The NRL could be forced to stage an historic finals double-header at Allianz Stadium due to a potential scheduling clash with the AFL in the first week of the play-offs.
If the competition ladder remains as is, the Roosters, South Sydney, Canterbury and Cronulla will host matches in week one of the NRL finals, which start a week later than the AFL play-offs. The Rabbitohs and Bulldogs will earn the right to host games at ANZ Stadium, but the Saturday night timeslot will be off limits.
The Sydney Swans, who also play their finals matches at ANZ Stadium, are on track to finish the regular season in fourth spot.
Should that occur, they will play Hawthorn in week one of the finals. Should Sydney lose the AFL will allocate its Friday night finals spot in week two to the highest-ranking team, meaning the Swans would play at ANZ Stadium on the Saturday night against the winner from the AFL's bottom four.
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The scenario - the result of Sydney teams finishing the regular season in first, second, fifth and sixth positions - means the Rabbitohs will play on Friday, while the Bulldogs will play on Sunday.
The most likely option left to league officials is to play the two Saturday finals games back-to-back at Allianz Stadium. While double-headers have been played before - most notably at the opening of ANZ Stadium and also on occasion at Suncorp Stadium - it would be a first for finals football.
The clash could be averted if the AFL chose to shift the Swans to their alternative home venue of the SCG or if Newcastle or North Queensland shift Cronulla from sixth spot.
Another option would be for the Swans to play on Friday night, which would allow the Roosters to host at Allianz Stadium on the same evening.
NRL operations manager Nathan McGuirk confirmed the league was looking at a range of contingency plans based on potential finals clashes.
''We're doing a lot of modelling on different scenarios right now and we're not ruling anything in or out,'' McGuirk said. ''I would expect that if the Bulldogs and South Sydney were to get a home final they would be playing at ANZ Stadium. As the results continue to fall we'll have to look at all the scenarios, as I'm sure the AFL and the stadiums themselves are.''
In the event the scheduling clash does occur, the NRL is unlikely to get any sympathy from the AFL. The AFL played hardball when there was a similar issue for matches this weekend, with the 13-man code backing down over the round 25 clash between the Bulldogs and Panthers.
That game, along with the Swans-Hawthorn grand final rematch, were both scheduled for ANZ Stadium on Friday, August 30. However, the NRL's western Sydney derby was postponed for 24 hours. The decision - which left ARLC officials red-faced and forced a series of crisis talks with broadcaster Channel Nine - will allow likely minor premiers Hawthorn an extra day of recovery before their finals campaign.
It also meant that Nine would have to broadcast another Friday night clash with South Sydney, against Wests Tigers, the 14th-ranked team with no chance of making the finals.
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