Should NRL chairmen and chief executives cast their votes in favor of a distinctive 27th round, the 2013 season will see an extension of one week, attracting 180,000 fans to witness eight games across three sold-out venues.
While this “27th round” is scheduled to take place early in the season, it will feature a double-header on Friday night at either New Zealand’s Eden Park or Newcastle’s Ausgrid Stadium, followed by a triple-header in Brisbane on Saturday night and another triple-header at Homebush on Sunday. Matches from this extra round will be counted toward competition points.
Games will be designated for Western Sydney clubs at ANZ Stadium, while Queensland teams will compete at Suncorp Stadium, with the Warriors playing in Auckland.
All venues are anticipated to sell out, and the total gate receipts, expected to reach around $3 million, will be distributed equally among the clubs.
The season will maintain a format of 12 home games and 12 away games, with the addition of this extra round.
This proposal is set to be thoroughly evaluated and debated in a meeting for club CEOs and chairmen happening today in Coogee.
NRL football operations director Nathan McGuirk stated, “The blockbuster round concept is something which we would like to discuss with the clubs, but we believe it could be an exciting new concept for fans of rugby league.”
Unlike the English Super League, which dedicates an entire round to the Millennium Stadium in Wales, the NRL intends to divide its round among three venues.
Today, key figures in the league will also make crucial decisions regarding the holding of three State of Origin games across two nations during one stand-alone weekend.
Proposals are set forth for an exciting weekend of elite football, featuring NSW against Queensland, New Zealand hosting its inaugural Origin game (Auckland versus Counties), alongside another Origin match at the National Youth Competition (under-20) level.
In 2013, Origin will occur as a stand-alone event only once, scheduled for Monday nights to promote player welfare, with the remaining two Origin games flanked by NRL matches.
Plans also include eliminating byes in 2013 and reinstituting split rounds along with the stand-alone Origin.
“We have been examining various models to address issues related to Origin and have engaged with club representatives on our season structure committee (including Peter Doust, Steve Humphreys, Paul White, and Todd Greenberg) as well as other influential figures within the sport,” McGuirk elaborated.
“While no flawless solution is available, we believe these prospective modifications concerning Origin can help to ease concerns about player load and the necessity for clubs to have their star players available, while still upholding the significance of Origin.”
NRL chief executive David Gallop noted, “We are seeking a structure that adheres to three principles.”
“First, we need to maximize the commercial returns for the game.”
“Secondly, we aim to reduce the workload on players, particularly regarding the mandatory requirements for them to recuperate within days of a significant representative game. Thirdly, we wish to maintain a strong presence of matches across every weekend of the season as much as possible.”
There are indications that the independent commission could be formally announced today.
by Buford Balony
