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If you were to look at the blockbuster games of the last few rounds, you would find one common theme: they weren’t on Channel 9.
Sea Eagles v Roosters, Cowboys v Roosters, Sea Eagles v Storm, Roosters v Storm and Sharks v Rabbitohs were or will be exclusive to Foxtel.
Meanwhile, Channel 9’s flagship Friday night games over those rounds have featured uncomfortable massacres of the league’s cellar-dwellers, the Wests Tigers.
This is the risk that both Channel 9 and the NRL ran when they decided to pre-set most of the NRL draw before the season had officially kicked off.
The main justification for pre-planning the draw was that it would allow fans to plan what games to attend months in advance.
However, although more fans are able to attend the games, a pre-planned draw has evidently been detrimental to those who would prefer to watch the games on TV instead, as well as who is broadcasting them.
Speaking on Sportal’s NRL Unleashed podcast, Manly legend Peter ‘Zorba’ Peters has lambasted the NRL Commission for giving into the will of the NRL clubs’ on their decision to pre-plan the NRL draw:
“(On Manly v Storm) what a shame it was on Monday and we had to see that rubbish last Friday night,” said Peters.
“Wests Tigers are on again against the Cowboys on Friday night. What an absolute joke, when the next night there’s a barnstormer [between] the Roosters and the Storm. Fox must be laughing.
“NRL Commission, you are officially now a joke.”
Rugby league journalist for The Australian, Brent Read, has defended the NRL Commission, stating that it was a decision forced by the clubs.
“The problem is this is what the clubs wanted…it’s a shocking decision that’s backfired and this is probably [Channel 9 and the NRL]’s worst nightmare,” Read said.
For everyone who’s only source of rugby league is Channel 9, they would have been bitterly disappointed to miss out on the elite teams and performances that have been showcased over the last few weeks.
Instead of watching Melbourne and Manly tough it out in an exhilarating golden point clash, they were presented with back-to-back thrashings of the Tigers and Bulldogs on Friday and Sunday.
Although it would have been impossible to predict how teams would perform prior to the start of the season, organising the draw a few weeks out from each round would allow Channel 9 to claim the blockbuster games that, under the current system, many fans have so far missed out on.
In terms of increased attendance, if their team is going well, fans will make room to go to the games without needing to organise their plans three or four months in advance.
At least Channel 9 still has State of Origin.
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