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After the one that got away against Brisbane, Canberra have only six days before playing Cronulla. (Lukas Coch\/AAP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n After the one that got away against Brisbane, Canberra have only six days before playing Cronulla. (Lukas Coch\/AAP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n
Canberra will have just six days to back up from their 94-minute epic against Brisbane, handed a short turnaround into week two of the finals.<\/p>\n
With the NRL keen to avoid a clash with the AFL grand final in Melbourne in week three of the playoffs, officials confirmed Canberra would host Cronulla on Saturday night. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Canterbury and Penrith will then clash next Sunday afternoon at Accor Stadium in the other week-two semi-final.<\/p>\n
The schedule comes with an eye to week three, with the NRL looking to avoid having Melbourne host their preliminary final against the winner of Canberra-Cronulla on the Saturday.<\/p>\n
While first bounce in the AFL grand final is at 2:30pm on September 27, logistically it is easier for the NRL to stay away from the date completely in Melbourne, making a Friday night preliminary final likely.<\/p>\n
The NRL dictates a minimum six-day turnaround between finals matches, meaning they then had no choice but to schedule Raiders-Sharks for Saturday night.<\/p>\n
But it does leave the Raiders at some disadvantage, with their six-day turnaround the shortest of all teams for next weekend’s matches compared to Cronulla’s seven.<\/p>\n
The situation comes after Ricky Stuart pushed the NRL to have Canberra’s match against Brisbane on Sunday, wanting a seven-day turnaround from the final round.<\/p>\n
In that instance, Stuart’s concern was that the Broncos had already been handed an extra three days of rest after playing on the Thursday night in round 27,<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the schedule is a big win for the Bulldogs, with the winner of their match against Penrith to face the Broncos on the Saturday night of week three.<\/p>\n
The battered Bulldogs will have a nine-day turnaround into next week, which could prove crucial given they are dealing with an injury crisis after their loss to Melbourne.<\/p>\n
Centres Stephen Crichton (ankle) and Enari Tuala (leg) have already been ruled out, while Viliame Kikau (eye socket) and Toby Sexton (sternum) are hoping to avoid joining them.<\/p>\n
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\n Canterbury’s nine-day break will give Toby Sexton more time to recover from a sternum injury. (Joel Carrett\/AAP PHOTOS)<\/p>\n
A Sunday afternoon blockbuster between Canterbury and Penrith does at least act as a promoter’s dream, with a record crowd not out of the question.<\/p>\n
The largest attendance for any finals match outside of a grand final is the 74,549 who attended the preliminary final between Canterbury and Parramatta in 2009.<\/p>\n
That figure could be in sight for officials, after the Bulldogs drew in crowds of 65,305 and 59,878 to two separate regular-season public-holiday fixtures this year.<\/p>\n
The Bulldogs hosted their first finals match in nine years last season, drawing more than 50,000 to Accor Stadium against Manly on a Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n
NRL FINALS WEEK TWO SCHEDULE<\/p>\n
Canberra v Cronulla, Saturday 7:45pm at GIO Stadium<\/p>\n
Canterbury v Penrith, Sunday 4:05pm at Accor Stadium<\/p>\n