So there’ll be Thursday NRL games on Nine for basically the whole season next year?
We won’t be sure until the NRL releases the 2018 fixture before the end of this year.
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Nine had contractual rights to alter the kick off time in the past contract (which ended last night)
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I have talked to the community group of Glaxon VI and they agree.
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This is exactly why NIne didn’t mention it. Seven has promoted the RLWC during the post-match of its Friday and Saturday night AFL broadcasts this year. Nine promoted Test Cricket which is on its own network.
This is similar to Footy Classified for AFL on Monday nights. IIRC there was a NRL version of Footy Classified during the 2016 finals.
At least it will mean Nine won’t have to find documentaries or dramas to fill the post 9.30pm timeslot when Footy Classified is on in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
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The show I recall was Mad Monday which aired in 2012?
The Sunday Telegraph has revealed the fixture for the opening round of 2018 NRL season, with the full fixture to be released this week. The season starts with St George Illawarra hosting Brisbane at Kogarah on Thursday, March 8. The FTA matches for this round are:
Thursday: St George Illawarra v Brisbane
Friday: North Queensland v Cronulla
Sunday: Penrith v Parramatta
As part of the new broadcast deal, Nine can stream its allocation of matches plus State of Origin on 9Now from next year, which will make fans and viewers happy.
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Apparently there will be a double header in Round 3 on Saturday 24 March with South Sydney against Manly, and Parramatta vs Cronulla at the Olympic Stadium at Homebush.
With 4 good Sydney teams playing, that should draw a great crowd. I am thinking of going to that game.
Though both will probably be FOX games.
All four of next year’s double headers are confirmed to be on Fox exclusively
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The Dragons-Broncos game should start at 8pm due to daylight saving in QLD. That way, Nine would still have a full news bulletin in Brisbane.
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So much for less Broncos on Thursday and Friday nights…
It is only round 1. Remember the NRL now has full control of the fixture, so it may put as many NSW teams on Thursday and Friday nights as possible.
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Or give teams a more even crack of the whip across the various timeslots.
Probably won’t be until after Daylight Savings ends at the earliest…
So apparently this is the FTA schedule for next year…
ROUND 1 (8-11/3)
THURS: St.George/Illawarra vs Brisbane (Kogarah)
FRI: North Queensland vs Cronulla (Townsville)
SUN: Penrith vs Parramatta (Penrith)
R2 (15-18/3)
THURS: Cronulla vs St.George/Illawarra (Shark Park)
FRI: Brisbane vs North Queensland (Lang Park)
SUN: Manly vs Parramatta (Brookvale)
R3 (22-25/3)
THURS: Melbourne vs North Queensland (Swan St)
FRI: Wests Tigers vs Brisbane (Campbelltown)
SUN: Gold Coast vs St.George/Illawarra (Toowoomba, Titans won’t be playing at Robina until May due to Comm Games)
R4 (29/3-2/4, EASTER WEEKEND)
THURS: North Queensland vs Penrith (Townsville)
FRI: Cronulla vs Melbourne (Shark Park)
SUN: St.George/Illawarra vs Newcastle (Wollongong)
R5 (5-8/4)
THURS: Canberra vs Canterbury (Canberra)
FRI: St.George/Illawarra vs South Sydney (Kogarah)
SUN: Parramatta vs Penrith (Olympic Stadium)
R6 (12-15/4)
THURS: Syd Roosters vs South Sydney (SFS)
FRI: St.George/Illawarra vs Cronulla (Wollongong)
SUN: Manly vs Wests Tigers (Brookvale)
R7 (19-22/4)
THURS: Canterbury vs Syd Roosters (Olympic Stadium)
FRI: Brisbane vs Melbourne (Lang Park)
SUN: Cronulla vs Penrith (Shark Park)
R8 (25-29/4, ANZAC Round)
WED (ANZAC Day): Syd Roosters vs St.George/Illawarra (SFS)
THURS: South Sydney vs Brisbane (Olympic Stadium)
FRI: Penrith vs Canterbury (Penrith)
SUN: Parramatta vs Wests Tigers (Olympic Stadium)
R9 (3-6/5)
THURS: Brisbane vs Canterbury (Lang Park)
FRI: Penrith vs North Queensland (Bathurst)
SUN: Syd Roosters vs Manly (SFS)
R10 (10-13/5)
THURS: Wests Tigers vs North Queensland (Leichhardt)
FRI: Canterbury vs Parramatta (Olympic Stadium)
SUN: Canberra vs Cronulla (Canberra)
R11 (17-20/5)
THURS: Penrith vs Wests Tigers(Penrith)
FRI: Brisbane vs Syd Roosters (Lang Park)
