The battle for the hearts and minds of football fans in western Sydney has taken another turn, with the AFL to schedule the round one Greater Western Sydney-Sydney Swans clash as a stand-alone game during the opening round of the NRL.
The idea to gatecrash the NRL opener has come from the Giants, but is expected to be given the green light by the AFL commission.
If granted, Great Western Sydney and the Swans would play at ANZ Stadium on March 24, 2012, while the rest of the AFL’s first round eight games would be played on the next weekend from March 29. The AFL season would then end with the grand final on September 29.
Giants chief executive Dales Holmes mentioned the plan at the club’s grand final luncheon yesterday. It would be a powerful way to start the season with a fierce first derby between Sydney’s two AFL teams.
If the scheduling goes ahead, it would also be another shot at the NRL after the Gold Coast Suns debuted this year in Queensland rugby league territory.
With battles in Sydney, the Gold Coast and Melbourne intensifying, and the Melbourne Storm slowly gaining some live TV coverage of their games, it will be interesting to see the NRL’s response.
Speculation is growing that the NRL will return to Perth in 2015 when they add new teams into the competition. The Western Reds entered the ARL competition in 1995 but were axed in October 1997 as the ARL and Super League merged to form the NRL.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
For the last few weeks, there has been a rumbling in the air around Victoria. Everyone has sensed it, but most have been able…
You can't have it all, Bombers fans! Marvel Stadium was rocking in a thrilling top-eight clash with Essendon taking an eight-point lead into the…
What are you doing, Jack Buckley!
Tom Hawkins returns to familiar surroundings of Geelong - but is it the tonic he needs to regain some of his confidence back after a goalless four games.
Jeremy Finlayson should be a welcome addition to the Port Adelaide forward line after kicking four goals in the SANFL last week.
Last, year in the second showdown, Adelaide destroyed Port by 47 points with a staggering 20 marks inside 50 with Tex Walker the main star.
