Round 24: South Sydney Rabbitohs vs North Queensland Cowboys

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South Sydney Rabbitohs vs North Queensland Cowboys

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Free entry for all NRL Club Members to celebrate Luke Stuart.

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Cowboys left in the dark after Channel 9 snubs live telecast of Rabbitohs match

ROLL on the independent commission. That was the reaction from North Queensland last night after hopes for a live telecast of Friday night's NRL blockbuster between Johnathan Thurston's Cowboys and South Sydney were trampled.

Optimism turned to disappointment and outrage when Channel 9 confirmed it would televise the Storm-Dragons match live into NSW and Queensland, snubbing a Cowboys-Rabbitohs match-up which could have huge finals ramifications.

Cowboys, and Queensland, fans will have to be content with a 9.30pm replay, with advertisements taking the coverage up to 11.30pm.

Fans have vented their spleen on Facebook, and a petition has been launched. But it is unlikely to have any impact on powerbrokers at Nine, who believe the Storm-Dragons game will be a ratings winner.

Cowboys chief executive Peter Jourdain says North Queensland have been dudded.

"We find it mind boggling that our members, supporters and sponsors are being denied live TV and radio access to what is a very important game," Jourdain said.

"It is highly unacceptable that radio and internet updates will be the only live coverage we will receive ...

Our club is fourth and Souths are in the hunt for the top eight, and we believe this game would have interested Queenslanders in general, not only Cowboys fans.

"On Fox Sports we have more games in the top 10 of most-watched matches this year than any other club."

Jourdain said he hoped the new independent commission would ensure that under the new television rights deal for 2013 and beyond, kick-off and broadcast times were set in stone in advance of the season.

NRL chief executive David Gallop said he could understand the angst of Cowboys fans.

"(But) while it seems a bit unfair for Cowboys fans, Channel 9 chose the game they believed would rate the best for them," Gallop said.

"They pay hundreds of millions of dollars for that right and they clearly see the Storm v Dragons match as a huge game."

WIN Television, Nine's regional arm, has been told for "technical reasons" it is not possible to show the game live outside southeast Queensland.

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Rabbitohs: 1. Nathan Merritt 2. Dylan Farrell 3. Shaune Corrigan 4. Greg Inglis 5. Chris McQueen 6. John Sutton 7. Chris Sandow 8. Ben Ross 9. Issac Luke 10. Shannan McPherson 11. Eddy Pettybourne 12. David Taylor 13. Michael Crocker (c)

Interchange: 14. Luke Burgess 15. Dave Tyrrell 16. Jason Clark 17. Nathan Peats

Cowboys: 1. Matthew Bowen 2. Ashley Graham 3. Brent Tate 4. Willie Tonga 5. Kalifa Faifai Loa 6. Ray Thompson 7. Johnathan Thurston (c) 8. Matthew Scott (c) 9. Aaron Payne 10. James Tamou 11. Gavin Cooper 12. Glenn Hall 13. Dallas Johnson

Interchange (from): 14. James Segeyaro 15. Tariq Sims 16. Scott Bolton 17. Ashton Sims 18. Cory Paterson 19. Joel Riethmuller