Newcastle Knights management vent their anger at Monday Night Football schedule

NEWCASTLE legend Paul Harragon is fed-up with the NRL's match scheduling, claiming the club's fans feel "angry and cheated".

Paul harragon

NEWCASTLE legend Paul Harragon is fed-up with the NRL's match scheduling, claiming the club's fans feel "angry and cheated".

The Knights have been given three Monday night games this season - more than any other NRL club.

Harragon labelled it a "fiasco", while management claim the three games will cost the club about $200,000 in lost revenue.

Officials claim fans from the surrounding Hunter region simply cannot attend Monday night games, prompting club chairman Harragon to hit out. "This decision has been made without consideration for families and fans who support the game and the Knight," Harragon said.

"I completely understand why the family members are angry and feel cheated.

"I will be taking this up directly with (ARLC chairman) John Grant and the commission to ensure that next year's television contract has a clause ensuring club members are protected from this Monday night scheduling fiasco. This is simply a poor and ill-considered decision by the NRL which could have only been made without the full facts being presented."

Newcastle have just been told their round 23 match against Cronulla will be contested at Hunter Stadium on a Monday night, despite St George Illawarra, Melbourne, Gold Coast and New Zealand Warriors having not been issued a single Monday night match this season.

The NRL gives every team hosting a Monday evening game $40,000 in compensation for lost revenue - but clubs want more.

"The fact that we have now been scheduled to play three home games on a Monday night when other clubs have played none is clearly unacceptable and frankly unfair," said the club's chief executive Matt Gidley.

"Our members, particularly those with families, have every right feel cheated at the lack of balance of distribution of Monday night games.

"Our club takes our membership extremely serious and it is our responsibility to ensure their genuine anger with this scheduling is voiced on their behalf."

The NRL claims no team can be allocated more than three Monday night matches a season and that Fox Sports is within its rights to allocate the round 23 match to Hunter Stadium and NRL officials insist that they try to spread Monday night games around to all clubs.

In a letter to NRL director of operations Nathan McGuirk, Hunter Sports Group commercial and media director Richard Fisk wrote: "This is completely unacceptable. Are we angry? Yes!

"Please explain to our members why this is fair and balanced."

Newcastle is preparing for a big match against arch-rivals Manly this Saturday afternoon.