“I hate it”: Why Webster is against the NRL adopting a pre-finals week off

SEN'S Matt White and The Sydney Morning Herald's Andrew Webster were split on whether the NRL should follow the AFL’s lead and have a week off before starting the finals series.

The AFL introduced having a bye before the first week of the finals in 2016 due to injuries and teams resting players in the final week of the season.

Speaking on Mornings with Matt White, the pair responded to a listener who said “the more teams start resting players at the end of the season, the closer we get to the AFL system of a week’s break before the finals”.

Webster said he thought the idea of having a week without football was “insane”.

“I hate it,” Webster said on SEN 1170.

“Most people in the AFL, they hate it too because it’s a week without football.

“I think it’s insane.”

White argued that his mind has changed on the idea of having a week off before finals in the NRL.

“I’ve been a firm believer, especially in sport, and one thing that Covid taight us was that if you stop, it’s very hard to get back up and running again and very hard to get momentum again, not only that but you give others a free kick,” White replied.

“I’ve always been whatever you do just keep on going but the more I thought about this, it works for the AFL, it does.

“It doesn’t impact the AFL’s ratings, doesn’t impact their crowds, I sat with two AFL fans who are avid AFL supports, we talked about a whole stack of stuff and not once did that come up.

“So I’ve changed my tune on it and my thought process was, if the AFL can do it, the NRL can do it.”

But Webster said the season was “long enough as it is” to add another week with a bye before finals.

The issue comes after the Melbourne Storm revealed they were resting 11 top line players for tomorrow night’s clash with the North Queensland Cowboys.