The National Rugby League (NRL) is in hot water after a flawed decision to schedule its preliminary finals. The Melbourne Storm have already qualified for the grand final, where they will meet either the Canberra Raiders or the Cronulla Sharks. That scintillating matchup is set for Friday, September 26, at AAMI Park. This match is set to kick off at 7:50 PM, while the Brisbane Broncos will host a showdown against either the Canterbury Bulldogs or the Penrith Panthers on Sunday, September 28, at Suncorp Stadium, starting at 4:05 PM.
Along with these important matches, the NRLW will get the spotlight on this special weekend as well. The Sydney Roosters will take on either the North Queensland Cowboys or the Cronulla Sharks on Saturday, September 27, at Gosford, with a kickoff time of 7:45 PM. Earlier that same day, the Brisbane Broncos will compete against either Newcastle Knights or the Gold Coast Titans at Suncorp Stadium, beginning at 1:15 PM.
Melbourne will get the Friday night fixture against the winner of the Canberra and Cronulla elimination match. The Brisbane Broncos are preparing for one of their most important matches this Sunday afternoon. Then they will play the winner of the Bulldogs/Panthers semifinal. This new schedule marks a big departure from past years. Indeed, for the very first time since 2007, a Sunday preliminary final is set to happen! In addition to that, it’s the first occasion since before 1995 that preliminary finals have not been played in succession.
The NRL’s new top eight finals model has been met with a largely divided response from fans and football bosses. Per usual, some boosters are taking to the internets to complain about unfair benefits given to teams as a result of the shakeup. What’s especially important for teams in this new arrangement is that the victors of Friday’s matches will earn an additional two days to prepare for the grand final. This proposal has raised the ire of numerous general and uniformed fans.
“Seriously… So one team will effectively have a two-day advantage in preparation for the GF… This is bonkers,” – one incensed fan.
Operating under its own jurisdictional imperatives, critics are asking why one team should get extra time to sweat out injuries before the grand final. Highlighting this concern, another fan stated:
“What the hell is this? Why would they give one team two days extra to prepare and recover from niggles for the grand final than the other? Furthermore, it’s the B path that’s advantaged with the Broncos knocking off the minor premiers and taking the A path. This is an outrage,” – another.
Further underlining the ridiculous nature of this scheduling, Canberra are looking at a six-day turnaround going into their semi-final against Cronulla. By contrast, Cronulla gets the advantage of a longer lead-in time even though they placed fifth overall on the ladder.
