I remember those days. We used to get them here in Perth too (at least for a year or 2 ... I was only about 12 or 13 when it stopped, so I don't know how many years they did this over here). All the lower grade games - one after the other, all the build-up to the main game, all the pre-match entertainment, and most importantly, ALL LIVE.
Now it's 2005, and Perth only gets the NRL Grand Final, and it's on delayed at about 11pm - which, sadly, is the best timeslot League gets in Perth all year. It usually starts with the teams running out, then the national anthem, then the game itself.
To see the game live over here, I get a group of mates and family together, and we go to a pub with a big-screen and the ABC Asia Pacific tv network. All day on the various radio stations here, pubs advertise that they're showing the 'rugby' Grand Final live. Every time I've been, the place has been packed to the rafters with League fans.
I hate Ch9 so very very much. Bastards.