The NRL makes a HUGE change to the finals for the first time in 18 years - and fans are OUTRAGED

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo has defended the unprecedented fixturing decision that will give one of the grand finalists an extra two days to prepare for the biggest game of the season.

For the first time since the NRL adopted a two-preliminary-finals system in 1995, this year's games will be played on a Friday and Sunday rather than on consecutive days.

It means the winner of the first preliminary final between Melbourne and either Canberra or Cronulla will enjoy a nine-day turnaround into the decider.

That is two days longer than the team that claims victory in the clash between Brisbane and either Penrith or Canterbury to be held on Sunday, September 28.

Broncos great Corey Parker hit out at the decision on Tuesday on SEN radio, labelling it 'lop-sided, poorly done and selfish from the NRL'.

'It has been absolutely poorly put together...and the NRL has not considered player welfare, nor what the grand final week looks like from a preparation point of view,' the decorated forward fumed.

'I just think it's wrong. Some guys may only play in one grand final (in their careers)...it's not right.'

Parker's SEN co-host, Aussie cricket legend Ian Healy, also called the scheduling 'ridiculous' and 'horrible'.

It was a similar story on X, with many footy fans up in arms about the decision from the NRL.

'What the hell is this? Why would they give one team two days extra to prepare for and recover from niggles for the grand final than the other? This is an outrage,' fumed one.

Another posted: 'Scared of the AFL haha', in reference to the NRL not playing a game on Saturday night after the Grand Final is finished at the MCG on September 27.

A third weighed in with: 'The NRL is run by clowns. This is terrible scheduling.'

Despite the backlash, head office insists it is comfortable with the situation, with Abdo stressing the league had spoken to clubs before making the call on Monday.

The NRL chief executive felt as long as both teams had at least a seven-day turnaround into the finals, neither could be said to be at a disadvantage for the grand final.

'Once you get to that level of rest and recovery, we were really cognisant of the fact that seven days is key,' Abdo said.

'If you look at the regular season, obviously we have byes, so you have some teams playing teams that have effectively had two weeks' recovery.

'We're talking about the best professional athletes on the planet, and the clubs do an unbelievable job in terms of high-performance management.

'We're really confident that it's not an issue.

'Obviously we'll see, it's the first time we're doing it. We consulted with the clubs through the course of making this decision. We are really comfortable with what we have in place.'

There are several complicating factors around the NRL's week-three schedule.

Playing the Storm's preliminary final on the Saturday was off the table given logistical challenges posed by the AFL grand final being played in Melbourne that day.

The league also would have been forcing either the Bulldogs or Panthers to travel to Brisbane on a six-day turnaround if it had scheduled the second preliminary final for the Saturday.

Last Sunday afternoon's qualifying final between the Raiders and Broncos at GIO Stadium had a total reach of more than two million free-to-air viewers, the most of any men's premiership game this season.

On Fox Sports the figure was roughly 767,000 viewers, as well as being the most-watched finals game in NRL history.

The Daily Mail also understands the decision to play a Sunday preliminary final had been in the works since before the ratings boom.

'We are very cognisant of the fact that daytime football, particularly on Sunday afternoons, is incredibly popular during the regular season,' Abdo said.