

Lachlan says even the cool change in the desert evenings remind him of the breeze that comes off the Georges river. Just like home.

Not that he notices it, because he's spending every spare moment in a giant air-conditioned entertainment venue full of sports-screens and high salt counter meals... Just like home!

While the footy is obviously the drawcard of this weekend away, Lachlan and his mates are enjoying the American freedoms that come with transplanting the NRL into the City of Sin.

"The bouncers here don't ask how much you've had" he says with a smile.

"It's like the 1990s all over again. Not to mention the prices. If you start winning on the tables they start bringing them to you for free!"

However, there's one deep vein of nostaliga that has been struck this weekend that takes Lachlan and his mates straight back to the glory days. The all-you-can-eat buffet in Caesar's Palace.

"This is like pre-merger Kogarah" says Lachlan with tears in his eyes.

"Sitting on the hill all day with a belly full of full-bodied, non-craft, beer"

"Then pouring across the Princes Highway into Sizzler for cheesy bread and unlimited salad bar"

"They've even got a Taj Mahal here for the kick ons!"