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Grand Final set for 5pm kick-offExclusive by Phil RothfieldDecember 18, 2007 03:00pm THE NRL is on the verge of announcing a 5pm kick-off for next year's grand final. In a compromise between fans who wanted a 3pm start and Channel Nine who wanted to stay at 7pm, the NRL will shortly announce a 5pm kick-off. The kick-off time has been the hottest issue in the game since The Daily Telegraph conducted a fan survey in July which revealed 75 per cent of 7000 fans wanted to scrap the night-time decider. NRL boss David Gallop will announce the decision shortly after a telephone hook-up earlier today with board members and Channel Nine boss David Gingell. http://www.news.com.au/dailyteleg.../0,22049,22943400-5006066,00.html |
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Win for the players ... South Sydney recruit Craig Wing supports the 5pm grand final. Photograph: Phil Hillyard By Steve Mascord and Nick Walshaw December 18, 2007 05:00pm CHANNEL Nine boss David Gyngell yesterday demanded and received two more prime time semi-finals in a shrewd trade-off for a 5pm grand final. Pushed back on to the NRL agenda following The Daily Telegraph's exclusive fan survey in July, the 2008 centenary decider will now kick off two hours earlier. Fans and officials who have campaigned for the scrapping of night-time deciders were celebrating last night over the decision. South Sydney superstar Craig Wing said the decision was a win for players and fans. "And something that will only enhance league's following," he said. NRL boss David Gallop agreed the compromise was the "best result all-round" for the opposing interests of both supporters and broadcaster Channel 9. "It's a successful result for all parties," Gallop said. "We've always accepted there are many fans who still prefer a daytime grand final." But while one tradition was partially restored, another - Sunday afternoon semis in weeks two and three of the play-offs - was taken away. At Gyngell's instigation, those matches will revert to Friday where they will more than compensate Channel Nine for an anticipated loss of 300,000 viewers with the earlier grand final kick-off. And the network is adamant the 5pm start is at this stage just a one-off to mark the code's centenary in Australia. "We changed to Sunday afternoon (semis) last year but we got feedback that people were missing Friday night footy," Gallop said when asked about the deal. "And with the change to the home-and-away finals, there was a feeling that Friday nights were better. There are better ratings on Friday night and it was part of our discussions." The public pressure to scrap night grand finals was unequalled since South Sydney's deeply unpopular ejection from the the 1999 premiership. But the re-introduction of Sunday semis last year was also the result of a public groundswell - and now they are gone again. NRL officials point to the North Queensland-Warriors semi-final played in sapping heat on September 16 in saying this decision suits all parties. But the following Sunday's Melbourne-Parramatta preliminary final attracted 33,427 to Telstra Dome and was one of the most dramatic games of the season. And while the League insisted it could and would stand up to the broadcasters, Nine emerged from yesterday's discussions adamant they could have contractually blocked the 5pm grand final if the NRL had not given up something in return. Television executives hope that in future years, they can convince the League to put the grand final back to nightime and still keep their two Friday night finals, giving Nine a clear victory out of yesterday's talks. Gyngell yesterday issued a brief statement and declined to comment further. It said: "Channel Nine has worked with the NRL in the spirit of the game and is happy with the outcome." Gallop brokered the deal in person with Nine sports director Steve Crawley at Fox Studios yesterday morning. "Steve spoke to David Gyngell a number of times during our meeting," Gallop said. The switch was then endorsed by the NRL partnership committee and the League's board. Clubs were last week evenly divided on the issue. Last night most accepted the compromise although Parramatta and Melbourne were vocal in their opposition. Gallop said: "There were times it looked like being a difficult result but I think we've come up with something that's near to perfect. "It obviously takes into account the broadcasters' position and also the players, in terms of heat levels not only for first grade but the preliminary games. "And it's certainly a great example of the feelings of our core supporters being taken into account. "We'll look at it on an annual basis and see how it performs." Aside from strong opinion from the public and media commentators, factors which influenced the decision included making it possible for more children to watch, allowing teams to return to their home cities after the match and the lack of a public holiday the next day in Queensland. But there is certain to be debate in the days ahead over whether the league gave away more than it received in yesterday's talks. http://www.news.com.au/dailyteleg.../0,22049,22943400-5006066,00.html |