Dave Smith's decision to isolate Fox Sports from broadcast negotiations with Channel Nine has come back to bite the NRL in the scheduling of the final six rounds of the season.

Fairfax Media can reveal the NRL had all but locked in the draw for the final six rounds as far back as last year, which has created a huge problem for the game and Channel Nine, with several games that have little bearing on finals football scheduled for free-to-air television.

It is understood NRL powerbrokers are privately disappointed with the schedule, which didn't take into account Parramatta's salary cap crisis, the slumps of the Sydney Roosters and South Sydney, and Manly's stuttering form, when it was drafted more than seven months ago.

The NRL kept the draw secret from the 16 clubs, who were left bemused by some of the scheduling decisions when they saw the draw for the first time earlier in the week.