James Smith

With the National Rugby League season entering its second week last night with the battle between traditional rivals the Parramatta Eels and Canterbury Bulldogs, a lot has been made of the excitement generated by the start of the Southern Hemisphere’s elite rugby league competition.

There does seem to have been an unusually high level of attention aimed at the code and one main reason why might be that the NRL has this season been granted a two-week head start by the AFL.

The NRL has been able to use its returning star, the Roosters’ Sonny Bill Williams, and the – for the moment – positive turnaround of Parramatta’s fortunes, thanks to big names Jarryd Hayne and Chris Sandow, as free as it has liked, knowing theirs is the only major winter footy code in full swing. It’s hard to believe that for all the footy that’s already been played by the AFL’s clubs in 2013, next week’s season-opening showdown between the Adelaide Crows and Essendon Bombers at AAMI Stadium will be the first match of the season worth competition points!

The extra attention aimed at the NRL’s early-season games by normally neutral national broadcasters would’ve been well-received at league headquarters, but with its main competition back in action from next Friday, never fear AFL fans, normal programming will resume shortly.