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The Roosters will do battle with the Rabbitohs for the minor premiership this Friday night in one of the most anticipated games of the 2013 season.
Melbourne and Manly will jostle for third place. The Knights, Cowboys, Titans and Warriors are all playing for the last two spots in the top eight, hoping to put big scores past their opponents to boost their points differential.
Parramatta fans have tuned out for 2013… but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Fade out as music fades in.
BANG. A Chanel Nine logo is slapped on screen.
A Ken Sutcliffe voice over begins:
“As this year’s contenders do battle for the Telstra Premiership, the Parramatta Eels play off in the inaugural 2013 Relegation Cup.
“The Eels will take on the winner out of the Queensland Cup and the New South Wales Cup for a chance to play in the 2014 NRL season.”
BANG. The Relegation Cup logo is slapped on screen with rocks breaking around it as lightning bolts crash into them.
“Get behind your team as they do battle for a place in the NRL!”
The idea of relegation has been raised before and there are innumerable barriers, of course, but here is one way that it could work.
Scheduling
The winners of the Queensland Cup and the New South Wales Cup would play off in a preliminary final the week after the NRL regular season ends.
This game would take place at the home ground of the NSW or Queensland team in the first year, then alternate between states every year after.
The wooden spooner from the NRL would be afforded the week off.
The winner of the preliminary final would earn the right to face off against the NRL wooden spooner at the latter’s home ground. Afterall, the challenger should have to earn a spot in the NRL.
Should the challenger win, the wooden spooner would be relegated to either the Queensland or New South Wales Cup. The challenger would begin its first season in the NRL.
Should the wooden spooner win, life goes on as normal.
Funding
A major issue with new clubs entering the league is financing.
The takings from the Relegation Cup should be saved in a future clubs fund and directed to the challenger if successful. The longer challengers fail, the bigger the fund.
Sponsorship opportunities will emerge for the challenger and the NRL should assist with getting the new club up and running. There are government grants available and one would hope a strong local membership would follow.
No one expects a new club in the NRL to set the world on fire in the first year, but they had to have at least been better than the previous wooden spooner.
That is how they got into the comp in the first place.
Benefits
Excitement from the top of the table to the bottom.
Bringing the game back to local areas such as East Brisbane or Wentworthville.
The return of suburban grounds when challenger teams make it through – no SFS or Stadium Australia.
North Sydney Bears could stop complaining about not being in the competition and simply compete to get in.
More rugby league on television in September.
Flight of Fancy
I concede that this is all one giant flight of fancy.
I would enjoy watching a Relegation Cup. The focus on the second tier competitions would be increased and that would of course benefit those competitions.
Alright… I’ll go back to daydreaming already.
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