It really isn’t easy being green. Channel Nine’s decision to beam Gold Coast v Wests Tigers into most of NSW this Friday doesn’t beggar belief but it makes me believe the Canberra Raiders are beggars.

And they will be until we get the Independent Commission and a television contract that is written in such a way that it benefits the game and not the dictatorial broadcasters.

Let’s run you through it. In one game on Friday, Brisbane – who haven’t missed the finals since 1991 – are playing the wonderfully entertaining Raiders in front of an anticipated 52,000 sell-out Suncorp Stadium crowd. In all likelihood, but depending on what South Sydney does, it will decide eighth spot.

Down the street at Skilled Park, Wests Tigers are taking on Gold Coast. Wests Tigers are already assured of a home final while Gold Coast will be playing for one - but each is safely in the play-offs.

It was widely anticipated the Brisbane game would be shown live everywhere with the Robina clash on delay. But oh no, the Raiders are clearly ratings poison in Sydney.

The head honchos at Nine decided that Sydney people were, in effect, more interested in a Queensland team playing for a home final that one from the ACT engaged in a sudden death battle with a team on the precipice of an historic failure.

(Thankfully, WIN TV has since come to the rescue of Canberra residents, who will get to see the Green Machine live).

This, the same network which bought English rugby league rights this year to fill up its HD channel and thoughtfully showed the Challenge Cup final 24 hours after it was played – which is the worst timeslot the Wembley showpiece has occupied in this country since, I think, 1984.

The same network that has a contract to show rugby league in Melbourne at a reasonable time but simply refuses to do so.

I am a rugby league writer, not a media writer. So I’m going to discuss how the NRL can prevent this situation happening in future rather than continue down the path of bagging Channel Nine.

One, don’t give Channel Nine – or anyone – exclusive free-to-air rights ever again. The argument that you get more promotional and editorial support by going with one network is simply an admission that you don’t think your sport is good enough to get exposure on its own merits.

Give us Nine on Friday night, Ten on Saturday and Seven on Sunday or some variation of that, like the AFL does.

Two, tell the networks that they take whatever games they are given. You know the meetings they have where they decide what games are on, when, in five weeks' time?

Don’t invite any television executives to them.

Three, let’s not be so greedy in our quest for $1 billion from the next deal to harm the game for another five years.

Everyone is expecting the IC and the new TV deal in 2013 to save rugby league from all its ills. But let’s hope the IC can save us from another TV deal that has our pants around our ankles as we repeatedly touch our toes.