Bring back the afternoon match: Fraser

The NRL should seriously consider bringing back the time-honoured tradition of staging day-time grand finals, Queensland Sports Minister Andrew Fraser said today.

Mr Fraser said it was unfair to Queenslanders that this weekend’s Broncos final would be staged and televised on Sunday night in Sydney, meaning local fans would miss out on the institution of enjoying the game during the afternoon.

“And that’s for the sake of television ratings,” Mr Fraser said.

“Tradition is important to Queenslanders and they should be keeping alive the tradition of having a day time grand final.

“There really does need to be a balance struck between what’s sacred to Queenslanders – and we all know Queenslanders love their sport – and commerce.

“Watching the match on a Sunday afternoon is a part of rugby league’s heritage.”

Sunday’s grand final will be followed by a Monday public holiday in New South Wales which, Mr Fraser said, was great for Sydney fans but a snub for Queenslanders.

The NRL has persisted with a late kick-off to capture the most lucrative television audiences.

Media Contact: Chris Taylor 3227 8825 or 0419 710 874
September 25 2006