Canberra chief executive Don Furner is disappointed his team â" one he rates as the most exciting in the NRL â" doesnât appeal to broadcaster Channel Nine.
The Raiders were again cast into the free-to-air wilderness on Friday when the NRL released the draw for the first 20 rounds of the 2013 season, in which they feature just once on Nine.
Canberraâs surge to the finals was one of the talking points of last season and they boast some of the most enterprising attacking players.
However the Raiders will have to wait until their round 16 clash with South Sydney on Friday June 28 at ANZ Stadium to feature on free-to-air TV.
Before qualifying for the finals this year the Raiders played in just two Nine Network games in the regular season.
âIt is disappointing for our fans, our sponsors and our players,â Furner told AAP.
âI think there are a lot of teams who arenât as attractive to watch as us that are getting a lot more games on Channel Nine.
âWe have some of the most exciting players in the competition, Josh Dugan, Blake Ferguson, Terry Campese ⦠I have been banging on about it for years and I will keep banging on about it but I just donât know what we have to do.
âChannel Nine games are a big deal for us, the players love to play in them ⦠it is a pity.â
Furner said the raiders were one of the highest rating sides on Fox Sports but remain shunned by the free-to-air broadcaster.
âI understand Nine have paid a lot of money for the rights, and it is a great deal for the code. But I canât understand why there canât be a more even spread of games,â he said.
âI have been in constant contact with the NRL in regard to this and they are sympathetic to our requests but they just canât seem to get them across the line.
âWe are in battle down here against the AFL and we need all the help we can get.
âWe just have to use it as motivation to win games to put us in a position to get free-to-air coverage in the last six rounds and to qualify for the finals where of course every game is on Channel Nine.â
Wests Tigers captain Robbie Farah was another to vent his anger over the draw.
âNo Sunday afternoon game at Leichhardt. #Speechlessâ, he tweeted.
For the first time the NRL has released the draw for the first 20 rounds of the competition. The final six rounds will be scheduled after round 16.
The 2013 season kicks off with a Thursday night match between arch-rivals Sydney Roosters and South Sydney on March 7 at Allianz Stadium.
The first four rounds feature Thursday night games to be broadcast on Channel Nine and Sunday evening twilight matches to be shown on Fox Sports.
The grand final rematch between Melbourne and Canterbury is scheduled for Thursday March 21 at AAMI Stadium.
© AAP 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment