WHAT THE NRL SEASON WILL LOOK LIKE:
* REGULAR SEASON (20 ROUNDS)
The opening two rounds of football will stand, with 18 more to be played. The first game will be played on Thursday May 28 behind closed doors. It’s expected each team will play each other once with no byes, equating to 13 matches. Detail about the extra five rounds has yet to be provided, though there is talk of a series of ‘rivalry round’ fixtures. The round will be played on the last weekend of the regular season.
* THE FINALS (OCTOBER)
The finals will be played as usual with the first week beginning Friday October 2, which would have been the original NRL grand final weekend. In a boost for Channel Nine, no finals matches will clash with Australia’s matches of the Twenty20 World Cup, which they have the rights to.
* GRAND FINAL (OCTOBER 25)
The decider will be played on Sunday October 25, three weeks after the original one was scheduled. At this stage it will likely be at the SCG, unless the Twenty20 World Cup goes ahead. That decision won’t be made until as late as August. If it goes ahead and Australia host Pakistan at the SCG the night before, then the NRL grand final will likely be moved to Bankwest Stadium.
* STATE OF ORIGIN (POST-SEASON)
Dates and venues for State of Origin haven’t been announced yet but we do know it will be after the NRL finals. The NRL hopes that can give time for crowds to be able to return to events. It’s likely the matches will be played on Wednesday nights, with November 4 a possible starting date, 10 days after the grand final. There are possible clashes with the T20 World Cup that Nine would want to avoid on Wednesday November 11 and Sunday November 15.