The Newcastle Knights are reportedly the unlucky team that will miss out on playing during Magic Round next season.
The Dolphins’ inclusion will see the competition go from 16 to 17 teams, meaning one club will miss out featuring during the anticipated round.
That team will be the Knights, according toThe Sydney Morning Herald.
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Even Knights CEO Phil Gardner told the Herald that he had “heard rumours” that they were going to be the club that misses out.
The Herald reports the decision has been made based on the fan engagement recorded from this year’s Magic Round in Brisbane.
The NRL wouldn’t confirm which club will receive a bye in Magic Round, but indicated that it will change every year.
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“Each team is allocated three byes during the 27-round season,” an NRL spokesperson said.
“The team allocated a bye during Magic Round is a factor of the overall draw and bye distribution.
“It is likely the team allocated the bye in Magic Round will be rotated each season.”
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Despite the rumours, Gardner isn’t too worried about the prospect of missing out on all the Magic Round action.
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“We have heard rumours that we are the team to miss out next year,” he said.
“It’s not our major concern at the moment. We are bothered by the uncertainty around other things like the salary cap and what is going on with the women’s competition.
“There is a lot of uncertainty around that for all the players.”
Magic Round has been pencilled in for May 5-7 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
The NRL is still working on the draw for 2023.
