'Double booking' of NRL and Super Rugby spells trouble for North Queensland Cowboys A RED-faced NRL is on the back foot after an embarrassing "double booking" with Super Rugby which could have huge ramifications for the North Queensland Cowboys. 
The NRL, Fox Sports and Channel 9 are working together to resolve the issue, with the Cowboys anxious to avoid a nightmare road trip.
When dates and timeslots were released last week for the first five rounds of the NRL, the Cowboys were scheduled to play Canberra Raiders in Canberra in a round 5 clash at 4.30pm (Qld time) on Saturday, March 31.
But the ACT Brumbies Super Rugby outfit already was drawn to play South African side the Sharks that night.
The Cowboys-Raiders game was the first of three on Fox Sports' "Super Saturday" league schedule, with Penrith to host Cronulla and the Roosters at home to the Warriors in the other games. The NRL is now looking to switch the Raiders-Cowboys game to Sunday afternoon or Monday night.
The Cowboys say they can live with Sunday afternoon but not Monday night, given they have a big game against 2011 minor premiers Melbourne in Townsville the following weekend - a match likely to be scheduled for Friday or Saturday night.
"To play a game five days later, with the travel involved, would make things extremely difficult for us," Cowboys football manager Peter Parr said.
The Titans are drawn to play the Bulldogs at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast at 2pm on Sunday, April 1, with Wests Tigers playing Souths at the SCG at 3pm. The Monday night clash is between Parramatta and Manly.
A swap between the Canberra v Cowboys game and Titans v Bulldogs seems the most logical solution.
NRL communications manager John Brady said it was hard to put together the draw, given requests from stakeholders.
"Sometimes clashes are unavoidable," Brady said. "There are issues with another match but we hope to resolve things soon."
In round 4, St George Illawarra have a Saturday home game against premiers Manly and on that night the Waratahs are drawn to play the Sharks in Super Rugby at the Sydney Football Stadium.
With doubts over the WIN Stadium in Wollongong following safety concerns over a grandstand roof, the Dragons have yet to announce a venue for the Manly game, and it was thought they could seek to play it at the SFS or next door at the SCG.
Cowboys' Kiwi Test winger Kalifa Faifai Loa returned to training yesterday for the first time since elbow surgery last month.
The Cowboys have also added physiotherapist Steve Sartori to their fulltime high performance team.
Source: The Courier Mail
Topic: Raiders/Brumbies double booking could have 'huge ramifications' for Cowboys
