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Only the best make the finals

AJ Moore new author
Roar Rookie
23rd July, 2017
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Everyone hates the Roosters and the Storm. (AAP Image/David Mariuz)
AJ Moore new author
Roar Rookie
23rd July, 2017
26

As we approach the footy crucible that is the finals, already teams are feeling the heat in the desperate slugging matches we’ve seen play out this weekend.

It’s becoming harder and harder for teams below eighth to press for a finals berth given the state of the ladder. As of the end of Round 20, the gap between the Panthers in ninth and the Raiders in tenth has grown to four premiership points, meaning the Raiders need to win two more games than the Panthers to have a shot at qualifying over them.

Four teams are absolutely out of the race, and they are of course the niggling Newcastle Knights, the timid Tigers, the wrangled Rabbitohs and the bloated Bulldogs. All are down the bottom for various reasons, but none have any real shot at the finals, whether it’s because it’s a mathematical impossibility, as for the Knights, or its just down to struggling to have good enough form, as is the case for the Bulldogs.

The Titans are very unlikely, but they are in the most fortunate position of the 18-point logjam given their next game is against the Tigers. However, winning the game after that, against the Broncos, will be a much harder task and will certainly test whether they are finals contenders or pretenders.

It’s an important point that seems to be immediately forgotten as soon as Origin 3 ends each year: finals season is about the best teams in the competition playing for the premiership. The reason fans look forward to September is because the quality of the games increases – and the quality of the teams increases as well.

Having a team with the form of the Bulldogs, for example, playing in the finals wouldn’t make sense. Their season hasn’t earnt them the right to play, it’s as simple as that.

Teams like the Storm and Roosters have ground their way to the top of the eight by playing high-quality football and with an admittedly luckier season than a team like South Sydney, which lost their gun player for the season in the first game. All the same, the Storm have had every excuse to drop from top spot given their whole spine was ripped out during Origin 3, with only Cameron Munster left at home in Origin 2.

Through a great coach and excellent depth they haven’t shifted. As heartless as it sounds, you can only earn the right to a finals appearance if you win games, and usually you need more victories than defeats.

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The only teams I can see reasonably sneaking in would be the Panthers and maybe the Raiders, but after the Dragons’ dominant, albeit haphazard, performance over Manly, kicking them out of the eight will be a difficult task. They’ll have to work extremely hard to earn that spot, and that should never change.

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