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A revised NRL season and representative schedule for 2020

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30th March, 2020
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We live in unprecedented times due to the ever-apparent pandemic we are currently facing. Like the majority of readers and contributors to The Roar, I am stuck in my home as a result.

Despite the various problems we’re all faced with, it goes without saying that sport is still a very important outlet for many of us.

Dealing with the unexpected realisation that all live sport worldwide will be dormant for a few months, with the exception of football in Belarus and horse racing (or marble racing on YouTube if you’re desperate), will be tough… very tough.

But it is not going to be like this forever, in fact if you’re a rugby league fan and as optimistic as the ARLC chairman Peter V’Landys is then the NRL season will be back this year.

Todd Greenberg and Peter V’landys speak to the media.

Todd Greenberg and Peter V’landys speak to the media at Rugby League Central. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

So, without further ado, here is the make-up of what our rugby league calendar may look like for the 2020 season.

July: Best-case scenario
If the rugby league season were to re-commence on the first weekend of July, that would be best-case scenario for the NRL, State of Origin and Internationals.

For the NRL I would suggest a 15-round competition where every team plays each other once plus finals, and with the first two rounds of competition already completed that leaves thirteen weeks for the season-proper between July and September and October for finals.

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Round 3 would be played from Thursday 2nd July to Sunday 5th July and subsequently each week following through to Round 15 which will be played from Thursday 24th September to Sunday 27th September.

The NRL finals would be condensed into three weeks and would instead have the top-six teams on the ladder qualify as opposed to the current top-8, and would emulate the same finals format as the A-League.

– Week One (2nd Oct and 3rd Oct) – 1st and 2nd placed teams have this week off. 3rd v 6th loser eliminated. 4th v 5th loser eliminated.
– Week Two (9th Oct and 10th Oct) – 1st v lowest ranked winning team from week one. 2nd v highest ranked winning team from week one.
– Week Three (18th Oct) – Grand final

Following the NRL grand final, NRL players would be given a two-week break where that time can be used to build towards State of Origin, giving ample rest time to those involved in the finals series.

Again, the format of this competition will be altered where the three-game series will be played over three consecutive weekends.
– Game One – Sunday, 1st November
– Game Two – Sunday, 8th November
– Game Three – Sunday, 15th November

During the State of Origin period onward, there is also an opportunity for International Tests and competitions to commence without the Australian Kangaroos involvement:
– Oceania Cup A – NZ, Tonga, Fiji.
– Oceania Cup B – Samoa, PNG, Cook Islands.
– Middle-East Africa Championship – Morocco, South Africa, Lebanon, Nigeria.
– Americas Championship – USA, Jamaica, Canada, Chile.
– European Championship A – France, Scotland, Italy, Wales, Ireland, Spain.
– European Championship B – Serbia, Russia, Greece.
– European Championship C – Ukraine, Norway, Germany.
– European Championship D – Netherlands, Czech Republic, Malta, Turkey.

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Following the State of Origin series, NRL players will be given time off where the Australian national team squad can be selected and their International calendar can commence.

There would be a four-week window from the weekend of Friday 27th November through to the weekend of Friday 18th December:
– Week One – Australia v New Zealand
– Week Two to Week Four – Australia v England (Ashes Series in England)

Mitchell Pearce

Oh Origin, how we miss you. (Matt King/Getty Images)

August: Decent-case scenario
If the rugby league season were to re-commence on the first weekend of August, then a 15-round competition plus finals can still be achieved (keep in mind that the first two rounds of competition are already completed). This leaves thirteen weeks for the season-proper between August and October with a November grand final.

Round 3 would be played from Thursday 30th July to Sunday 2nd August and subsequently each week following through to Round 15 which will be played from Thursday 22nd October to Sunday 25th October.

The NRL finals will have the same top-six, three-week finals format:
– Week One – Friday 30th October and Saturday 31st October (Elimination finals)
– Week Two – Friday 6th November and Saturday 7th November (Qualifying finals)
– Week Three – Sunday 15th November (Grand final)

Following the NRL grand final, is the altered State of Origin format and potential international tournaments:
– Game One – Sunday, 29th November
– Game Two – Sunday, 6th December
– Game Three – Sunday, 13th December

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Following the State of Origin series, the only opportunity I could envisage for the Australian Kangaroos playing against England in the Ashes Series could be scheduled sometime in January 2021 in Europe (winter time).

Damien Cook

Could the coronavirus force a permanent re-shaping of the NRL representative season? (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

September: Still-okay-case scenario #1
If the rugby league season were to re-commence on the first weekend of September, then a 15-round competition plus finals again can still be achieved (keep in mind that the first two rounds of competition are already completed). This leaves thirteen weeks for the season-proper between September and November with a December grand final.

Round 3 would be played from Thursday 3rd September to Sunday 6th September and subsequently each week following through to Round 15 which will be played from Thursday 26th November to Sunday 29th November.

The NRL finals will have the same top-six, three week finals format:
– Week One – Friday 4th December and Saturday 5th December (Elimination finals)
– Week Two – Friday 11th December and Saturday 12th December (Qualifying finals)
– Week Three – Sunday 20th December (Grand final)

Following the NRL competition, the only opportunity for State of Origin would be early 2021, playing their games at night-time to avoid the summer heat. This would effectively cancel any International games for the 2020 calendar year.

October to December: Still-okay-case scenario #2
It is reported that if the NRL cannot recommence by 1st September that the competition will be cancelled for the 2020 season.

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If for any reason between October and December the world is given the green-light to return to a semi-normal civilisation, and rugby league is allowed to be played again, then this period is ample to focus all our energy into the representative calendar.

This starts with State of Origin and finishes with International Tests and tournaments.

Worst-case scenario
No rugby league in 2020 would be the absolute worst case scenario.

In our current climate, this article is very optimistic although I am very hopeful that a schedule mirroring the one above, or similar, can be executed.

The logistics of running the game internationally will undoubtedly take a backward step if they cannot run their continental tournaments. This is a shame considering they have made so much progress since the 2017 rugby league World Cup, notably by finally implementing a rolling international calendar.

But at the same time it won’t be the detriment of the sport globally either. The game will bounce back, it always does.

On that note, there is a silver lining to the effects COVID-19 will have on rugby league, or all sport in general for that matter, where the game in Australia will be massively effected.

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There is no doubt that cost-cutting will be implemented and restructures at NRL HQ and their respective rugby league clubs will be come into effect in due course as a result of that, but now is our golden opportunity to hit the reset button and right any of the wrongs that the game has endured. Our game is resilient and will never die.

When the NRL restarts in 2020 (note: when not if) I will be there at the ground watching my beloved Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs run onto the pitch.

If I had a larger say on the game, I would be letting all fans in for free that first round back. From then-on-out I would implement $10 tickets for adults and $5 for children (under 10s free admission) in any category – first in best dressed omitting member seats.

Memberships would be heavily promoted and priced accordingly.

Ultimately, when the game is finally back I would campaign a new tagline for our game. One which entails its resilience and beauty as a game, a game that will never die no matter what it has or will be faced with.

It is one which encompasses what we as supporters of our game have endured since its inception in 1895. One which pays tribute to its past, present, and future… #foreverrugbyleague.

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