HERE WE. HERE WE. HERE WE FUCKEN GO. The NRL has revealed its draw for the 2018 season today, and sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of the lot is the league’s decision to create a shining, glittering, standalone fixture for its most pure of match-ups: State of Origin.
The league has revealed that the second game in the 2018 Origin series will move from its “traditional” Wednesday night slot to a primetime Sunday night position, with the game to be the sole fixture for the weekend.
#Origin 2 is stand alone – Sunday, June 24!
Full #NRLDraw – https://t.co/alA4664IEa
#NRL pic.twitter.com/8vy7fFBBew— NRL (@NRL) October 18, 2017
The fixture means that there will only be 25 rounds on the NRL calendar next year, with the full-league bye stepping in to allow the standalone match to take place.
The other two games of the Origin series will remain in their Wednesday timeslots for the time being, with the first game scheduled for June 6th at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
That will be followed by the Sunday night game on June 24th at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. With the final game in the three-match series scheduled for July 11th at the mighty Lang Park in Brisbane.
The schedule shift eases the strain on NRL clubs losing players to Origin duties significantly, and will almost certainly be a ratings bonanza for Channel Nine.
The 2018 NRL season is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, March 8th with St. George-Illawarra taking on Brisbane at Jubilee Oval.
Cop a peep at the full draw via this link.
