Why isn't the NRL draw made random?

[Accept]

not 100% but pretty sure, i recall some raving about that aspect of the deal ... but i could be wrong, I know it is rare, but it does occasionally happen :)

You could be right as well but it's hard to imagine Ch 9 not having a choice to who they feature in primetime after forking out a record deal for the TV rights. Imagine Cant vs NZ shown nationwide on a Thursday night.

 

[Big Pete]

Foordy's right.

From next year the regular season will only run for 25 weeks, the second Origin game will be played on Sunday, Channel 9 will broadcast 4 FTA games (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and the NRL will get to decide the dates.

 

[Accept]

Foordy's right.

From next year the regular season will only run for 25 weeks, the second Origin game will be played on Sunday, Channel 9 will broadcast 4 FTA games (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and the NRL will get to decide the dates.

Well, I'll be darned. The Broncos will still feature heavily on Thurs and Fri though because the NRL will want the FTA network to achieve high ratings which will help in negotiations down the track. The networks may no longer have a say but they will still be highly influential.

 

[Kimlo]

Which means there's some chance we might get some Sundays next year.