It’s a gimmick that rewards mediocrity! A shameless money grab! The worst idea the NRL has ever had!
So read the knee-jerk reactions to this week’s announcement that the league was maybe thinking about possibly implementing a Wildcard Weekend in 2020.
The proposed setup would see teams finishing seventh to tenth playing off for the final two places in the eight-team finals series.
Looking at the early responses, apparently I’m the only person on the planet outside of NRL HQ who thinks it could be a good thing.
Is it a gimmick? Of course it’s a gimmick. Everything’s a gimmick. This one’s designed to keep interest going in a season that can flag towards its end. To keep bums planted in stadiums and on couches instead of wandering out to see how high the lawn grew between March and August.
It’s the first time a major code has floated this idea in Australia and you can guarantee other leagues are watching on keenly because they want to do it themselves.
I love the idea because it would work. People would stay engaged. Ratings and crowds wouldn’t drop away as the NRL data has indicated and you can guarantee the games would rate off the charts.
The proposal also lends itself to conversations about shortening the regular season, which I’ve argued before. As it stands, 25 rounds is about five too many. Fewer games means every round matters more. Players will be fresher, quality of play better. One day I’ll stop going on about this, but that day isn’t today.
Wildcard Weekend could also be a precursor for a conference system, but that’s a discussion for another time. Bank that outrage for later.
As for the ‘rewarding mediocrity’ crowd, it’s hardly a leap of logic to say that clubs finishing between seventh and tenth have the same minimal chance at winning the premiership. You could even slide the clubs finishing fifth and sixth in there too, so dominant have the top four been in winning the grand final. So where’s the harm?
Taking the argument further, you could say having a top eight in a 16-team competition rewards mediocrity. In fact, having a finals system at all rewards mediocrity, because it gives teams who are clearly not the best over the season an undeserved shot at the title.
The only definitive way to avoid rewarding all this mediocrity is to give the premiership to the team on top of the standings after the final round, like the big football leagues around the world. Is that what you’d prefer?
(AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)
Canberra finishing 2018 in tenth with a 10-14 record is being used as proof the proposed system is ridiculous but so what? Canberra would have played St George Illawarra and likely been beaten, so no big deal. In any event, using one discreet example for 100 per cent of your argument is pointless. Let’s look back further.
In 2016, Wests Tigers finished ninth by one point. In 2014, the teams finishing eight, nine and ten were tied on 28 points, one game behind seventh, who had 30. Why not let them have a final crack?
The Raiders went 10-14 and finished tenth in 2015, 2017 and 2018 (and also had a 10-14 record for 13th place in 2013). Would they have made an impact on the finals? Probably not, but it’s an interesting thought.
Variations on the ‘play-off game’ theme have happened before. In 1988, the Balmain Tigers played Penrith for the last finals spot in the top five after they finished the regular season tied on points. In 1989, Cronulla flogged the Broncos to determine fifth spot.
Incidentally, Balmain’s 1988 team caught fire and drove all the way to the grand final, losing to Canterbury (with thanks to Terry Lamb’s destruction of Ellery Hanley).
Another common argument being made against Wildcard Weekend is that we would have a ten-team finals series – we wouldn’t. The finals series remains eight teams and if your mob is good enough, they wouldn’t need to play a wildcard game.
As for this whole idea being a shameless money grab, I’d hope so. I’d be more than slightly concerned if the NRL weren’t constantly looking at new ways to bring in more cash.
But we can’t ignore the timing of the announcement. It couldn’t have been a more transparent effort from head office to divert attention from the steady stream of players falling over themselves to get parked by the brand new ‘no-fault stand-down’ policy.
If you think this announcement was rushed out to distract from that stuff you’d be a hundred per cent correct. But what did you expect? That the NRL would happily just let the horror off-season coverage roll on? It’s PR 101 to divert attention from bad things.
Step back, take a breath, have a proper think. Does the announcement that the league is considering a Wildcard round really warrant the hysterics we’ve seen?
Seriously, the NRL could announce today that they’re using their recently announced $46 million surplus to save bush football, wipe all the clubs’ debts, put every game on free-to-air and buy everyone’s mum a lovely bunch of flowers, and people would still react as if Todd Greenberg drove through their front fence, did some doughnuts on their front lawn, kicked their dog, then took off with their partner.
It’s all so out of proportion. There’ll be plenty of stuff to blow up about during the season. Save your outrage for something genuinely deserving of it.
Max
Guest
i'd support this idea if the two wildcard teams were the winners of the NSW and QLD state cups. Would give the NS Bears fans something to cling to.
fingAU
Roar Rookie
Your argument equally applies if you know you are safely in the top 4. Also, the teams are still fighting for home ground advantage.
elvis
Roar Rookie
That seems a bit like the super 6 semis the cricket world cup had around then. Maybe it was a product of the times.
elvis
Roar Rookie
I was just trying to think of something silly to match all the other idiot ideas out there. But now you put it like that... :-) Maybe it's a goer!