SUN: Cronulla vs Canterbury (Shark Park)
R12 (24-27/5)
THURS: Brisbane vs Parramatta (Lang Park)
FRI: North Queensland vs Melbourne (Townsville)
SUN: Wests Tigers vs Canterbury (Olympic Stadium)
R13 (1-3/6, PRE ORIGIN 1)
THURS: Manly vs North Queensland (Brookvale)
FRI: South Sydney vs Cronulla (Olympic Stadium)
SUN: Syd Roosters vs Wests Tigers (SFS)
STATE OF ORIGIN 1, Wednesday June 6, MCG
R14 (8-11/6, QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY in NSW)
FRI: Gold Coast vs South Sydney (Robina)
SUN: Melbourne vs Brisbane (Swan St)
R15 (14-17/6)
THURS: Parramatta vs South Sydney (Olympic Stadium)
FRI: Syd Roosters vs Penrith (SFS)
SUN: Wests Tigers vs Canberra (Campbelltown)
STATE OF ORIGIN 2, Sunday 24 June, Olympic Stadium
R16 (28/6-1/7)
THURS: St.George/Illawarra vs Parramatta (Wollongong)
FRI: Syd Roosters vs Melbourne (SFS)
SUN: South Sydney vs North Queensland (Cairns)
R17 (5-8/7, Pre Origin 3)
THURS: Melbourne vs St.George/Illawarra (Swan St)
FRI: Penrith vs NZ Warriors (Penrith)
SUN: Gold Coast vs Brisbane (Robina)
STATE OF ORIGIN 3, Wednesday 11 July, Lang Park
R18 (13-15/7)
FRI: Newcastle vs Parramatta (Newcastle)
SUN: St.George/Illawarra vs Wests Tigers (Kogarah)
R19 (19-22/7)
THURS: Parramatta vs Canterbury (Olympic Stadium)
FRI: Brisbane vs Penrith (Lang Park)
SUN: Manly vs Syd Roosters (Brookvale)
R20 (26-29/7)
THURS: Brisbane vs Cronulla (Lang Park)
FRI: Canterbury vs Wests Tigers (Olympic Stadium)
SUN: Syd Roosters vs St.George/Illawarra (SFS)
R21 (2-5/8)
THURS: Canterbury vs Brisbane (Olympic Stadium)
FRI: South Sydney vs Melbourne (Olympic Stadium)
SAT: Syd Roosters vs North Queensland (SFS, Fox “Simulcast”)
SUN: Penrith vs Canberra (Penrith)
R22 (9-12/8)
THURS: North Queensland vs Brisbane (Townsville)
FRI: South Sydney vs Syd Roosters (Olympic Stadium)
SAT: Parramatta vs St.George/Illawarra (Olympic Stadium, FOX)
SUN: Melbourne vs Cronulla (Swan St)
R23 (16-19/8)
THURS: Brisbane vs South Sydney (Lang Park)
FRI: Melbourne vs Parramatta (Swan St)
SAT: Cronulla vs North Queensland (Shark Park, FOX)
SUN: Canberra vs Syd Roosters (Canberra)
R24 (23-26/8)
THURS: Wests Tigers vs Manly (Campbelltown)
FRI: North Queensland vs Parramatta (Townsville)
SAT: Syd Roosters vs Brisbane (SFS, FOX)
SUN: St.George/Illawarra vs Canterbury (Kogarah)
R25 (30/8-1/9)
THURS: South Sydney vs Wests Tigers (Olympic Stadium)
FRI: Melbourne vs Penrith (Swan St)
SAT: Parramatta vs Syd Roosters (Olympic Stadium, FOX)
SUN: Brisbane vs Manly (Lang Park)
The NRL still has not fixed the problem that is Queensland teams (specifically Broncos and Cowboys) dominating the FTA timeslot on Thursday and Friday nights. In the first 13 rounds, only Rounds 4 and 5 do not have Broncos nor Cowboys featuring in a FTA match on Thursday or Friday night.
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If I’ve counted it right…
*Of the Queensland teams, the Broncos will be getting 17 games on Nine next year, compared with 13 for the Cowboys and only 3 for the Titans.
*2017 Premiers the Melbourne Storm will get eight games on Nine during the 2018 NRL Premiership Season.
*Of the Sydney teams, the Roosters will have the most free to air games in 2018 with 15 airing on Nine. Manly will have the least with 7, while the others get 10 (Canterbury), 11 (Cronulla, Penrith, Souths, Wests) or 12 (St George/Illawarra, Parramatta).
*As for the other teams, Canberra will get 5 (SCA Nine can’t be too happy about that), wooden spooners Newcastle will get 2 (NBN must be really unhappy about that!) while the NZ Warriors will only have one game on Nine all year with the others being on Fox.
In summary, the 2018 free to air schedule for the NRL is still very much biased towards the Broncos & Sydney teams. Personally, I think the free to air schedule for the following year should be team neutral or at the very least, based on how the teams performed this year. Really…how is it fair that the West Tigers (who finished 2nd last on the ladder this year!) are getting more FTA games in 2018 than 2017 premiership winners the Melbourne Storm? I don’t follow either team but that sounds ridiculous IMO!
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Having a standalone State of Origin in Sydney on June 24 may attract massive TV ratings for Nine, but attendance may take a hit since it is in the middle of mid year HSC and university exams in NSW.
Would it be any different if it was the Wednesday before?
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