- The most important game of the year closes a packed calendar
- Kick-off for the Penrith vs Melbourne clash is Sunday at 7.30pm
The NRL’s grand final sprint has officially been declared a false start, with the race for the game’s fastest men postponed for another year.
The head office had planned to take on the NRL’s fastest on grand final day, with potential prize money available for the winners.
But the event will now not take place, largely due to the number of players unavailable to apply ahead of Penrith’s Sunday night clash against Melbourne.
The NRL is still hopeful the race can be held in the future on grand final day, with entrants from all 17 clubs.
A sprint between the fastest men in the sport has long been mooted, with chief executive Andrew Abdo even going so far as to suggest a rugby league Olympics in 2021.
Manly midfielder Jason Saab was among those pushing to participate, but suffered an ankle injury that ended his season.
Josh Addo-Carr would also have been a potential entry, with Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow another midfielder who would have been a big draw.
Saab had also pushed for the race to be held on a different day, because players could participate in the main game and others on vacation at the end of the season.
One of the attractions football fans were looking forward to ahead of the clash between Jarome Luai’s Penrith team and the Storm has been scrapped for this year’s decider.
Melbourne’s Ryan Papenhuyzen would have been an ideal choice to contest the grand final sprint if he were not lining up for the final NRL game of the year.
Pictured: Captains Nathan Cleary and Harry Grant pose with the premiership trophy.
“The way they are doing it seems quite flawed, to be honest,” Saab said in August.
“I think it’s interesting to do it on the day of the grand final because I’m sure there will be a couple of (fast) players who will play.”
‘How do you crown the fastest person when the fastest people don’t race in it?’
Other lightning-quick football stars who would have had the chance to compete in the event include Roosters winger Dominic Young, Tom Trbojevic and Manly’s Tolutau Koula.
The AFL grand final sprint has been a common feature of the game for years, and was reintroduced in 2002 after leaving the program from 1988 to 2001.
Each AFL club usually provides one participant for the race, which used a handicap system from 2006 to 2008.
Collingwood’s Beau McCreery won this year’s event with a close finish, while Geelong’s Max Holmes prevailed in 2023.
