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Another blow to City v Country fixture«[SIZE=-1]http://rabbitohs.nospam2248.com/index.cgi?board=sff&action=post&thread=41438"e=567231&page=1 [/SIZE]THE NRL last night denied robbing this year's City-Country match of its lustre by scheduling a club match on the same night.
City-Country will be played on May 2 in Wollongong - the same night as a round-eight club match.
Country officials had desperately hoped their match would be stand-alone - giving the annual game more spotlight.
But Channel 9 - aware City-Country, featuring only NSW players, rates poorly in Queensland - want another match on the same evening featuring a Queensland side.
Wests Tigers play Brisbane that round, Souths tackle North Queensland while the Gold Coast play Newcastle.
It would seem the Souths-Cowboys match would be favourite, given Tim Sheens coaches City and Wests Tigers and Newcastle could have several players in City-Country.
The Rabbitohs may, however, protest at being the only NRL club to lose their representative players for that round.
The Daily Telegraph understands the second match was a "trade-off" with Nine given City-Country was shifted to the favourable Friday night slot this year after being played on a Thursday evening last season.
"The game didn't always rate that well in Queensland given it was completely NSW content," NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley said last night.
"The idea is to play another game on the same night with Queensland content and televise it live into Queensland.
"We don't want to disadvantage any side that would be without City-Country players that night because the other players will return to their clubs for the remaining matches over that weekend.
"City-Country would still be live throughout NSW with the second match to be replayed that night."
Manly, Bulldogs, Dragons, Roosters, Storm and Cronulla have round-eight byes.
City-Country will be played on May 2 in Wollongong - the same night as a round-eight club match.
Country officials had desperately hoped their match would be stand-alone - giving the annual game more spotlight.
But Channel 9 - aware City-Country, featuring only NSW players, rates poorly in Queensland - want another match on the same evening featuring a Queensland side.
Wests Tigers play Brisbane that round, Souths tackle North Queensland while the Gold Coast play Newcastle.
It would seem the Souths-Cowboys match would be favourite, given Tim Sheens coaches City and Wests Tigers and Newcastle could have several players in City-Country.
The Rabbitohs may, however, protest at being the only NRL club to lose their representative players for that round.
The Daily Telegraph understands the second match was a "trade-off" with Nine given City-Country was shifted to the favourable Friday night slot this year after being played on a Thursday evening last season.
"The game didn't always rate that well in Queensland given it was completely NSW content," NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley said last night.
"The idea is to play another game on the same night with Queensland content and televise it live into Queensland.
"We don't want to disadvantage any side that would be without City-Country players that night because the other players will return to their clubs for the remaining matches over that weekend.
"City-Country would still be live throughout NSW with the second match to be replayed that night."
Manly, Bulldogs, Dragons, Roosters, Storm and Cronulla have round-eight byes.
