NRL schedules preliminary finals on Friday and Sunday for first time since 1995, triggering fan backlash
League defends move that will give one grand finalist a two-day preparation advantage ahead of the October 5 decider
The NRL has altered its week-three finals fixturing for the first time since adopting the two-preliminary-finals system in 1995, scheduling the games on Friday and Sunday rather than on consecutive days and drawing sharp criticism from players, former stars and fans.
The change means the winner of the first preliminary final — the clash involving Melbourne and either Canberra or Cronulla — will have a nine-day turnaround into the grand final on Sunday, October 5. The winner of the other preliminary final, the Broncos’ match against either Penrith or Canterbury to be held at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, September 28, will have a seven-day turnaround, creating a two-day difference between potential grand finalists.
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo defended the decision on Tuesday, saying the league had consulted clubs and believed a seven-day minimum lead-in ensured no team would be disadvantaged. "Once you get to that level of rest and recovery, we were really cognisant of the fact that seven days is key," Abdo said. He added the league was "really comfortable" with the arrangement and that clubs did an "unbelievable job" in high-performance management.
The scheduling change was driven by a number of logistical factors, Abdo said, including the AFL grand final in Melbourne on September 27 and travel considerations that would have forced some clubs onto a six-day turnaround if a Saturday preliminary final had been scheduled. The NRL also cited strong viewership for daytime football as a reason: last Sunday’s qualifying final between the Raiders and Broncos at GIO Stadium drew more than two million free-to-air viewers and roughly 767,000 viewers on Fox Sports, making it the most-watched finals game in NRL history.
Former Brisbane forward Corey Parker criticised the move on SEN radio, calling it "lop-sided, poorly done and selfish from the NRL" and arguing that some players may only have one chance to appear in a grand final. "It has been absolutely poorly put together... and the NRL has not considered player welfare, nor what the grand final week looks like from a preparation point of view," Parker said. His co-host, former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy, described the scheduling as "ridiculous" and "horrible."
Fans on social media reacted strongly, with posts accusing the league of handing one finalist an unfair advantage and suggesting the decision was influenced by considerations around competing with the AFL for audience and calendar space. The NRL said the option of a Saturday preliminary final for the Melbourne Storm was unworkable because of the AFL grand final logistics in Melbourne and that playing on Saturday would have created inequitable travel demands for other clubs.
The league emphasised that the Sunday preliminary-final option had been under consideration prior to the recent ratings surge. Abdo noted that during the regular season teams are already subject to uneven scheduling, including byes and periods when opponents have had extra recovery time, and reiterated the league’s confidence in clubs’ high-performance systems.
Specific match-ups and venues are shaping the practical effects of the change. Reece Walsh’s Broncos will host their preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, September 28 from 4pm AEST. If Penrith advance through their path, they would enter the grand final with two fewer days than whichever team emerges from the Melbourne side of the draw.
The NRL described the 2025 fixturing decision as a one-off change to accommodate calendar and broadcast considerations and said it would monitor outcomes after the finals. The chief executive acknowledged it was the first time the league had adopted this schedule since 1995 and said the arrangement followed discussions with clubs during the decision-making process.
The debate over the scheduling reflects broader tensions in Australian sport between calendar coordination, broadcast demand and perceptions of competitive fairness. The NRL’s finals draw, and the differing rest periods it creates for potential grand finalists, is likely to remain a focal point of discussion among clubs, players and supporters as the finals series unfolds.