Long-time Rugby League lead broadcaster Channel 9 have issued a scathing assault on the competition.
The NRL is pushing for a return start date of either May 21st or May 28th, a brash move amidst the COVID-19 crisis.
They are aiming to host 13 more rounds of football with a state of origin game in the middle.
However, a spanner has been thrown into Peter V’Landys' grand plan, with Channel 9 threatening to walk away and issuing this explosive statement on Thursday morning.
“At Nine we had hoped to work with the NRL on a solution to the issues facing rugby league in 2020, brought on so starkly by COVID-19,” the statement began.
“But this health crisis in our community has highlighted the mismanagement of the code over many years. Nine has invested hundreds of millions in this game over decades and we now find they have profoundly wasted those funds with very little to fall back on to support the clubs, the players and supporters.
“In the past the NRL have had problems and we’ve bailed them out many times including a $50m loan to support clubs when the last contract was signed.
“It would now appear that much of that has been squandered by a bloated head office completely ignoring the needs of the clubs, players and supporters.”
Channel 9's current broadcast deal with the NRL runs through until 2022 and is reportedly worth $625 million.