The audacious idea to play more matches in NRL grand final week

August 9, 2026 — 5:00am

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The NRL is exploring the idea of turning grand final week into a festival of football with an additional three matches, including a third-place play-off pitting the losers of the preliminary finals against each other ahead of the decider.

Under an audacious plan, club chief executives have come up with three options for matches on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the grand final on Sunday.

It’s a stunning move that is sure to divide the game, and it could come as early as this year.

The concept was inspired by the recent soccer World Cup, which featured a thrilling third-place play-off between England and France. That match, won 6-4 by England, was a better spectacle than the dull final between Spain and Argentina.

It piqued the interest of the NRL. The proposal was put forward by Bulldogs boss Aaron Warburton at the NRL chief executives meeting on Wednesday and is being championed by Peter V’landys.

Last year’s losing preliminary finalists were the Sharks and Panthers. It would have been interesting to see how they would have backed up for a third-place play-off given the physical and emotional toll of shattering defeats.

At the CEOs meeting, Warriors boss Cameron George also proposed the annual All Stars match between the Maori and Indigenous teams be shifted to grand final week. That could prove difficult as the annual Koori Knockout is scheduled over four days from October 2. The NRL grand final is on October 4. But the concept is being strongly considered from next year onwards. There is also the possibility of a representative under-21 match between NSW and Queensland on the Thursday before the decider.

V’landys is keen to give fans and broadcasters more content in a week when on-field action is limited.

It’s unclear at this point how the Rugby League Players Association will react to an extra game at short notice, while the broadcasters would need to plan for extra commitment from their staff.

The NRL know the idea of a third-place play-off is open to criticism because it will be viewed as tough on the players. That kind of criticism won’t worry V’landys. He is thinking of the broadcasters and the fans to give them a bigger experience.

The early thought is to offer prizemoney to the clubs as an incentive. It’s understood V’landys wants to make it a rugby league tradition. He sees it as an opportunity to take advantage of the clear air which exists after the AFL grand final the week before the NRL decider.

In his new role of executive chairman, V’landys is embracing the club bosses’ ideas and is keen to give them a greater say and more information about what the NRL has in mind.

Dearden raised prospect of Cowboys release

Cowboys star halfback Tom Dearden has raised the prospect of a release from his North Queensland contract on compassionate grounds on at least one occasion, with a minimum of two Sydney clubs being sounded out as potential destinations.

The last genuine attempt to exit his deal was in March for personal reasons. Dearden’s pregnant partner lives in Sydney. Clubs were quietly sounded out to prepare them for negotiations with the Maroons Origin half.

Dearden signed a five-year contract extension with........

© Brisbane Times