Fraser
Roar Rookie
Expanding (or reducing) the number of teams and making teams only play each other once (or twice) might do something to kill the dead rubber matches. And please say no to a conference system. It works in NFL because there are teams all over the country and 330 million people to entertain.
Craig Young
Guest
So here's what happens, if you can't make the top 6 and you know you are safely in the top 10 with injured or tired front line players, over the last few rounds teams start resting players to have them ready for the playoffs. Those games at the end of the regular season become meaningless, other than an opportunity to give front line players time to rest and get fit before the finals. Either way you have a portion of the season that becomes a joke. You will have teams that haven't earned their spot by winning enough games during the regular season playing in finals. What an absolutely ridiculous concept.
Josh H
Roar Rookie
This "wildcard" is absolutely no difference to past seasons where 5th and 6th placed teams don't know who they're playing in the first week of finals until Round 26 is over, due to a logjam of teams between 7th-10th on the same amount of points. Pretty weak wildcard if you ask me.
AJ Mithen
Expert
Not sure who’ll remember, but in 2003 the NSL played a 26 round regular season... then a 10-week home and away finals series featuring 6 teams (13 team comp). The top 2 teams after 10 weeks played in the GF. Teams also started the 10 week finals series with bonus points depending on how they finished the regular season. Imagine one of the leagues trying to pull that off now...
Mister Football
Roar Guru
with a constant re-ordering of the teams depending on who wins and loses (highest ranked winners retain their high spot, or jump a losing team, two lowest ranked losers eliminated, etc.)
db
Guest
I didn't miss the jibe. I just used my best Freddy Fittler sidestep. Such unfoundeed assertions deserve short shrift. I think you're playing down the round one chances to hide your confidence. Round one last year, the Roosters were supposed to lap the Tigers. That didn't pan out too well. I'm never confident of a win; I've seen too many flat performances from teams who were 'supposed' to win games.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
Did you just miss or sidestep my Roosters salary cap jibe? ;-) I'm not getting my hopes up for the Rabbitohs round 1 clash with the Roosters with Inglis, Reynolds and George Burgess all missing. I was worried that Sam's history would cause him to be missing as well after his recent charge (and no it wasn't another Roosters employee sexting entrapment scandal but a high shot in the Charity Shield). When Souths are at full strength and 4 or 5 season games into the Bennett era I think you will see that the Rabbitohs have the Roosters well and truly covered despite the fact that the Roosters have 13 players with international rep experience (including 8 Australians, 4 Kiwis and 1 from England) and also including 7 players with State of Origin experience all of whom fit conveniently inside the Roosters salary cap. Just add water to reconstitute and reveal their true salary cap value. LOL
db
Guest
Absolutely. Even through the lean times, I've loved every minute of it. I seriously can't wait until next Friday night.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
And worth every cent! Right? ;-)
db
Guest
You don't have to guess that it's the Roosters as I tell you that every time you ask. It was the 1977 final and Easts lost by a point. It prepared me for many years of disappointments although recent years have been quite satisfying.
Papi Smurf
Roar Rookie
"The first game I watched was an Amco Cup final. I picked a team that night and still support that team." Let me guess, the Roosters right? And the game was the Roosters 1975 Amco Cup final win over the Eels? It was the first time I saw a colour TV and the first thing I watched that Saturday morning was the replay of that game and "Hey Hey It's Saturday". I was switching between channels and I couldn't believe how good games looked in colour or that Ozzie Ostrich was pink! Good times. Good times. I also was at Leichhardt Oval to see the Rabbitohs win the Amco Cup final in 1981 and loved it! It was called the Tooth Cup by then but being a traditionalist I have always referred to the competition by it's original name. I too would have preferred that the games were played at night on the weekends as travelling to games via public transport on a school night was taxing but worth it in the end to see the Rabbitohs win the final. It was the only thing they won around that petiod sadly. Unfortunately, day games on the weekend were problematic due to the heat at that time of the year but there would have been better crowd support IMO if games were played on the weekend instead. #Bring Back The Amco Cup
Emcie
Roar Guru
Haha, carry on ;)
db
Guest
I don't know about bringing back a mid-week competition but I loved the Amco Cup. The first game I watched was an Amco Cup final. I picked a team that night and still support that team.
Paul
Roar Guru
A bit of poetic licence, Emcie. I was n a mental roll!!
Emcie
Roar Guru
Wait, who lost their lives suggesting the earth was round?
Emcie
Roar Guru
That's how every round of the finals works. X team will play the winner of y and z teams. Or the winner of a and b teams will play the winner of c and d teams--ooh, double wild card.