LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
The NRL has officially announced the finals schedule for Week 1, revealing that the Canberra Raiders successfully requested to play on Sunday afternoon.
The Raiders, who had already planned to play on Sunday during the last round of the season, opted to rest most of their first-grade players, resulting in a significant loss to the Dolphins. Their request aimed to gain extra days before beginning the finals.
This decision means that the loser of the Raiders' match against the Brisbane Broncos will have a shorter turnaround compared to their opponent before moving on to the Week 2 semi-finals against either the Cronulla Sharks or Sydney Roosters.
The Melbourne Storm, having finished in second place, will commence the finals against the Canterbury Bulldogs on Friday evening in Melbourne.
The winning team from this match will advance directly to Week 3, competing in the Saturday evening preliminary final, while the winner of the Raiders and Broncos will face off in the Friday evening preliminary final.
If the Bulldogs lose to the Storm, they will meet the winner of the match between the Warriors and Panthers in Week 2's Saturday evening semi-final.
Interestingly, there will be no Friday evening match scheduled for Week 2 of the finals, with the other semi-final set to take place on Sunday afternoon.