High-flying motocross daredevils have inadvertently paved the way for a blockbuster double-header in Canberra as the Raiders and Brumbies prepare to play their first home games less than 24 hours apart.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The NRL published its draw on Thursday for the 2018 season and Raiders fans were the big winners after the competition scheduled six of 12 home games for afternoon timeslots.
The Raiders will start their season on the road against the Gold Coast Titans, but their first home match will coincide with the Brumbies starting their Super Rugby campaign at Canberra Stadium.
The Raiders had hoped to avoid a double-weekend clash to start the year, but motocross legend Travis Pastrana's Nitro Circus The Next Level tour has been booked at Canberra Stadium on March 10.
It forced the NRL to reschedule the Green Machine's first home game, with the Raiders to play against the Newcastle Knights at 6.30pm on March 18.
The Brumbies will host their first home game on March 17 after spending the first three weeks of the season in Japan, Brisbane and Melbourne.
It's understood the Raiders and the Brumbies are considering a double-ticket option for fans hoping to go to both games.
It is one of three cross-code schedule clashes next year, with the Raiders and Brumbies to play in Canberra together on the weekends of March 17-18, April 5-7 and May 12-13.
"We want to work with the Brumbies. We always try not to clash with them," said Raiders boss Don Furner.
"When you've only got two or three clashes for the year, that's pretty good. We were hoping to start our season at home but the Nitro Circus event is on and the stadium needs a couple of days to prepare.
"In the end it has worked out like this and it can be a pretty good weekend for Canberra sport."
Brumbies chief executive Michael Thomson added: "We haven't had a long discussion with the Raiders yet, but we're seeing what we can do together.
"It could be a joint ticket. It's early days at the moment, but a joint ticket has been done previously and we think there is some value in exploring it."
The NRL draw has been somewhat kind to the Raiders and their fans, with afternoon home matches scheduled in winter to avoid the capital's chilly conditions.
The Raiders bucked the trend of declining NRL crowds this year to attract their biggest home-crowd average in 22 years.
Their hope of building on that will be bolstered by the afternoon scheduling, with the Raiders to play just two night-time games from June 8 to August 31.
The trade-off is the Raiders will play just one of seven games in Canberra in an end-of-season stretch, but will finish with a flurry of afternoon games against the Tigers, Roosters and Rabbitohs.
"We're happy with the draw ... Sunday afternoon at Canberra Stadium isn't too bad in winter. But 8pm is freezing," Furner said.
"Winning is important ... our expectations are we've got to make the finals next year. We played attractive footy this year and we want to build on that next year."
The Brumbies are hoping the rare chance to host two afternoon Super Rugby games will also help them create a family-friendly environment.
"Our crowds are slightly different, but there are certainly opportunities for us to get crowds more involved in the games and the Raiders have been successful at that," Thomson said.
"Having afternoon games is fantastic. It opens up all sorts of opportunities ... it's a great way to get families along so we'll be pushing that for our afternoon games."
CANBERRA DOUBLE HEADER
March 17: ACT Brumbies v Durban Sharks at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm.
March 18: Canberra Raiders v Newcastle Knights at Canberra Stadium, 6.30pm.
