Today, the NRL was canvassing feedback about the new finals format.
In case you are unaware, it means ten of the sixteen teams will make it to the next form of the season. Granted, teams one through six would get a first-week bye. This system would leave teams ranked seven and ten to contest and eight and nine to play each other for the right to progress to the current top eight model.
The NRL have a voting system on the article they released, and at one point it stood at just over 1,000 votes at a 50/50 split. However, this is one idea that I feel they should consign to the dust bin.
I get their arguments and they sound solid.
These include allowing teams the chance to remain in the finals hunt for longer, therefore, killing the possibility of dead rubber games.
The theory is that with more live matches, this keeps fans interested, viewers watching and consequently, keeps money coming through the gate. These arguments sound fine in theory, but they neglect many issues.
If the NRL provide the opportunity for more than half the competition to make the finals, they weaken and devalue the importance of most regular season games.
With such a long season, this creates the possibility fans during the season not caring as much because they have a feeling that the game they are attending or viewing do not matter as much and the reason is simple – you can lose more games than you win and still make it.
It is true that this has happened before, but having just short of three-quarters of the teams progressing reduces the respect factor for making the semi-finals.
If fans think that all is required is a tenth place finish, then you are minimising the intensity of the game and experience.
It should be challenging to have the chance to play finals football. This challenge is what can give the season structure, the teams and the players respect. Ultimately, ten from sixteen teams qualifying for finals weakens the intensity of every contest.
The NRL may reference American sports as examples where a wild-card game works, though this point is misleading.
The NFL has a short season, so every match is an event of high importance. The Major League Baseball which despite having a very long season also has a division based system. This system, in turn, creates the need for a wild card round.
The NRL does not (and should not) have a division based system. Hence, with a single tier table, there is no need for a wild card round.
If the NRL ever expands to 18 or 20 teams then fine, consider the wild card round. Otherwise, the NRL is diluting the entertainment product and removing the integrity of an elite sporting competition that only allows the best teams to play finals.
I do get the sense by announcing it now, the new system will be a fait accompli by next season, but I plead to the NRL not to do it.
Ultimately, to play finals football should be considered an achievement. If more teams make the finals than do not, then the NRL kill that sense of accomplishment for teams and fans. Thus, you remove a layer of respect to what is currently an extremely tough competition.
Mark Campbell
Roar Guru
Funny you mention the NSW jersey Emcie, I wrote an article about this also. If the link doesn't work, it should be in my profile of articles. https://www.theroar.com.au/2018/11/04/the-new-nsw-jersey-is-a-cash-grab-pure-and-simple/
Gray-Hand
Roar Rookie
A survey run by the NRL... on an NRL website... regarding the viability of a proposal put forward by the NRL... ... is surprisingly popular? Blow me down!
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
I agree... so please tell me why it's running at 48% approval at NRL website survey???
Rellum
Roar Guru
Marketing and capitalism erodes yet more of the sporting integrity of our competitions.
WarHorse
Roar Rookie
Yes and get rid of tackling just as they are trying to do with the juniors.
Allan
Guest
Do away with the finals, and everyone gets a participation medal at the end of regular season
Flexis
Roar Rookie
Agreed. I’m not critiquing the reasoning, but the result. Based on the comments here people aren’t concerned with dead rubbers. Probably because it’s the preseason. Seems pretty consistent that people don’t like the idea because teams 9 and 10 haven’t earned the right to play finals (and rightfully so). But in 2017 that was slightly more debatable.
john
Guest
Relegation and promotion would more exciting and ensure less dead rubber matches, but instead we have a "participation trophy" type solution from our soft leaders. Wouldn't it be simpler if we had 12 teams in the comp, each team played each other twice in the regular season with a home game and an away game to balance things out? Then have a round or two that's for relegation/promotion.
Big Daddy
Guest
What its designed to do is get the borderline teams in and save some of these ordinary coach's jobs. Looks much better on the résumé.
WithTheDawn
Roar Rookie
As a long time Warriors fan starved of finals footy, sounds like a good idea to me. Anything to help get my mediocre team into the business end of the season. Having said that, I guess it would feel pretty hollow. I like the general concept, but maybe it would work better with more teams in the comp in the first place, so you arent rewarding teams that only win a handful of games with an outside chance.
Rob
Guest
Maybe the off season is too long? I know that I’m desperate now to watch the football now. If Beatie and Greenberg’s hair brained ideas to change everything to make Rugby League better keep coming I might just switch off and watch MAFS with the girls. Where are the razor blades? The game is going south because of insanity at the wheel right now IMO.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Plus 2 x knockout competitions with the FA Cup & League Cup. Any decent EPL team can be playing 60 matches in a season !
Wayne Turner
Guest
I thought it was NOT April Fool's Day yet? The Semi Final's are suppose to be about rewarding winning during the season,and then leading into an elite series. I still think a top 8 is 2 teams too many. But,this new suggestion is stupid and worse.A team finishing 10th should NOT have a chance to make a semi final system,and no chance to win the comp.It's rewarding low standards. A better suggestion: If continuing with a Top 8. If teams tie on competiton points at the end,of the regular season.Instead of FIRSTLY going on "for" and "against" to decide who finishes higher,go by how they went "head" to "head" during that season,on who won? And then if need be points with away points worth more ie: Like soccer does. Going by "for" and against" should be the LAST resort because it's an unfair system when teams don't play each other twice,and some team's get easir draws.
Don
Roar Rookie
This proposal is just a discussion distraction to get some focus off player misbehaviour. It’s a brain fart bit of spin. Beatie is using his old political tactic of diverting attention away from the distasteful with something that will generate a few days of debate.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
Hmm. They have a final series in a way with Champions League and the like.
RogerTA
Roar Rookie
Maybe we could do away with the regular season and simply play an extended finals series. Everyone gets a ribbon!
Paul
Roar Guru
I know last season was unusual with the top 8 teams finishing within 2 points of each other, but there was a 3 game gap between 8th & 9th and a 5 game gap between 8th and 10th. This implies those sides have not done enough to be competitive if there was a an additional playoff series, these sides surely haven't done enough throughout the year to be considered true final chances. The whole concept is stupid as the comp currently stands. It will detract from the finals, not add to them if sides can get there by winning 10 games out of 25
no one in particular
Roar Guru
It's a distraction by the NRL to take the focus away from the scandals
Greg
Guest
Until we have an equal competition where every team plays each other an equal amount of times the Minor Premiership will continue to mean nothing. EPL is a one off, the overwhelming majority of sporting competitions in the world have a Grand Final of sorts.
Emcie
Roar Guru
Did you miss the unveiling of fitlers new Blues jersey? ;)