St George Illawarra’s stunning NRL finals demise has not affected the game’s decision makers with the McIntyre system to be retained in its current format next season.
The Dragons this year became the first minor premiers to be bundled out in straight sets when they lost to Parramatta and Brisbane in consecutive weeks.
Their speedy exit prompted calls for teams that finish in the top two be given home ground advantage in the second week of the finals, after the Dragons were forced to play their semi-final against the Broncos at a raucous Suncorp Stadium.
But the two-day NRL CEO’s conference, which wrapped up in Sydney on Wednesday, voted to stick with the status quo, reasoning that the protection of elimination in week one of the finals for the top two sides was already enough of an advantage.
Numerous examples were put forward at the conference of how any change to the system would disadvantage teams that finish outside of the top two.
“The years of the McIntyre system have coincided with some of the best finals series in the game’s history,” NRL boss David Gallop said.
“There are always points of debate but sometimes you have to stand back and look at the whole picture and the system has served rugby league well.”
The CEO’s conference also decided against stripping Sydney teams of home ground advantage in week one of the finals, an issue which raised its head this year when tens of thousands of fans were locked out of WIN Jubilee Stadium when the Dragons hosted the Eels.
The NRL said it would be open to teams moving games to bigger venues to accommodate larger crowds, but conceded it would be unfair to impose a set of rules that only apply to Sydney teams.
“Nothing will stop a club making the decision to move a home finals match if they choose,” said Gallop, who had offered the Dragons $250,000 in compensation to move the game against the Eels to the Sydney Football Stadium.
“However, the idea of the NRL telling members and players that `you have spent 26 weeks to win the right to a home final, but we are going to simply take it off you,’ is not something that we believe the NRL should do.
“Until we reach a point where demand is such that we move away from home finals in week one completely, and that is clearly not the case at the moment, I don’t believe we can target some clubs, their players and fans, and not others.”
The NRL also announced that it expected to generate a $1.5 million windfall for community programs courtesy of the All Stars game to be held on the Gold Coast on February 13.
Andrew Sutherland
Roar Guru
As I've said before, it wasn't the Mcintyre system that cost the Dragons, it was the long white socks.
Springs
Guest
Every final used to be played at the SCG. And guess what? The best team won. The Dragons did deserve a home game against Brisbane in the 2nd week last year, but moving to the SFS in the 1st week only would have changed the crowd numbers. They got their game at Jubilee and still lost to the 8th plaed team they beat by 37 the week before. If say, Eels are at home to the bulldogs in the first week of the finals, they can move to the SFS, and if they are at hometo the roosters they can move to ANZ, simple. And if Bulldogs havean advantage at ANZ against a Sydney team with equal amount of fans at the ground, shouldn't the Grand Final be moved if they get in?
Cotton McKnight
Roar Rookie
Paul, are you telling me that if any Sydney team was made to play a semi at Homebush against Canterbury Bulldogs, you would still class this as a "home game", as opposed to playing at say, Parramatta,Bookvale, Kogarah, Shark Park, Penrith or Cambelltown? Any team that calls Homebush or even SFS as their home ground would have an advantage. As for Newcastle, Cowboys, Brisbane and the Titans do not have any other stadium to play in, except Brisbane, but their stadium is already the biggest. As for the Warriors moving to the larger Eden Park (45,472 capacity as against Mt Smart 26,000), I bet that will never happen. Newcastle ground is 26,126, Canberra is 25,000,Kogarah 22,000, win 23,000(next year),Cronulla 21,000,Brookvale 23,000, Parramatta 20,000, Campbelltown 20,000, should they all have to move? And at Skilled Park in the Gold Coast, 27,000, is this enough? After slogging it out for 26 rounds, finishing up the top of the table, there must be some reward, otherwise, what's the point?
Springs
Guest
The McIntyre system will stay until 3rd place are kicked out in the first week.
Rob C
Guest
I think the McIntyre System should be retained, however I would make one alteration. The week 2 semi finals should be based on home region semies and be allocated based on ranking during the regular season. That way teams finishing 5-8 are nether given an advantage over the teams 1-4 in terms of where games are played in week 2. Why should the Dragons have to play Brisbane at Suncorp in wk 2 when they finished 1st (Broncos 6th) and Titans in Sydney when Parra finished the regular season 8th. Teams 5-8 should feel privileged to be even contesting the semi finals without getting an advantage over the teams that were consistent all year. This is the part that is the biggest joke with the system. I think the average punter would be happy to live with this system if this aspect was changed.
Paul J
Guest
It's not about making sure teams have home ground advantage it’s about making sure the ground is big enough for all the fans to see the game. If Newcastle, Brisbane, Cowboys, Titans or Warriors have a home final they make sure they play it in their biggest stadium and that as many fans as possible can go to the game. Sydney by its sheer size has more teams, more people and more stadiums that anyone else. If a Sydney team has to move to a bigger Sydney stadium to cater for all the fans then they should be made to do it. They still have home ground advantage as they are still playing in Sydney. They're not being asked to play in Brisbane or Auckland.