NRL circus in full swing as AFL confirms record broadcast deal

While the AFL enters its finals series crowing about clinching a staggering $4.5 billion, seven-year TV broadcast rights deal, rugby league’s custodians are fighting bushfires on several fronts.

The two rival codes could not be further apart in the management stakes going into the finals if they tried.

As outgoing AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan revealed details of the biggest rights deal in Australian broadcast history, extending contracts with Channel 7 and Telstra by another seven years, rugby league bosses were ducking for cover as their showpiece finals series was torpedoed and engulfed in drama on and off the field.

In the latest scandal, the NRL has been forced to defend deferring a two-week suspension imposed on Penrith winger Taylan May until the 2023 season, allowing him to play in the finals series.

Players have missed grand finals through suspension, including South Sydney superstar Latrell Mitchell last year, but the NRL used its discretion to rule it would be gross injustice for May to miss the finals given the incident happened in October 2021.

The court only handed down its ruling late last month, so in fairness to May, he would have already served out his suspension by now.

He will now be able to miss the two games at the start of the 2023 season.

The decision has already drawn some criticism but the NRL is happy to live with setting a precedent given the unusual circumstances.

Sadly, though, the spotlight has moved from the NRL finals to the powder-keg dispute between Manly’s owners and long-time coach Des Hasler, who is under intense pressure following the club’s dismal end to the season.

Hasler still has one more year of his contract remaining, but incoming boss Tony Mestrov is expected to lay down the law at a crisis meeting next week which will decide Hasler’s future.

READ: Mestrov determined to make Manly ‘great again’

The cracks began appearing in round 20 when seven players refused to wear the club’s “pride jersey”.

They limped to the end of the season dropping their last seven games with rumours of a rift between players – including long-serving captain Daly Cherry-Evans, who upset teammates when he broke camp to live with his family when the side was locked in a COVID bubble in Queensland last year.

It’s an ugly look for the Sea Eagles with further speculation brothers Jake and Tom Trbojevic are talking to rival clubs.

The situation is similar at the Wests Tigers, who are set to undergo a complete overhaul with a new coaching staff coming in next season following one of the club’s worst seasons in history.

Meanwhile, over at Red Hill, there is a full review being carried out by the Brisbane Broncos with the jury divided on their 2022 season and the future of coach Kevin Walters.

Some critics have given Brisbane a massive ‘FAIL’ for being in the top four after round 19 only to inexplicably miss the finals – the worst collapse by a top-four side in history.

Others point out they won twice as many games (13) as they did in the previous two seasons combined and have gone from a wooden spoon to ninth this year under Walters.

Walters came under criticism for team selections late in the season, but in fairness, he had a lot of young players in his squad and when forward Pat Carrigan was suspended after State of Origin, the Broncos lost their way badly.

Key off-season buys Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell looked great additions until late in the season when Brisbane’s finals hopes started to go down the gurgler.

Young prop Payne Haas didn’t help the cause when he made it clear he wanted a release from the club.

He played like an unhappy man towards the end of the season.

Centre Kotoni Staggs remains a mystery.

A destructive runner, he hasn’t a clue how to involve himself in the game – unlike veteran winger Corey Oates, who made his critics eat their words.

Brisbane has several young players with exciting potential, including future No.6 Ezra Mam and gifted flyer Selwyn Cobbo.

But both youngsters need more time to develop and cope with the demands and pressure of playing NRL every week.

Cobbo is a superstar in the making, no question, but he is still very young and has some behavioural issues to deal with if he wants to avoid falling into some bad habits.

Hopefully, this week the spotlight will return to where it belongs: on the field and on the finals.

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