Triple-header matchdays might not be a thing of the past for long, with ARLC boss Peter V'landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo hoping to bring three grades of football at one venue back onto the fixture, per The Daily Telegraph.
In what will be a hit of nostalgia for your more experienced fans, NRL fixtures might be handed curtains raisers in the form of reserve and under-21's grades, as seen in the 1980's and 1990's.
It is understood that V'landys and Abdo have been in discussions with all 16 clubs and have received very little resistance in the concept.
The NSWRL and QRL are also fielded into the discussions, with the idea of three games at the same venue likely to take place on Saturdays and Sundays.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Abdo said it would be a great aspect for fans to be able to see young players rise through the ranks in front of their very eyes.
“The concept of having fans being able to see up-and-coming and younger talent in the feeder competitions, or even a superstar making their comeback from injury, we believe that is a great project for us to work on,’’ Abdo said.
“We play NRL matches on Thursday to Sunday and some of the logistical arrangements with aligning the draw with the NSW Cup and Queensland Cup on a Thursday or Friday night, due to a large majority of the players still working jobs, could be problematic.
“But on a Saturday or Sunday, being able to align the draws of the NSW and Queensland Cup, makes sense and we are working on it.
“There’s not a lot of resistance to it. It’s just about aligning who is affiliated to which club and getting the draw to work.
“We’re receiving the co-operation that we need from both the NSWRL and QRL.”
Whilst admitting there will be bumps along the way, Abdo is hoping to have up to 40 lower grade matches broadcasted in the one season.
“We want it broadcast, so we’re working with everyone, including Fox Sports and Nine, to see which games could be broadcast," he said.
“We’re working with the NSWRL and the QRL to try and optimise the draw so that when Penrith play, their reserve grade team and possibly under-20s are also playing before on the Saturday.
“We’re hoping to get up to 30 or 40 (lower grade) games this season to maximise that outcome for fans.
“There’s something in there for everyone. It’s much easier in NSW. In Queensland it’s a bit trickier because the Broncos, Cowboys and Titans are aligned with Queensland Cup clubs, but it’s not impossible and we’re working on it.
“There’s not a lot of resistance to it.’’
V'landys said that the concept is all about further engaging the fans on matchday.
“It’s very important that there is vertical integration to get into the NRL, like it used to be, which is the under-21s, into reserve grade, into first grade,’’ V’landys said.
“You only need to look at these Facebook forums where they put the teams up from years gone by to see all the players that were in the under-21s and reserve grade that ended up in first grade.
“To me it’s a priority. We have to look at it. Obviously, like anything, when you want to make a change there’s resistance, but Andrew is talking to the clubs about all those pros and cons.’’
