LeagueNews.co | Jason Patrick
NRL bigwig Andrew Abdo has responded to Penrith coach Ivan Cleary's call for change in a recent development that could potentially shake up the league.
Abdo spilled the beans, hinting that the NRL may shrink the men's season by a few rounds.
The league is aiming to add more teams to the mix and reduce the workload on players.
Plans are in motion to expand the competition to 20 sides in the next decade, with Perth rumored as the front runner to join as the 18th team in 2027.
Papua New Guinea is also set to enter the fray in 2028, followed by a 20th team in the early 2020s.
While the nitty-gritty details are still up for discussion, including how many teams will make the finals and the layout of the fixture list, Cleary has spearheaded the push for a condensed regular season consisting of 19 games, with each team facing off only once.
Suggestions are also circulating to ease the strain on players, such as a potential mid-season breather and a multi-week representative event centered around the illustrious State of Origin showdown.
Cleary is hopeful that the expansion will lead to a revamp of the format, deeming the current system "unfair" due to certain teams facing top-tier opponents multiple times while others enjoy easier matchups.
"I feel like as we talk about expansion, I think that's part of this (reducing the number of matches each team plays)," Cleary shared on SEN 1170 Breakfast.
"If we expand to, let's say 20 teams, I think 19 rounds should be it, you should play every team once...
I reckon around about 20 games would be about right, you still get Origin in there somewhere." It seems change is on the horizon in the world of Rugby League as the league gears up for a potential shake-up.