The NRL will play a Sunday afternoon preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium, in a move that will hand a team the biggest grand final preparation advantage in 30 years.
Officials confirmed on Monday that men’s games would be on Friday and Sunday in week three of the finals, in a significant shift from traditional timeslots.
Melbourne will host the Friday night fixture at AAMI Park against the winner of Canberra and Cronulla, avoiding a Saturday clash with the AFL grand final.
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Brisbane will then take on either Canterbury or Penrith on the Sunday afternoon, making for the first Sunday preliminary final since 2007.
The shift comes off the back of massive ratings for Sunday’s week-one blockbuster between Canberra and Brisbane, and is considered a big win for young fans.
But it will raise questions around fairness, given the winner of the Friday night clash will have an extra two days to prepare for the grand final.
Seven-day turnarounds are viewed as more than acceptable by clubs throughout the season, but an extra two days would be a luxury for any team.
“Seriously… So one team will effectively have a two-day advantage in preparation for the GF… This is bonkers,” one incensed fan said.
“What the hell is this? Why would they give one team two days extra to prepare for and recover from niggles for the grand final than the other? Furthermore, it’s the B path that’s advantaged with the Broncos knocking off the minor premiers and taking the A path. This is an outrage,” another added.
The fixturing marks the first time since before the NRL went to a top-eight finals system in 1995 that preliminary finals have not been played on successive days.
Charter flights could be among options available for travelling teams to assist with preparations for the grand final, if required.
Turnaround times have become a massive talking point of this year’s finals system, since Canberra pushed to play on Sunday in week one.
In the lead-up to the end of the regular season, Ricky Stuart raised concerns over having a six-day turnaround into a Saturday game while opponents Brisbane had nine.
The NRL granted his wish and scheduled the Raiders-Broncos clash for Sunday afternoon, but that has had a flow-on effect through the finals.
Minor premiers Canberra now have a short six-day turnaround into this Saturday’s semi-final against Cronulla, who have a longer lead-in despite finishing fifth.
Officials have also locked in NRLW preliminary finals, with Sydney Roosters to host North Queensland or Cronulla at Gosford on the Saturday night, with Allianz Stadium unavailable.
Brisbane will then face either Newcastle or Gold Coast at Suncorp on the Sunday afternoon, as part of a double-header with the men’s match.
NRL PRELIMINARY FINALS
Friday, September 26: Melbourne v Canberra/Cronulla, AAMI Park, 7.50pm
Sunday, September 28: Brisbane v Canterbury/Penrith, Suncorp Stadium, 4.05pm
NRLW PRELIMINARY FINALS
Saturday, September 27: Sydney Roosters v North Queensland/Cronulla, Gosford, 7.45pm
Sunday, September 28: Brisbane v Newcastle/Gold Coast, Suncorp Stadium, 1.15pm
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