NRL 2017 fixtures: Brisbane Broncos take bulk of prime Channel 9 games
THE Broncos have been handed the lion’s share of prime time matches on Channel 9 in the first 11 weeks of the 2017 NRL season.
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THE Broncos have been handed the lion’s share of prime time matches on Channel 9 in the first 11 weeks of the 2017 NRL season.
In the last year before the NRL claims it will take control of its own fixturing, Nine’s insistence on getting full bang for its buck with the Broncos’ appeal to advertisers sees Brisbane play on Thursday nights or Friday night on 10 of the first 11 rounds.
The NRL released the first 20 rounds of the 26-round premiership today and of their 18 matches Brisbane play on six Thursday nights, seven Friday nights and five Saturdays in an outcome which infuriate some rivals clubs and their supporters, as it does annually.
North Queensland’s preference to play home matches on Saturdays has been mostly heeded by the NRL and broadcasters, with only two home matches on Friday nights and none on Thursdays.
The only time the Broncos play on another day during those rounds is for the Suncorp Stadium double-header on May 13, when Manly play a home game at Suncorp Stadium against the Broncos on a program which also includes a Storm-Titans match.
Gold Coast have fared better with free-to-air appearances than last year after making a run to the finals and recruiting Jarryd Hayne, while they might not believe it fully reflects their attraction to the football public.
Hayne’s first tilt against Parramatta comes early in the season, in Round 3 at Robina in the later of the Friday’s two matches that night.
In an NRL analysis of how many times each team plays a side that made the 2016 finals, the Rabbitohs have the hardest draw of all the 16 clubs, followed by the Cowboys.
The Broncos have the third easiest draw on this basis, with only the Eels and Bulldogs playing more often against teams who battled in 2016.
The first 14 rounds all have two matches on Fridays, with the early game, usually a 6pm kick-off, to be exclusive to Fox Sports and the second, usually 8.05pm, to be telecast by Nine and simulcast on Fox Sports.
NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said there was a reduction in the number of five-day turnarounds between games – from 31 to 19 in the first 20 rounds.
It’s a result which more than meets the league’s promise to players 12 months ago to reduce the instances of it by 25 per cent.
The 2017 season still include a May 5 Test for the Kangaroos despite it being a World Cup year.
The Origin games are on May 31 in Brisbane, June 21 in Sydney and July 12 at Suncorp Stadium, with the Maroons intent on making the most of having two home matches against the Blues.
Brisbane’s six home matches on Friday nights in the first 20-round batch of fixturing are all played in the later timeslot. The Broncos and Suncorp Stadium management had been concerned about crowd access for 6pm kick-offs on Fridays.
The Broncos have three away matches on Thursdays and three at home. The Suncorp clashes on Thursdays are against Sydney Roosters (round 6), Penrith (round 9) and Canterbury (round 20).
North Queensland will not be pleased by being scheduled to consecutive Thursday night games away in Sydney on May 11 (against Canterbury) and May 18 (against Cronulla).
The Cowboys are well travelled again, playing in Darwin in round 14, a Parramatta home match, and in Cairns in round 19 against South Sydney on a Sunday afternoon.
They have the chance to post a fast start to their finals race with six of their first nine games at home, including their season-opener against Canberra on March 4.
Cowboys CEO Greg Tonner said Saturday matches allowed members and fans from across the club’s catchment time to travel.
“The primary geographical range of our membership base is vast so we’re acutely aware of the importance of Saturday games,” Tonner said.
Afternoon football first appears in Townsville in round 16 clash on June 24 against Penrith, with a 3pm kick-off.
The NRL has scheduled Melbourne’s home matches against North Queensland, one of its most attractive matches to Queenslanders, in the heart of the representative season on Saturday, June 17.
The Cowboys and Titans both get the first of their byes in round 12, in late May, the weekend before the first Origin match on May 31, and the second in round 18.
As is their preference over recent years, the Broncos will play a match that weekend without their Origin players, away to the Warriors on May 27, with Brisbane’s byes being in round 15, before Origin II, and 18.
In their first 18 matches, Gold Coast play four times on Friday nights, with matches against Parramatta (round 4), away against Brisbane (round 7), at home to Souths (round 15) and away to Wests Tigers in round 16.
The NRL grand final will be on October 1.
Originally published as NRL 2017 fixtures: Brisbane Broncos take bulk of prime Channel 9 games
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