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.
81paling
Roar Rookie
Eric is correct, remember Piggy jumping the fence and clapping his own try, the back flips from Mundine and even when the ref looked back at a player to see the player mirror his action of drawing a box and sending the decision upstairs. Best part is Eric there are still glimmers of light as we saw the other night fro Sam Thyday packing into the Cantebury scrum, that was the light hearted part of the game that you seek. However Eric what you search for is evolution in the game, this we were spoiled for in years gone by. The reason we were spoiled for evolution and not simple revolution is cause of Jack Gibson, 1st coach to implement kick on the last (now as u state it is compulsory) 1st coach to use computerised stats and rely heavily on video replay to call to account out of control ref's like Hartley and of course the first coach to understand that you must be 2 tries and 2 conversions better than Manly in order to win a premiership. Simple answer Eric is find a coach as great as the undisputed greatest coach of all time and it will give us back the personality that the game is losing cause those like Bennett are retiring and third gen coaches from such a great coach only get part of what he imparted as they watch the game and r unable to maintain any form of self composure as they clearly mouth expletive's .
eric
Guest
What happen to having fun in Rugby League. Where has the post try celebrations gone. There is too much structured play in league. Too predictable and too many soft penalties. Everyone is too busy completing their sets and trying trying to get repeat sets and building pressure. BORING!! Boys start playing footy and promoting the ball. Don't be scared of offloads or running it on the last. Stop playing percentages and back your defence to hold up. Just play positive footy with exciting attack and solid defence.
81paling
Roar Rookie
This is a brilliant idea and I love it. The NRL get to cut back direct funding to NRL sides that are often privately owned franchises which stops precious resources going into the pockets of multi million dollar companies and can be pumped into local clubs. Imagine the Bronco's (the main entity that would stop this) had to use their income to pay their players or costs and not just hand on to shareholders (70% NEWS) whilst at the same time every team in the QLD cup gets a $250K grant from the NRL. The best part of this is the end where the challenging club plays the it's rival club in the opposing competition it holds the purse from the gate played in the 1st round of the finals. Then of course it is a 3 round play off against the potential relegated side (two matches at the NRL clubs home ground and 1 at the challengers home ground) giving all sides involved an increase chance at obtaining increased sponsorship revenue from their exposure. The only change that I would make to this brilliant suggestion is that the revenue from the gate and TV rights go to the winner as if you are last in the NRL you need the increased funds and no one is going to tank because no none will risk it. To the nay sayer's who claim no none NRL club have the resources to try it or to compete simply look (sorry QLD I am sure there r examples I only know NSW) at Mounties it is a huge club supporting teams at every level in NSW rugby League. The Norths group or North Sydney Leagues give $650K annually to the game and if they ever seriously got together with Gosford's central coast leagues they would have cash reserves of over $50m. This is a great idea, it would strengthen the game and make the end of the season so much more important for everyone from everywhere.
nayfo
Guest
who would want to watch that match it would be boring as. just like the eels vs dragons last week i watched until the 1st try and soon got bored and turned it off lol
nayfo
Guest
he said the winner would come from either QLD cup or NSW cup so why would Tamworth, wagga wagga or bathurst even be mentioned johnno, your comment is irrelevant.
Luke Reds
Guest
As much as I would like to see the mighty Mackay Cutters play against the likes of Brisbane, Melbourne or South Sydney I cannot see relegation happening any time in the near future. The gap is simply too big between the NRL and the QLD/NSW Cup for it to happen both in terms of playing ability(the better teams might be able to fluke a win anainst Paramatta but the quality gap between them and the rest of the NRL teams would soon be very clear) and financially. The fact that most of them are feeder clubs to other teams would defently not help either.
Chris Owen
Guest
That's the dilemma - how do we make the NSW Cup and Qld Cup satsify the requirements of an NRL Reserve Grade whilst having unique clubs with unique identities and relegation processes of a true Second Division.
john badseed
Guest
A great idea for mine. With so much talk of expanding the game, while established clubs are doing it hard, an opportunity presents itself for those who believe in expansion to put up or shut up. Just as News did with Melbourne let Rinehart develop a Perth league, Palmer a Central Qld team, Singo a Gosford team and so on. Once it is proven not to be pie in the sky let the top expansion teams fight it out for a spot in a two tier competition.
Clark
Guest
I don't think that would work unless you rebrand and combine the QLD and NSW cups and combine them into a proper reserve grade comp which would mean that NRL club would have to cut ties with feeder clubs really wouldn't it. They sort of do this in England I think (well there's been a couple of new ones over the years which i've see appear e.g. London and Celtic who are gone im sure ) and from what I have seen the teams to come up are rubbish on the field as well as financially. It would take a massive revamp to make this happen I reckon
bjt
Are you talking about penrith, wests or parramatta... or all 3?
BlakeW
Guest
Because they are actually the Melbourne Storm in light blue jumpers.
Steve
Guest
I do like the idea of relegation in the NRL but only if it was regarding a developing clubs competition who make their way into the NRL.. So you have the 16 club competition as it is now.. There needs to be an emerging clubs competition with says franchises like Perth, CQLD, Ipswich, Darwin-Palmerston, Adelaide, Port Moresby, Wellington, Hamilton, Napier, Central Coast, Geelong and Logan.. The competition is developed over 5 years until determined when strong enough, promotion and relegation would exist between the competitions.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
What if we a Grand Final like match between the 2 bottom placed teams for the wooden spoon. It could be played as a curtain raiser to the GF and the loser shhould have to fly a wooden spoon flag over thier head quarters till the start of the next season.
Dave
Guest
Wont work. Cronulla are the NSW CUP minor premiers!
john badseed
Guest
Is 4.2 million the Storms average crowd? Last years NSW Cup winners the Newtown Jets have an average crowd of 8972 at 'The Jewel In The Crown of Rugby League', Henson Park. Puts some NRL teams to shame.
KFC
Guest
And in 2 years time the raiders would be paying Ricky Stuart 1 million a year to coach a NSW cup side.......
daniel p
Guest
No no no NO NO!
planko
Guest
You are not thinking laterally. It would work.
planko
Guest
NRL 2 would work and it is the only way you can expand without alienating as many fans as you attract.
Johnno
Guest
rugby league will go broke if promo'relegation happens. Can you imagine a big club like Melbourne 4.2 million being relegated for say Tamworth,or wagga wagga, each 50,000 only population. Or places like Bathurst, coming in at Melbourne or Brisbane Bronco's expense. Talk about financial disaster. And farcical.