The Melbourne Storm have been left disappointed by the NRL's decision to leave their preliminary final in a timeslot which will mean it directly clashes with the AFL grand final.
The AFL grand final has been moved to an evening timeslot for the second straight year as it prepares to be held in Perth for the first time.
It falls on the same day as an NRL preliminary final, and despite the obvious clash, with the NRL are seemingly unprepared to move from a 7:50pm kick-off which will put the match in direct competition with the decider.
The Storm, having finished first, were widely expected to be afforded the Friday night preliminary final, however, that has now gone to the South Sydney Rabbitohs, who will play the winner of the Manly Sea Eagles and Sydney Roosters for a spot in the decider.
Melbourne will meanwhile await the winner of this Saturday's semi-final between the Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels in what could be a top of the table showdown a week too early.
Club CEO Justin Roski this morning told SEN Radio that they had asked the NRL for an earlier twilight fixture on Saturday to lead into the NRL grand final, but were knocked back.
"We're disappointed for our fans in Victoria," Rodski said.
"We did raise this with the NRL and asked for a twilight game on Saturday and was knocked back. This is a huge missed opportunity."
The competition for eyeballs in Melbourne is almost a certain loss for the NRL, given the way the AFL dominate the sporting landscape in the Victorian capital.
Both preliminary finals are set to be held at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, following this week's semi-finals at BB Print Stadium in Mackay. The grand final will then also be held at the Brisbane venue on Sunday, October 3.
