NRL CEO Andrew Abdo is confident a new fan-friendly finals schedule will see records continue to tumble after a historic regular season.
More than four million fans attended games throughout the year for the first time in NRL history, with an average crowd exceeding 20,000 per game.
Four sell outs are expected for the opening week of the finals, with fans clamouring for tickets across two countries and four cities this weekend.
The record-breaking crowds and rising television ratings come on the back of a focus on increasing the pace of play on the field and Abdo said the quality of football is the highest he’s seen.
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Last time they met: Warriors v Panthers
“We can’t say [the crowd’s] have been because of good weather,” Abdo said at Monday’s finals launch. “We had a wet period and a lot of rain, so it’s quite the contrary.
“It’s been about the football. The fact the quality of football has been so good. Even though the eight was made up relatively early in the rounds, you’ve had teams that have renewed the connection with their fans through their performances in a competitive 17-team competition.
“It’s a combination of scheduling and commitment and desire from fans to see live action.”
Eight teams remain in the battle for the 2025 NRL Premiership.
©NRL Photos
The 2025 finals series will kick off at Melbourne’s AAMI Park on Friday night when the Storm host the Bulldogs in a qualifying final.
Two sudden-death games will be played on Saturday, with the Warriors to face the Panthers in Auckland and Cronulla to take on the Roosters at Sharks Stadium.
The Raiders will then play the Broncos at GIO Stadium on Sunday afternoon in the second qualifying final.
Tickets for matches went on sale to club members on Monday morning, with sales opening to the general public on Tuesday.
The NRL will play a Sunday finals game in week two of the post-season for the first time since 2005 after the league announced a key change to the schedule.
Rather than playing matches on Friday and Saturday, the semi-finals will be held on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon in a move to open the game up to families and capitalise on the early spring sunshine.
While a schedule is yet to be finalised for week three of the finals, Abdo hopes the move will result in the full-house sign going up at both games in week two.
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Last time they met: Storm v Bulldogs
“We’ve been talking about this the last few years and thinking about ways in which we can get better and focus on what works for our fans,” Abdo said.
“Our focus is on being fan friendly and we know Sunday afternoon day-time football is very popular with families, particularly young families. That was a factor and it also helps with turnaround and gives the players from week one to week two that extra day of recovery.”
This season’s finals series shapes as one of the most open in years, with all eight teams genuine contenders for the title.
The Raiders have surged to their first minor premiership in 35 years, while the Bulldogs have ridden a wave of support to book a top-four finish.
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The 2025 Telstra NRL Minor Premiers
Four-time defending premiers Penrith have risen from last after 12 rounds to finish inside the eight. The Sharks proved they will be genuine contenders with a Round 27 win over Canterbury and the Roosters have defied the odds to charge into the eight.
While no team has won a title from outside the top four since the 1995 Bulldogs, all four sides finishing fifth through to eighth remain confident of their ability to defy history.
“It is genuinely wide open,” Abdo said. “You look at the four games coming up this weekend and you can’t pick them. Even with home-ground advantage, I don’t think that will be a factor. The teams are that close.
“You’ve got different teams running into different levels of form, based on injuries and other things. That’s the beauty of a competition like ours. It’s 27 rounds and then the top eight, you can’t pick it. We’re delighted, there’s been a great response from the fans and tickets are going to sell very quickly.”