David Riccio: A daytime NRL grand final would work for fans so why are broadcasters pushing back?

The rise of the Warriors has provoked the NRL into bringing back daytime final matches. So why not a daytime grand final, asks DAVID RICCIO.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 30: A general view during the 2018 NRL Grand Final match between the Melbourne Storm and the Sydney Roosters at ANZ Stadium on September 30, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Hear that?

That’s the sound of September pub chat.

You’ll hear it in the office and around the barbecue this weekend too.

Radio producers already have callers on the line. The board is lit up like a Christmas tree, as they say.

It’s the annual debate that gets long time listeners, first time callers off the couch.

The calls for the NRL to bring back afternoon grand finals, instead of the scheduled 7.30pm kick-off, has begun.

And I’m here for it.

There’s fuel for the debate with the irony that the NRL has decided to turn back the clock by announcing a tribute to Tina Turner as the entertainment for this year’s grand final.

30-years-ago, Turner rocked the 1993 daytime grand final like no other has ever again.

Ultimately though, what has instigated the grand final kick-off time debate has been the enormous tease by the governing body, where three of the six semi finals across last weekend and this weekend have kicked-off at 4pm (AEST).

This is the timeslot that Fox League’s Matty Johns has been campaigning for the grand final to be played for years.

The fans clearly love afternoon finals matches.

Tina Turner rocked the 1993 Grand Final in glorious sunshine. Picture: Action Photographics

All three 4pm matches, at Penrith last Saturday, in Newcastle last Sunday and in Auckland on Saturday, were sold-out matches.

A quick scan through each of those crowds and the NRL would’ve noticed what I saw. The thousands of painted faces of schoolchildren, the most important age demographic for the growth of the game. Literally the game’s next-generation of supporters.

Of the other three semi finals played at 7.50pm, only two were sold-out.

The two-sell-outs were the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium last Friday night and the second being the 13,000 crowd at PointsBet Stadium to watch the Roosters end the Sharks season.

The Storm and Roosters elimination final at 7.50pm on Friday night just gone fell short of a sell-out.

That reads well for the “bring back afternoon grand finals” brigade.

As we know though, the grand final has little to do with crowds.

There’s only a few thousand seats left for the upcoming October 1 premiership decider.

It’s all about TV ratings and the broadcaster earning as much as they can from commercials during prime time.

The NRL told me not to use the past two weekend’s TV ratings as a marker for those arguing for the game to bring back a daytime grand final.

They said it was an inaccurate assessment of whether 4pm or 7.50pm was more appealing for TV fans, due to the drawing power of the team scheduled in each timeslot and additionally, the other factor of what else may be on when the games were played.

However, if we keep it as simple as possible for footy fans, the past two weekends have shown that night football doesn’t exactly boast a Penrith-like dominance over daytime football.

By combining the Nine TV ratings with Fox Sports TV ratings we can see that 536,000 fans watched Penrith beat the Warriors at 4pm compared to 508,000 that watched the Roosters beat the Sharks at 7.50pm later that night.

Further, a combined 675,000 viewers watched Newcastle beat Canberra last Sunday afternoon — the second most-watched show on Fox Sports. They’re very good numbers.

The anomaly is of course, the Broncos, who could play on a beach in thongs and fans would still tune-in. Their Friday night demolition of Melbourne last weekend pulled in a combined 838,000 viewers.

Which in-turn, raises another argument.

If the NRL are ever going to adjust their watches and wind back the clock of the grand final, what better time to do so, when the Broncos are short-priced favourites to be there?

Mainly though, the trigger for this discussion has been the Netflix worthy resurrection of the Warriors.

Knights fans filled McDonald Jones Stadium for their afternoon elimination final against the Raiders. Picture: Getty Images

The NRL made the strategic and clever decision to slot the Warriors into a 4pm timeslot over the past two weekends (6pm NZ time) in a bid to attract the greatest number of eyeballs back in New Zealand.

The timeslot has helped the Warriors become so big, they have begun eating into the All Blacks pie.

Has there been a more seminal moment for the game’s growth in New Zealand? Yet the problem is this.

As it stands, if the Warriors were to advance to a grand final, fans back in New Zealand would be tuning in to a 9.50pm kick-off. And unlike in Sydney on grand final day, there’s no public holiday in New Zealand on the Monday.

Each of next week’s preliminary finals are also scheduled for 7.50pm (AEST). It will be midnight in New Zealand when the full-time siren goes.

Isn’t the game looking at a second team in New Zealand? A historic State of Origin match?

How does an almost 10pm kick-off maximise new fans, sponsors and commercial revenue?

To the NRL’s credit, they told this column they will always look at catering to the desires of the largest possible audience. ie: They won’t rule out scheduling a grand final in the afternoon.

Yet every fan knows, it’s a catch-22.

The game can’t afford to turn it’s back on the best possible broadcast deal, which is underpinned by Channel 9 gaining huge commercial and advertising dollars, which is raised significantly during prime time.

There is a window of opportunity for those fans wanting a daytime grand final.

Nine’s current broadcast deal to televise the grand final expires at the end of 2027.

Until then, fans could be left arguing around the barbecue.