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More equitable draw for 2018 season: NRL

Brisbane will still rule the roost of free-to-air NRL games in 2018, but the NRL claims they have delivered a fairer draw for all teams.

Brisbane will still rule the roost of free-to-air NRL games in 2018, but the NRL claims they have delivered a fairer draw for all teams. Photo: Getty

The NRL ended the 2017 season preaching equality in its grand final entertainment, and now it claims it has delivered it in its 2018 draw.

Chief executive Todd Greenberg trumpeted everything from a more even distribution of television games, a fairer share of five-day turnarounds and less games affected by State of Origin in Thursday’s announcement.

Also crucial to the 2018 schedule is a heavier emphasis on returning fans to games through four double-headers after crowds dropped in 2017.

There will be 28 Sunday afternoon games in Sydney, meaning just three Sundays of the 25-round regular season will be left empty in the game’s most populated city.

“We’re now into a new era of a new broadcast cycle which allows the game much more flexibility in putting the draw together,” Greenberg said.

“Sydney has been a difficult marketplace for crowds for a long time, that won’t change next year. We will have to work very hard.”

Brisbane still has the most free-to-air games with 17 – but its matches on a Thursday or Friday night have dropped from 18 to 13.

Eleven teams have 10 free-to-air matches or more, while Auckland will have five and Newcastle four of the mostly unpopular Friday 6pm timeslot.

The Warriors have just one free-to-air game, while last year’s wooden-spooners Newcastle will have two.

“For broadcast and our partners it is about commerciality,” Greenberg said. “There’s more equality in the draw.

“But we make no apologies for being as commercially focused as we are – whether that’s trying to drive crowds in stadiums or trying to drive big returns for our broadcast partners.”

No team has more than three five-day turnarounds.

NRL

The Storm’s Cameron Smith celebrates with the NRL Premiership trophy. Photo: Getty

Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Newcastle, the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla have been spared all together when it comes to abbreviated preparations.

However the figure of short turnarounds still remains at 24, just one less than last year but well down on the 43 that crowded the convoluted 2016 season.

“We’re very conscious that it’s spread evenly across as many teams as possible,” Greenberg said.

“It was complicated in this draw because Anzac Day falls on a Wednesday, so the five-day turnarounds in and around Anzac Day become problematic.

“I’m hopeful in the next few years we can reduce that.”

Each team will also only have one game affected by State of Origin selections, with all teams splitting their one bye between the rounds directly before Games I and III.

There will also be no games on the stand-alone Origin II weekend in Sydney, making for a 25-round draw.

The season will kick off when Ben Hunt turns out for St George Illawarra against old club Brisbane on March 8 at UOW Jubilee Stadium in Kogarah.

Melbourne hosts North Queensland for a grand final rematch in round three, while Aaron Woods and Josh Reynolds will face their former clubs when Wests Tigers host Canterbury in round 12.

There are some anomalies. Parramatta plays Penrith, Manly, Cronulla and Wests Tigers twice each in the first nine rounds.

The Sydney Roosters also have a dream run through the regular season based on last year’s ladder, playing Melbourne, North Queensland, Cronulla and Parramatta once.

-AAP

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