Who Emerged Victorious from the Lift Brawl? League Jokester Teases Brawling Raider with Inflatable Baseball Bat in Vegas

Rugby league’s notorious larrikin Cooper Johns couldn’t resist poking fun at the embattled Raiders. He sported an inflatable baseball bat on the red carpet in Las Vegas and playfully grilled Hudson Young, one of the participants in the hotel lift scuffle, about the ongoing saga.

This latest episode in the rugby league narrative featured Johns, a former NRL playmaker with Melbourne and Manly, wielding a Simpsons-themed inflatable bat in Downtown Las Vegas during a media skit for Sportsbet, the official betting partner of the NRL.

During the encounter, he even gave Young a playful whack on the head with the inflatable bat while 9News’ Danny Weidler attempted to conduct an interview.

The inflatable bat was a cheeky nod to the incident involving Young and Canberra teammate Morgan Smithies, which occurred in the early hours in Las Vegas last week, only gaining media traction a few nights later.

“We’re not asking you anything about the elevator incident, all right?” Johns said to Young with a cheeky grin while brandishing the bat.

Of course, that was a promise that the son of former NRL star Matty Johns was never going to keep.

“So, who came out on top in the elevator brawl, mate?” Cooper kicked off the interview.

Young seemed uninterested in engaging with the questioning.

“Ah, I’ve got no idea what you’re on about, mate,” he chuckled.

Canberra coach Ricky Stuart, however, didn’t appear to find the humour in Johns’ antics on the red carpet.

“To each their own, mate, and people have their own ways of doing things, well I’m not sure if he sees himself as a journalist, but journalism,” Stuart remarked with a shrug.

He also dismissed any concerns that the hotel lift incident would disrupt the club’s preparations for their first-round match.

“It hasn’t affected us at all. We find it amusing. No issues from our end,” Stuart stated.

“I’ve been a player myself and I’ve been involved in these sorts of incidents; you just move on.

“… It fizzled out exactly as it deserved to.

“It hasn’t caused us any disruption whatsoever.

“It’s all good. I appreciate interacting with you all [reporters] and the understanding of what it was about. It was nothing.”

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Despite their hopes, the Raiders’ attempt to have UFC president Dana White blow the club’s iconic viking horn before their game against the Warriors didn’t pan out.

However, on Saturday (AEDT), the club announced that Las Vegas Raiders NFL star Tyler Manoa will have the honour.

The Raiders are set to face the Warriors at the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium at 11am on Sunday (AEDT).