The NRL will play a Sunday afternoon preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium, in a move that will hand a team the biggest grand final preparation advantage in 30 years.

Officials confirmed on Monday that men’s games would be on Friday and Sunday in week three of the finals, in a significant shift from traditional timeslots.

Melbourne will host the Friday night fixture at AAMI Park against the winner of Canberra and Cronulla, avoiding a Saturday clash with the AFL grand final.

Brisbane will then take on either Canterbury or Penrith on the Sunday afternoon, making for the first Sunday preliminary final since 2007.

The shift comes off the back of massive ratings for Sunday’s week-one blockbuster between Canberra and Brisbane, and is considered a big win for young fans.

But it will raise q

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