Cricket key to season
THE length of the NRL season now rests on the T20 World Cup cricket tournament going ahead with a minimum of 15 more games confirmed once the competition resumes on May 28.
State of Origin will be played on three consecutive Wednesdays with the first match of the series to take place 10 days after the grand final.
ARLC chairman Peter V’landys met broadcast partners – Foxtel boss Patrick Delany and Nine chief executive Hugh Marks – for delicate discussions yesterday.
The talks came after Marks’ Nine network delivered a public reluctance to back the NRL plan to restart on May 28.
However, that all changed with V’landys confirming the broadcast partners were committed to the planned reboot.
“There are a few others things to be sorted out but the broadcasters are united with us to start on May 28 as the target date,” V’landys said last night. “They are all on board for that.”
It is understood the competition will feature 15 matches with a final decision on the competition structure to be learnt next week.
There is the potential for up to 20 matches to be played.
Fox Sports and Nine have the rights to the T20 World Cup – which is under real threat to be postponed or cancelled – to be played in Australia from October.
An ICC meeting yesterday indicated a decision on the future of that tournament may not be made until August.
However, the NRL want to lock in its length of the competition early next week with the draw to follow days later.
“As far as the competition structure is, we need a bit more information to move it forward in terms of other sporting events and how that affects our broadcast partners,” V’landys said.
Foxtel were pushing for 20 more games to be played while Nine requested just 13.