It's ridiculous to use hindsight as justification for a dud decision by Channel Nine. It may have been a "great game to watch" but then again Penrith vs Cowboys was a closer game, had more drama, and was played between two teams that were in sitting in the top eight. By your logic, which seems to suggest that the result of a game in hindsight can validate it being worthy of match of the day status, Channel Nine gaffed in retrospect in not showing what was the closest game this weekend on Free-to-air. But that's not it! Surely in weeks gone by viewers must have been left up in arms over similar incidents. "What?! They showed the close Rabbitohs-Tigers game on Pay tv and us Nine viewers are stuck with the Warriors blowing out the Broncos! Channel Nine should have seen this happening."
I don't know about you but that logic seems quite stupid to me. I don't expect Channel Nine to predict the future, what I do expect them to do is select their tv games based on the ladder positions of the teams and the bearing that the games will have on the competition, because it is a reasonable assumption that said games would attract the most interest from the league viewing public.
Which brings us to this weekend, Manly vs Wests was the only game this weekend which featured no top eight teams. Futhermore the result of the game, no matter which team won, would have no effect on the top eight.... so why was it the Channel Nine game? Manly haven't been truly competitive since 1998(or even 1997), and the wests tigers and their previous incarnations have been cellar dwellars for a decade. I can't understand why this match would be on free-to-air when inform top four teams like Canberra and Penrith rarely get shown on Nine. With three channel nine regulars having the bye this weekend it would have seemed a perfect opportunity to showcase the Canberras and the Penriths to fans who wouldn't often get to see them. Instead they're shown a meaningless game between two also-rans.
