The NRL has avoided a headache by not scheduling any teams with non-vaccinated players for matches in Queensland in the opening two rounds, but the league is on a potential collision course with the Twenty20 World Cup over State of Origin scheduling.
Under a reworked draw announced on Friday, Brisbane will kick off the NRL’s return when they host Parramatta on Thursday night of 28 May to start round three. South Sydney will clash with arch-rivals Sydney Roosters on the Friday night, as another highlight in the schedule which only included rounds three and four. Games will be played in NSW and Queensland, with the NRL still to determine what venues will be used.
Crucially though, none of Canberra, Manly or Canterbury are drawn to play away matches against Queensland teams in the opening fortnight. Penrith also have both their games in Sydney, after not disclosing to the media whether all their players had been vaccinated.
Had they been set to travel to Queensland, it would have caused a political storm given that state government will now allow players to take to the field without the jab unless they have a medical exemption.
“Today we have released the next two rounds of the draw to provide certainty for clubs, coaches and players so they can plan for the coming weeks,” NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said.
“We are currently finalising the full draw with our broadcast partners and key stakeholders. Rugby league is so important to so many people. We hope that the football resuming will bring some positivity and excitement back to our fans and the wider community.”
Under the revised draw, there will be no Monday night football between Parramatta and Wests Tigers in round three as had previously been expected. The Tigers will instead face Cronulla on the Saturday night, while the Warriors clash with the Dragons and Melbourne feature in a blockbuster against Canberra on the same night.
Penrith play Newcastle and Manly face off against Canterbury on the Sunday. There will be no double-headers in the schedule, while no venue will host more than one game in one day.
All three State of Origin matches will reportedly be played in the space of 14 days this year after the season, on 4, 11 and 18 November, presenting a possible clash between Game 2 and Australia’s possible T20 World Cup semi-final at the SCG.
It is expected the men’s T20 World Cup will be cancelled or postponed, amid concerns over travel for the 16 teams and whether crowds can attend. But after Channel Nine aired concerns over clashes with the World Cup last month, a clash appears certain if the tournament does go ahead.
The top-ranked Australians are guaranteed to play in the 11 November semi-final if they progress out of their group, due to a deal that sees their final-four game slated for the SCG.
Nine has the exclusive free-to-air rights to the World Cup semi-finals, and would therefore be set to show the match. They also have the rights to State of Origin, meaning they would be forced to split their viewers between two of their channels.
Technically, anti-siphoning laws means both events should be on Nine’s main channel, as sports on the list cannot premiere on a digital multichannel. Both State of Origin and Australia’s Twenty20 World Cup matches on home soil are on that list. That has however not been followed in the past, with Nine showing last year’s Ashes on Gem.
Cricket Australia and tournament organisers are still hopeful the World Cup can be played as planned, with the event set to be a massive financial windfall for the cash-strapped sport. However there are concerns over whether Indian officials will want the tournament to proceed, given the Indian Premier League could be pushed into that slot.
The NRL would not confirm the dates of their Origin matches on Friday, but a report from News Corp claimed they would be on the three successive Wednesdays. It means it will be the first time all Origins have been played in the space of 14 days since its inception in 1980.
It also means players who feature in the 25 October grand final will have 10 days to recover and prepare for the highest-intensity games of the year.