As the meaningless NRL pre-season rolls on, many of us wonder what can be done for excitement. The answer would be some kind of pre-season competition.
Given that teams only want to play two trial matches, it’s hard to have a real knockout comp. So instead of one comp, let’s have four. Two weeks of trials is more than enough (although some teams do play three).
Divide the teams into four separate comps. Then with each group of four teams have a two-week knockout comp.
Offer some prize-money to the winner and runner-up. If teams want to play more trials they could play before this. One thing I like about the current setup is the amount trials in country areas and places without teams. Hobart pulled over 11,000 spectators on the weekend.
You could group the teams into geographic regions to get a bit of rivalry going.
The Western Sydney Cup would involve Wests Tigers, Canterbury, Penrith and Parramatta. The Beaches Cup would be Manly, Sydney, Cronulla and Newcastle. Even if Cronulla moves to the Central Coast it still works.
The Southern Cup could be Melbourne, Canberra, Illawarra, and Souths. The Queensland Cup would be Brisbane, Gold Coast, North Queensland and New Zealand.
Maybe you could seed the first round by the teams’ ladder position the previous year, though for the Southern Cup you would always have Souths versus Dragons in the first round, which could also double as the annual Charity Shield match.
Since last year’s premiers have to play the World Club Challenge, you can leave them out and have their comp as a three-team cup, with teams two and three playing the semi-final to meet seed one in the final, and adjust the prize money accordingly.
The teams that lose in the first week can just play normal trial matches in the second week (like what happens to the eliminated teams in the AFL’s NAB Cup).
The prize money can come out of the funding the NRL gives the clubs – and split the prize money between the players and the club. As an example, give $100,000 to the winner of each of the four cups and $50,000 to the runners-up. I’m sure clubs that are in financial difficulties would definitely want to play hard to win their cup.
It would be an easy way to try to get some meaning (and thus more crowds, viewers and excitement) into our meaningless pre-season, without having a pre-season cup that goes on for four weeks and bores everybody.
Basically, you would have the same number of trial games as normal. Teams that like to play three trial matches can play their extra match on the All Stars weekend as normal trials.
This system of having four small pre-season cups is easy to implement and if it doesn’t work they can get rid of it after a couple of season with no damage done. The only real cost is having some trophies made up (since the prize money could come out of normal NRL club funding).
Using last year’s ladder position as seeding, here are the matches for the four cups (seedings in brackets)”
Western Sydney Cup
Rd. 1/Semis: (1) Wests v. (4) Parra, (2) Bulldogs v. (3) Penrith.
Beaches Cup (Manly absent for World Club Championship)
Rd.1/Semis: (2) Roosters v. (3) Cronulla, winner plays (1) Newcastle (should play final in Gosford).
Southern Cup
Rd.1/Semis: (1) Melbourne v. (4) Canberra, (2) Dragons v. (3) Souths.
Queensland Cup
Rd.1/Semis: (1) Brisbane v. (4) Gold Coast, (2) New Zealand v. (3) Nth Queensland.
Jean-Pierre LeGuerre
Guest
why not use a bit of imagination - like Souths did this season by entertaining a SuperLeague side? Look for teams to play in pre-season from outside the NRL... rather than teams you will be facing again 2 more times in the season? it is reported elsewhere on the site that the brumbies union team is playing against an ACT regional side, and Tonga (a very understrength tonga team) in the rugby preseason. Surely a PNG 'A? side, or a Queensland selection, even some of the top Queensland Cup teams etc (Norths bears?) might be a more attractive opposition - not too testing, but interesting enough to draw a bit of a crowd? Tougher workouts could be arranged against a visiting SuperLeague team (who could probably be persuaded to travel over for 2 games - against separate NRL sides) or even better - against the NZ Maori? Against Fiji? Samoa? etc. These would have the double impact of a good workout while helping the development of the international game. Creative thinking needed here I think.
Steve War
Guest
Not quite NF - the Amco Cup was a mid week knockout comp aka the Tooths Cup etc - you are right about the interesting additions - Cronulla beat Combined Brisbane in a final featuring many future Broncos and Raiders. I think Easts beat Western Districts (NSW Country) in another The pre-season was known as the Wills Cup (WD & HO Wills) for quite a time I think the last final in 1981 may have been a great match with Souths beating the Broncos (in Parkes???) with Bob McCarthy as coach - Alan Jones responded by getting rid of him and ruining Souths (no success ever since) - as he had previously done with Balmain - two foundation clubs on the scrapheap...............
