Agreed, at the very least on 9Gem or 9Now. It’s better than having another repeat of MAFS
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Judging by those caps, it looks like Nine are producing the QLD Cup in native HD now?
Not sure how it worked in 2016, but some of the matches were HD but others upconverted. May have depended on availability of trucks and/or venue.
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###ROUND TWO
The biggest and best NRL games are on Nine and this week it doesn’t get much better than the always epic Broncos vs Cowboys encounter headlining three massive match-ups in round two on Nine’s Wide World of Sports.
Friday Night Football promises to be action-packed as another dramatic chapter in the Broncos and Cowboys rivalry is set to be written. Revenge is on the minds of the Broncos after a magical Johnathan Thurston flick pass for a Michael Morgan try in extra time ended their 2016 season.
Nine’s rugby league expert, Darren Lockyer, says: “This match has a huge build-up with an Origin-type feel in Queensland and a packed-out Suncorp Stadium expected.
“High temperatures are also expected and this game will be played at a frantic pace, so Broncos bench forwards Tevita Pangai Junior and Herman Ese’ese can really make an impact when they come on.”
Lockyer’s player to watch is Jason Taumalolo: “Everyone talks about Thurston but trying to stop Taumalolo is the key. The Broncos will need to minimise his impact if they’re any chance of winning.”
But first, league fans will whet their appetite with Thursday Night Football when the colossal forward packs of the Roosters and Bulldogs collide at Allianz Stadium.
The Roosters started the 2017 season with an impressive round one display against the Titans that has many experts tipping them to be right in contention come finals time. The Bulldogs, with a very aggressive forward pack, will be hungry for their first win of the season against their more favoured rivals after losing to the Storm last week.
On Sunday Afternoon Football the claws will be out when the Tigers host the Panthers at Campbelltown Stadium where some of the most entertaining players in rugby league go on display.
With the star Tigers trio of James Tedesco, Luke Brooks and Mitchell Moses going up against exciting Panthers Matt Moylan, Te Maire Martin and Waqa Blake, viewers are in for a treat of scintillating attacking play.
Broadcast Times
Thursday 9 March - Roosters vs Bulldogs
Sydney 7.30pm LIVE on Nine
Brisbane 6.30pm LIVE on 9GEM; from 7.00pm LIVE on Nine
Melbourne 7.30pm LIVE on 9GEM
Adelaide 7.00pm LIVE on 9GEM
Perth 4.30pm LIVE on 9GEM
Friday 10 March - Broncos vs Cowboys
Sydney 7.30pm LIVE on Nine
Brisbane 6.30pm LIVE on 9GEM; from 7.00pm LIVE on Nine
Melbourne 7.30pm LIVE on 9GEM
Adelaide 7.00pm LIVE on 9GEM
Perth 4.30pm LIVE on 9GEM
Sunday 12 March - Tigers vs Panthers
Sydney 3.30pm LIVE on Nine
Brisbane 2.30pm LIVE on Nine
Melbourne 3.30pm LIVE on 9GEM
Adelaide 3.00pm LIVE on 9GEM
Perth 12.30pm LIVE on 9GEM
RUGBY LEAGUE ACTION THIS WEEK ON NINE
• SIX TACKLES WITH GUS – Nine’s James Bracey talks the biggest rugby league issues of the week with NRL legend and expert commentator Phil Gould on Six Tackles with Gus.
This week: Golden Point, penalties, and will Bryce Cartwright play this weekend?
Podcast available for download here: Podcasts
• THE NRL FOOTY SHOW – Fatty, Erin, Beau and Darryl are back this week with the footy on Thursday night. Two-time premiership winners James Maloney and Chris Heighington join the panel live. Now available LIVE in every city across the country on 9NOW.
• SPORTS SUNDAY – Sunday, March 12, at 10.30am AEDT, LIVE on Nine. Frank and open debate about all the issues in the week of sport. This week Peter FitzSimons, Scott Sattler, Candice Falzon and Neil Breen join Emma Freedman.
**Check local guides for details. Times will differ.
Peter Sterling and Phil Gould are no longer the experts?
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Probably selected to comment because it is a match between two Queensland teams.
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So Sterlo is just doing half time, pre game commentary tonight and not actually doing the game. Gould and Joey are in the box. Joey and Sterlo are both great, and probably the 2 best, but it seems Joey is now preferred to Sterlo??
Also, they now present from the field and not a desk in the stands.
47000+ at Suncorp stadium. that’s not quite a sold out match.
Sometimes when members don’t turn up its still a sellout because those tickets were allocated.
Was it an error isolated to NBN Nine, or did Nine Sydney and SCA Nine also show the feed of Wayne Bennett preparing for a press conference (which lasted about 12-13 seconds) between the end of the football and Lethal Weapon?! 
Confirm that Round 20 is Country Week, and the TV game for that weekend is going to be Easts vs Norths at Mundubbera. The other CW locations (St.George, Winton, Clermont, Bamaga and Julia Creek) would probably have been too hard basket for a TV game. Naturally the NRL wouldn’t touch those places with a barge pole for even a training session…
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Herald Sun reports Melbourne will host game 2 of State of Origin series next year, probably on a Sunday night during the AFL’s mid-season break. That should ensure a massive crowd at either the MCG (which last held the Origin clash in 2015) or Etihad Stadium.
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…and probably massively overwhelming TV ratings for Nine as well.
It’s a 3 game series, in the interest of fairness the 3rd game should always be held at a neutral venue. Plus it helps promote the code nationally and will still attract massive TV audiences regardless, it’s win-win. It’s better than playing 2 games at ANZ Stadium and having to give away tickets to fill the stadium.
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Agree 100%
Victorians will always appreciate and attend a sporting event of the highest calibre, even if it’s a rival to their favourite football code.
Whether that should happen or not, it hasn’t always happened. They only played the games in Sydney and Brisbane originally. Then later for some years Oueensland refused to give up their second game in the years they had two which is why games in Melbourne only occurred every second year, or more, iirc.
According to Sunday Times, NRL would have a game in the US in the 2018 Season.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/the-nrl-is-planning-to-kick-off-the-2018-season-with-rugby-leagues-first-premiership-match-in-america/news-story/2f56cbbccde4907ffac9230e6f853869
You may be right. SOO pulls big TV audience in Melbourne but NRL matches involving the Storm only gets 20-30,000 viewers on 9Gem in the city.
Probably due to the lack of advertising and dumping the game on an SD multichannel.
Then again, as a touch rugby player, I’m biased 
2019 will likely see a game in Perth, and 2020 may even see a game in NZ so the concept is going further than it ever imagined when league officials took their first plunge into Melbourne in 1990.