{"id":206592,"date":"2025-10-12T00:12:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-12T00:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/206592\/"},"modified":"2025-10-12T00:12:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T00:12:12","slug":"cleary-throws-support-behind-rugby-hybrid-nrl-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/206592\/","title":{"rendered":"Cleary throws support behind rugby hybrid – NRL News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Penrith Panthers<\/a> coach Ivan Cleary<\/a> has thrown his support behind the idea of a hybrid rugby league and rugby union game, suggesting it could become the NRL’s version of Big Bash cricket.<\/p>\n

The four-time premiership-winning coach believes the timing is ideal for a cross-code collaboration, as rugby league faces increasing competition from the rebel union project R360, which has begun targeting several NRL<\/a> stars.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Cleary said he sees major potential in blending the two codes, describing it as an opportunity to grow both sports and attract new audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s like Twenty-20 cricket, no one would’ve ever thought anyone would be interested in that, but all of a sudden cricket thought outside the square,\u201d Cleary said.<\/p>\n

\"IvanIvan Cleary in action at training for the Penrith Panthers. (Photo by Joshua Davis)<\/p>\n

Cleary revealed he has written to NRL<\/a> CEO Andrew Abdo twice in the past year to discuss the idea, recalling that his interest began after witnessing Randwick Rugby face Wests in a 2016 hybrid fixture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember I walked away impressed,\u00a0I thought it flowed really well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s not complicated.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn’t feel like there was a huge advantage to one side or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

The upcoming hybrid match, the first in almost a decade, will be held on Wednesday, October 29, at the Parramatta Eels<\/a> Centre of Excellence.<\/p>\n

The game will feature prestigious GPS school Barker College and rugby league powerhouse St Gregory’s College Campbelltown, with support from both the NRL<\/a> and Rugby Australia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Each side will field 13 players, playing under rugby league rules in their own half of the field before switching to union rules once crossing halfway.<\/p>\n

Instead of tackle counts, a 60-second shot clock will limit attacking possession in each half.<\/p>\n

A try will be worth five points, with conversions and penalties worth two, and field goals worth one.<\/p>\n

The concept mirrors an abandoned 2020 plan for a 14-a-side hybrid Test<\/a> between the Kangaroos and All Blacks, which was supported by then-Australian coach Mal Meninga<\/a> and champion halfback Daly Cherry-Evans<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cherry-Evans, at the time, backed the concept as a forward-thinking idea that could elevate both codes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything like that where there’s an opportunity to grow the game of rugby league, in particular in a time like now, I think is a great idea,\u201d Cherry-Evans told the Daily Telegraph.<\/p>\n

\"NRLSYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 30: Daly Cherry-Evans of the Sea Eagles takes on the defence during the round four NRL match between Manly Sea Eagles and Parramatta Eels at 4 Pines Park, on March 30, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

While the hybrid format has long been floated, Cleary’s comments have reignited debate about whether cross-code matches could represent the next stage of innovation in Australian sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the time’s right to try something new,\u201d Cleary said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be great to experience something like that again.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has thrown his support behind the idea of a hybrid rugby league and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":206593,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-206592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}