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Jamie Soward is chased down by Sika Manu during NRL Round 19, Melbourne Storm vs St George Illawarra Dragons, at Olympic Park, Melbourne, Monday, July 21, 2008. Melbourne won 26-0. AAP Image/Action Photographics/Jeff Crow
St George are the best team after 24 weeks, and now have to play a final in Brisbane. Similarly, the Titans had four more wins than Parramatta and now have to play in Sydney, though not at the Eels’ home ground.
What is the best Finals systems?
With so many things to consider, it is a complicated thing to answer. On top of everything, you have to factor in ground availability, scheduling and television requirements.
Wayne Bennett was on the record beforehand as saying that he wasn’t a fan of the system the NRL uses and he became even less of one following the Dragons’ defeat.
What would Melbourne be thinking?
They have the week off and host the preliminary final, but had they lost to Manly, they would have switched places with the Sea Eagles.
Had the NRL being using the old system, which the AFL currently uses, the first week would have seen St George host Melbourne, the Bulldogs play the Titans at ANZ, Parramatta travelling to Brookvale and Newcastle taking on the Broncos in Brisbane.
The biggest difference here would have been that the top four are guaranteed a home final in the second week.
In the AFL this year, it has been pretty calm.
Having four Victorian sides in the top four meant that only two of the nine finals would be interstate and both of those were in the first week, when it is actually a good thing to have some games away from the MCG.
The Magpies weren’t happy when they had to play a Crows side who had two extra days rest, but that isn’t much of an issue now since Collingwood won.
The AFL was even prepared to have flexible preliminary finals this year had an interstate side still been playing.
The Lions are still smarting after having to play their 2004 Preliminary final in Melbourne on a Saturday night in a game which should have been at the Gabba.
This gave them two days less than Port to prepare.
If not one of these two systems for the top 8, what else is there?
The double chance seems to be ingrained in the Australian sporting psyche, so it seems unlikely that either of the football codes would ever revert to the NFL playoffs method where it is sudden-death from the get go and the top two teams receive the benefit of a first round bye.
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