NRL delays kick-off for pre-season trials due to extreme heat

The NRL has pushed back the start of all of Saturday’s pre-season NRL challenges by nearly an hour in a bid to combat the extreme heat forecast in New South Wales.

Temperatures are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius in Western Sydney and central NSW on Saturday, sparking fears for players involved in NRL trial matches.

The high-profile Charity Shield clash between St George Illawarra and South Sydney is the match of greatest concern, with a mid-afternoon kick-off scheduled in Mudgee.

Penrith had also been in contact with the NRL for several months, trying to push back the 6pm AEDT kick-off for their World Club Challenge clash with St Helens.

The clubs earned some reprieve on Tuesday, with the Charity Shield moved from 3:30pm AEDT to 4:20pm AEDT, and the start of the World Club Challenge pushed back to 6:50pm AEDT.

Brisbane’s pre-season challenge match against North Queensland on the Sunshine Coast has also been pushed back to 7:55pm AEST, to avoid a clash between the games on TV.

The move should at least take some of the sting out of the day’s heat in NSW, but it is unlikely to please clubs that had hoped the games would be played later at night to better protect players.

It comes after the NRL earlier this week agreed to allow Penrith and St Helens to have a five-man bench and an extra two interchanges to combat the heat during their World Club Challenge match.

It is believed the Panthers have long been pressing for squad sizes beyond 18 for the game, particularly given a number of their players have been limited to a six-week pre-season because of the World Cup.

The Dragons and Souths will at least have the luxury of more players in Mudgee, with all matches outside the World Club Challenge allowing for 26-man squads and unlimited interchanges.

The NRL will also invoke the heat policy if required in all games, with the ability to turn the game into four 20-minute quarters and more trainers allowed on the field to hydrate players.

Traditionally trial matches have predominantly taken place at night, with as many as six being played at the same time in recent years.

But the introduction of the NRL’s pre-season challenge and matches falling under a TV rights deal have significantly changed the schedule.

As many as five matches will kick off in daylight hours this weekend, with none of the games overlapping to allow maximum TV exposure.

It is not the first time the February heat has impacted pre-season games.

There were fears about three night matches played in Sydney in 2017, with a clash between Penrith and Canterbury at Belmore pushed back to start after the sun set.

AAP