The NRL’s much-loved pre-season Nines competition will make its return next season, with the 2020 NRL Nines to be played at Perth’s HBF Park on February 14 and 15.
Following a sell-out crowd at Perth’s Optus Stadium for State of Origin Game 2, the NRL is going back to the Western Australia well as they seek to grow the game across the Nullarbor.
To encourage clubs to field their strongest lineups possible, the NRL will award additional prize money to the premiership winning side if they also win the Nines tournament.
“The sell-out crowd in Perth for State of Origin highlighted how much interest West Australians have in rugby league and we are committed to growing the game here,” said Graham Annesley – NRL head of elite football – in a press release.
“There are few better destinations than summer in Perth and we want this event to be a summer vibes festival. We’re looking forward to seeing a stadium of colour to kick-off our 2020 season.
“Nines is the fastest form of our game. It shows the speed, agility and attacking prowess of our most exciting players,” he said.
The 16 NRL sides will play in four pools of four teams, with a detailed fixture to be revealed closer to February. Four NRLW sides will also participate in an as-of-yet unannounced capacity.
The Nines format – a shorter, sharper format of the game akin to Rugby Sevens or Twenty20 cricket – began in Auckland in 2014. Despite the more laid back, festival-like approach proving immensely popular with spectators, the concept was seemingly abandoned after 2017 following concerns over player workload in a World Cup year.
The Broncos, Rabbitohs and Roosters have all been crowned NRL Nines champions, with Parramatta’s 2016 triumph annulled following revelations of a salary cap breach.
Birdy
Roar Rookie
Trouble is twiggy is rah rah through and through. It would be good to have him onside for a Perth based NRL side but would make sense not to make him an enemy by taking advantage of the RA stuff up with the Force. Stick the the normal time frame of the next broadcast deal for a team in the west.
Big Daddy
Guest
Interesting re the million dollars. The NRL/RLIF sides at Parramatta were probably not the top sides that could have been fielded but NRL are expecting each club to field their top players and have virtually said so. Most clubs will treat these as trial matches and field appropriate sides. The previous nines tournaments confirm this. The NRL are there to organize these tournaments not to tell club's who to pick. The club's are not going to risk high profile player's.
DL2191
Guest
There's already a team in Perth looking for a comp to join ... Todd Greenberg should be calling Twiggy Forrest or whoever owns the Force these days and get them to switch codes!
Col
Guest
And to keep the marketing interest going the word “expansion”... Is fluttered around again.. always is at the end of the season and up until the next .. looks like the old bears have given up on it now after being rejected so many times since 99 .. NRL will have to find another bunny they can try and keep the interest up in, Hey I know why not a Perth team :)
Andrew
Guest
Isn't that more prizemoney than what you get for playing for 25 rounds plus three rounds of finals and winning a Grand Final? Seems you would be better off trying to win the Nines than the Premiership...
hayboy
Roar Rookie
For an AFL city Perth actually gets pretty decent crowds (better than a lot of NRL attendances on the East Coast) to HBF Park for the regular season NRL matches it gets. 38,824 went to the NRL double header at Optus Stadium in 2018. Also rated really well for all 3 SOO matches this year. Out rated Melbourne per head of capita too in all 3 games which is no mean feat for a city without an NRL team. (Game 1 - Per 118k v Mel 273k) (Game 2 - Perth 167k v Mel 245k) (Game 3 - Per 122k v Mel 249k) So how about the NRL gives some substance to the 'National' part of that and put a team in Perth. Give a population of over 2m people a team to support and you're guaranteed to get better attendances than some of the pathetic crowds current clubs pull week in week out. On top of that a Perth side would have plenty of sponsorship support and has an ideal HBF Park ready and waiting. Perth has shown it supports teams across different non AFL codes. It kills all other attendances in the NBL, still gets decent crowds to the Force in Global Rapid Rugby and recently sold out Optus Stadium for the A-League GF and Bledisloe Cup.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
EPL sides might struggle with the sport, and with the salary cap.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
The nines format started in 1996 (Super League World Nines).
Kick n Clap
Guest
Nice joke about WA & Perth and not understanding RL. I think you’ve got your wires crossed with RU & the Western Force. Never heard so much “tripe about how Rugby” is growing big time in the State which massive myth with no real substance? Drive out of the city & RL is game expanding along side AFL in the Pilbara & in the Far North West. All we need is for the NRL to truely support the game and troops will follow I.e Eagles, Wildcats & Glory??
deucer
Roar Rookie
Whoever thought to do the world nines in the middle of the RWC should be fired - on top of that, having it just after the GF wasn't a good idea either. Will look terrible for Sydney if having this nines gets more attending in Perth. Would have been a much better idea to share it around an area with a few regional towns, especially when you consider the average was just 1008 per game. Still, they did get the top 8 spots on Fox for Friday, so there is some interest there.
Pickett
Roar Rookie
Suchi and Cadfael That's exactly what I was thinking. Make it like the Amco Cup where you have outside teams. Add: Perth invitational XIII Burleigh Bears Newtown Jets Old Boys Barbarians made up of recent retirees 35 to 40 yo. Slater, Gallen, Cronk, Inglis etc I think this is a terrific idea and Perth is ideal. At least the NRL are having a go. Also, the team that won the 9s also won the premiership the following year or year before. So there is some correlation with premiership success.
Tom of Brisbane
Guest
No risk at all. WA govt paying for the event
Albert Tooey
Guest
"The Broncos, Rabbitohs and Roosters have all been crowned NRL Nines champions, with Parramatta’s 2016 triumph annulled following revelations of a salary cap breach." The Broncos didn't win. It was their big brother the Cowboys.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
Tv ratings for major nrl games in Perth are pretty good. The game has a reasonable profile in Perth and playing numbers are growing. The nines is a good boutique event that will draw a crowd and a fair number of tourists to Perth. Good decision to play it there particularly given the State government’s support for an nrl team there.
Nelson AS
Guest
Cathar majority of Rugby League fans are more excited by the club version rather than a made up International version. The club version gets people interested and actually draws a half decent crowd
Fix the scrums
Guest
Big risk taking a so so nines tournament to a state that has no real idea about rugby league. A one off exhibition game of state of origin hasn't magically converted Perth to NRL lovers. The Perth tv ratings for the game are extremely poor. Would've thought Bankwest stadium would be the best venue.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Sixteen teams playing Nines over two days. Why not expand it to other teams. EPL sides, NSW Cup sides, Qld Cup teams. Though playing in Perth would put the knocker on many teams. Pity not at Bankwest or Suncorp.
Succhi
Roar Rookie
To win a $1m and risk an injury to a top tier player, on the basis you also need to win the NRL is hardly worth the risk. Why does the NRL always attach a $ sign to performance? Stick a ‘Perth’ team in the nines, give the locals a team to follow for a couple of days.
No
Guest
The Broncos never won. It was their big brother the Cowboys that won the inaugural comp.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
it actually got 28,000. But poor attendance aside, the footy was well received. I certainly enjoyed watching on Kayo over the 2 days, perhaps the timing wasn’t so great. But definitely a great concept for intl rugby league & I hope they persevere with it. I’m not so excited by the club version as it has its own stage during the NRL season. Also would have pleased Fox Sports, & I’d imagine Kayo, with ratings for both days consistently in the top 20. Fridays actually took the first 10 spots! So with content being king for all these upstart streaming services, RL has another product to offer!