Canterbury's NRL encounter with Penrith has been switched to Saturday, August 31 following the ANZ Stadium fixture clash with the AFL blockbuster between the Sydney Swans and Hawthorn.
The western Sydney derby had been slated to be played 24 hours earlier, only for the AFL to announce on Tuesday the rematch of last year's grand final would now be played on the same day after being told by the venue earlier this year they could have the choice of what night to play that weekend.
The decision was taken to allow likely minor premiers Hawthorn to have an extra day's turnaround ahead of the opening round of the finals.
The move left the NRL red-faced and after two days of intense negotiations with the Nine Network, who were to show the Bulldogs game and the club, a compromise has been reached.
Wests Tigers will now play on Friday, August 30 against ladder leaders South Sydney at Allianz Stadium - a fixture that was due to be played at 5.35pm the following day.
Canterbury chief executive Raelene Castle admitted the switch was not ideal with the team playing Brisbane on Thursday, September 5, but was satisfied with the outcome.
"The fixture change gives us an opportunity to for all our members and fans to come along and enjoy some Saturday afternoon rugby league at our home ground," Castle said.
"We are looking forward to seeing a large crowd support the Bulldogs on our march towards the finals."
The NRL had looked at the possibility of moving the game to an alternative venue and also pondered the prospect of playing on Thursday, August 29, so Nine could still broadcast the match.
However, with schedules already locked in on the network the NRL spoke to the Tigers who said they were happy to help.
"The NRL approached Wests Tigers about rescheduling the match to help resolve a scheduling clash of another premiership match in that round," a statement said.
"Whilst there are some challenges surrounding re-scheduling matches, Wests Tigers are happy to assist the NRL in this instance."
General manager of marketing and commercial for the NRL Paul Kind said he was grateful for the help offered by the clubs to overcome the situation.
"We have worked closely with the clubs and our broadcast partners to provide a workable solution and I thank them for their support in achieving that," Kind said.
