NRL considers day-time grand final, AI to produce draw for the first time

ARLC chairman Peter V’landys confirmed a return to a day-time grand final will be discussed as part of the next broadcast deal as the NRL revealed it would use artificial intelligence for the first time to compile its 2026 draw.

Sunday afternoon finals football has been a ratings bonanza, sparking fresh debate about whether the decider should return to a family-friendly day-time slot. The Broncos-Panthers preliminary final attracted a total national reach of 3.113 million on Nine, making it the No.1 program for the day in Sydney and Brisbane.

Nothing will change until the current broadcasting contract expires, meaning the grand final will kick off at 7.30pm for the next two years.

However, negotiations for the next TV deal will include the prospect of playing the marquee match earlier in the day.

“It’s certainly part of the consideration,” V’landys said.

“I think it’s proven that Sunday afternoon football is very successful.

“We looked at it last year and I said to our management team, we’ve got to move to Sunday afternoon [for finals]. They all looked at that strange, but the beauty about Sunday afternoons, it’s a premium time.

“It’s also clean air, so you’ve got nothing else on at that particular point in time. Our games have been so good that it’s attracted more people in the prime time.

“All credit goes to the players, and they’ve lifted to a level that is unbelievable. Some of these games and the efforts they’ve put in are extraordinary.

“The thing is Sunday afternoon has certainly proven to be a winner, and we’re going to have to convince a lot of people, including the broadcasters, that Sunday afternoon was the way to go. Now they’ve seen it for themselves, it might make it a bit easier.”

The football season will culminate in the Brisbane-Melbourne grand final at Accor Stadium on Sunday night, but planning for next season is already under way.

The governing body usually engages a Canadian-based firm to compile its draw, but AI has been tasked with the huge logistical challenge for the first time.

“We had a big workshop on the draw because it’s so complicated,” V’landys said at the NRL/NRLW grand final breakfast at Crown Sydney on Tuesday.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like it, the variables that are in it. The broadcasters get a pick, the clubs get a pick, there’s the Magic Round, there’s Vegas, there’s all these different [factors].

“What we’ve done this year, we’ve got a program that uses AI because of all the different requests and algorithms. And the State of Origin is naturally a major factor in it.”

Asked about the Canadian firm that was previously used, V’landys quipped: “I think it’s American now, so there’s a bit of a tariff on it, but that’s all right.

“This is the first year we’ve used this program.”

An announcement on whether the proposed breakaway rugby competition Rugby 360 will proceed is expected in coming days. Several NRL players have been targeted, including Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jai Gray.

However, V’landys felt R360 wasn’t a threat to rugby league.

“Anything that doesn’t have a business model or a financier or a backer, you can’t take seriously,” he said.

“If someone shows me a business plan, how they’re going to pay for this and how they’re going to pay for the players, how they’re going to promote it.

“I saw that they were looking at YouTube; YouTube’s a great channel, but it’s certainly not going to generate the revenues that they would like.”

It hasn’t stopped several NRL clubs from expressing their concerns to head office.

“The clubs want the NRL to take some pretty harsh action, and we’re considering it,” V’landys said.

“They’re wasting their time with this one, but there’s probably going to be [a genuine threat] in the future and who’s to say that they’re not using this R360 ... to get more money.

“If I was a club CEO, I wouldn’t be taking it very seriously … If you’ve got a contract with the NRL, we expect you to honour it and if you don’t, there’s going to be consequences.

“There’s a number that the clubs want us to do, and we’re looking at it.

“Naturally, we listen to our clubs, and they want to make sure that their players are secured, and we’ll assist them in that regard.”

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