The NRL has dodged a scheduling disaster, with a last-minute agreement shifting the Dolphins’ match against South Sydney to Parramatta and out of Cyclone Alfred’s path.
NRL officials confirmed on Tuesday evening that the opening-round match scheduled for Friday night would be moved from Brisbane to CommBank Stadium.
The decision came hours after the Australian Football League (AFL) postponed its own two opening-round games in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, which were initially set for Thursday and Saturday night.
The NRL’s situation had become complicated because the bosses had only just arrived from Las Vegas on Tuesday, and then got straight into solving the problems.
Brisbane Stadium officials had remained firm until Tuesday arvo that the game could go ahead, with Souths players and match officials set to fly to Brisbane on Wednesday.
But that would’ve posed a major problem for the NRL if the cyclone did hit, given the teams wouldn’t be able to shift out of the city to play elsewhere.
Instead, NRL officials were able to have the game shifted to Sydney, with the Dolphins now set to fly down on Wednesday.
The decision will be a huge relief for broadcasters, with the Nine Network counting on having a Queensland club for its first Friday night of the season.
The game will also be considered a home match for South Sydney, with the move to Parramatta coming about due to Accor Stadium being unavailable.
The round-17 match between the two teams will now be a Dolphins home game, even though Brisbane is still scheduled to host the Warriors at Suncorp Stadium on the same day.
The intricacies surrounding the draw likely contributed to the NRL’s decision, as it would’ve caused a logistical nightmare for the game not to be played this weekend.
While the Australian Football League (AFL) is able to shift its season-opening game between Brisbane and Geelong to round three, the National Rugby League (NRL) draw doesn’t allow for a similar move.
The Dolphins and Rabbitohs don’t have a shared bye round this year, so a mid-week game would’ve probably been the only way to go.
That in itself would’ve presented issues, with players needing a five-day turnaround between matches, and no obvious dates available in the fixture list.
The NRL’s decision to swap home games wasn’t without its difficulties.
The league has had to quickly sort out flights, accommodation and make sure broadcasting arrangements are in place, all while securing training grounds.
A huge crowd had also been sold for the Friday game, with all tickets now needing to be refunded, and there are also other commercial arrangements in place for home games.
The rest of the NRL opening-round matches are expected to go ahead as scheduled, with the Broncos already having travelled to Sydney on Tuesday morning for their upcoming game against the Roosters.