paulmerlo
Roar Rookie
Some more follow-ups: 4. This would be so easy to implement so why not give it a go. It won't increase the number of trials - teams won't trials to prepare for the preaseon cups cos' frankly they won't care enough to bother- AFL teams don't play trials to prepare for the NAB Cup. 5. Some commentors have mentioned the old Sevens comp and I think that's a good idea too. Especially if they could get it on TV like it used to be - a good way to launch the comp. But the All-Stars game kinda fills that slot. If they scrapped the All-Stars Game or move it Grand Final Week (as others have suggested) then the Sevens would be great to bring back. It wouldn't eliminate the needfor other trial matches though since it's not 'real' football and wouldn't help teams prepare for the NRL season. But it as a good comp and I have fond memories of it (remember the USA team).
paulmerlo
Roar Rookie
This would be played when we would normally have the other trials -it would replace the other trials (although the Charity Shield would still be there)- so it would in February like the current trials are. This way you don't add tio the number of games or the length of the preseason.
paulmerlo
Roar Rookie
A couple of follow-up comments: 1. Many other people (such as Brad Fittler) have called for some kind of preseason comp. The main reason they don't have one now is because it would take 4 weeks at least and no team want to have to play 4 preseason matches. This way you get some slightly more meaningful games but don't increase the length of the preseason. 2. The Charity Shield is about the only preseason trial that anyone cares about and this way maybe you get a few more matches (the 4 cup finals) of a Charity Shield level of interest - which you could put on Foxtel. 3. I don't think many teams would take it that seriously but it would be nice to try to get some more excitement in the preseason. Most, if not all, teams would still treat them as trial matches. Look at the NAB Cup in the AFL - most teams don't care too much. You could also keep some of the trial match aspects such as unlimited interchange and 6 or 7 man benches. If you're worried teams are taking it too seriously and it might impact the actual NRL season then you could just lower the prizemoney anyway.
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
Because it's worked so well for them in the past?
KSI
Guest
You could never have 3 teams playing 1/2 games. A fresh team in league would cause all sorts of injury to a team that's already played 40.
jamesb
Guest
I like it the way it is you have the all stars match, charity shield, foundation cup, WCC and each club plays 2 or 3 trial games. We start on March 1 so that it could accommodate all of the rep footy. When do you want to start the pre season tourny, mid or late january.
NF
Guest
The old preseason cup used to be the Amco cup and over the years a few interesting sides were included into the competition besides the usual suspects. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amco_Cup In 1987 that had SA,VIC, NT & WA rep sides in the prelim rounds. NZ sides such as Wellington, Canterbury & South Island were in it too in one to two occasions respectively. Central QLD, Toowoomba, Ipswich & Wide bay even participated too.Just some of the more unique sides to participate in the preseason comp.
Football United
Guest
idk if it would go ahead with traditional tv coverage. i don't however see why the clubs themselves can't just stream it over the internet for supporters to watch.
Steve War
Guest
Brad Fittler suggested a return to pre-season cups in the Herald a few days ago: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/bring-back-preseason-cup-says-fittler-20120218-1tg3c.html It's hard to find historical results, but seems to have run from 1967 until 1981
Behold
Guest
That is a perfect excuse not to have one. If everyone did the opposite of what Brad Fittler wanted it would be a pretty good world.
Go warriors
Guest
Good Idea Zarlos, a world nines tournament would be a great pre season tournament. Envite teams from around the world to give it that international flavour and have a party type atmosphere similar to rugbys Hong Kong or Wellingtons 7s.
Luke
Guest
As a Knights support I've been enjoying the build up to the season and can't wait till next Thursday night. Leave the fumbleballers to their silly little preseason competition. Only option I see with merit is a return to a Sevens comp.
NF
Guest
Preseason is preseason who cares it's all bout experimentation, working out combinations and shaking out the cowebs so the team is ready to go come the season starts.
Johnno
Guest
Brad Fitler wants a NRL pre season comp back.
Jaceman
Guest
Stick to trials, the NAB Cup is just Pay-TV fodder and 26 rounds is enough hard footy
Jackson
Guest
I completely agree with Pedro. That preseason is meant to be exactly that: meaningless and boring. The Premiership season in AFL and NRL is already long as it is. In fact I think the AFL should scrap the preseason as a Cup/Competition and copy what the NRL do and just have scratch/trial matches because that's exactly what they are.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Is that the first mention of the dinosaurs for 2012 ?!?!? Now I know NRL season is upon us...!
Behold
Guest
They are trial games personally I think the NAB cup is idiotic. A couple of games, to blow out the cobwebs is all thats needed, played in expansion areas and done.