I miss weekly rugby league ... and I'm not afraid to admit it.
As much as I enjoy the international fixtures, and even the break from having my heart broken every fortnight, you just can't beat that sweet, weekly footy.
In 2023 we were treated to more club games than ever thanks to the expansion of the NRLW competition.
Very quickly I got use to tuning into the greatest game of all from 11am on a Saturday morning and barely leaving the lounge, or bar, until after the sun went down.
The weekly feast of league makes the off-season even more difficult.
That said, before we know it, Round 1 will roll around again and I'll be cursing the very day I became a Sharks fan all over again.
I do have to admit that 2023 was, despite the awful run of results, a special year given the introduction of the Sharks NRLW side.
It gave me two opportunities to support the club each weekend, while allowing my daughter a group of women to look up to.
With the extra rugby league also comes extra opportunities.
More fans, more eyes on the product and, dare I suggest, the return of a once beloved television time slot!?
During Week 1 of the NRL finals, we saw the Cronulla Sharks host local rivals the Dragons in Thursday night footy.
I was there at the game but hundreds of thousands tuned in to watch the game in the suddenly open time slot.
Thursday Night Footy is famous for being television-friendly, whilst annoying the fans of both teams involved.
Which brings me back to the aforementioned old favourite of mine. That being everyone's favourite TV time-slot-friendly Monday night football.
Let me preface this by stating this is not an idea we could implement in 2024, for reasons I will explain, but it's absolutely something I would like to see re-introduced in the long-term.
I would absolutely love to see the NRLW introduce a Monday night football game. As soon as possible.
Right now the time-slot wouldn't work due to the amount of NRLW talent required to work jobs outside their NRLW commitments.
Monday interstate trips hardly scream work-life balance, but once the competition shifts to more full-time contracts, and if scheduled correctly, I believe Monday Night Footy could prove to be a huge win for all involved.
Monday Night footy rated through the roof for Fox Sports back in the day.
Pubs were packed on Monday Night as we all gathered to enjoy the last game of each round, right up to the final round of the competition.
As a fan you hated to be the home side of a Monday night game, but as a neutral it was arguably the game of the round.
Simply put, the TV time slot is super fan-friendly and would enable more eyes on the women's game.
We saw the success of the Thursday night slot. I guarantee a regular Monday fixture would become routine for fans and be arguably the most watched NRLW fixture each and every week.
The game would never be up against an NRL fixture, while the dinner-time, post-work game eases the pain of the start of the week.
I expect the Bulldogs to be the next side admitted into the competition, with the Warriors returning. That brings the competition to 12 teams.
This extends the nine-round competition to 11 rounds when that happens. My guess is it won't be too long until the NRLW has an entire 22-round competition.
With more full-time contracts up for grabs, suddenly fixtures become easier to schedule.
Until then, we can look at local games being held on Monday night.
It may not be ideal but a Sharks and Dragons game worked on a Thursday night, so why not a Monday night?
A Bulldogs and Eels game is an easy one to manage. The Titans and Broncos aren't exactly a world apart. Roosters and Dragons. The list goes on.
With the greatest of respects, the difference between Roud 3 live crowds on Saturday afternoon or a Monday night isn't that large right now.
On the flip side, I guarantee a more fan-friendly time-slot would see a big jump in the already rapidly rising TV viewing numbers.
Ultimately it's all about putting more eyes on the product. A damn good product at that!
NRLW games running against NRL games, or forced into 11am time slots are not long-term solutions.
Monday night football however presents an incredible opportunity for fans and players alike.
Sound idea, Dan.