After 20 rounds, 29 weeks, 1165 tries and one too many trips to an Italian restaurant, the regular season of the NRL has finished.
Penrith lifted the JJ Giltinan Shield thanks to one of the most dominant, consistent showings in memory. But that all counts for nothing if they then go and blow their lines. If, after dropping three points all season, they drop a clanger in the finals, that consistent form will be forgotten by everyone bar a few trainspotters on the Nepean River.
We don’t seem to appreciate the league leaders, and that doesn’t seem fair to me. Life isn’t fair, I know, but unlike the bunker, the Roosters’ continued domination or climate change, this is something we as individuals can actually affect.
For all that I harp on about sporting integrity, no-one’s suggesting we scrap the play-offs and give the Provan-Summons to whoever finishes top of the tree. The grand final was, is and should remain the pinnacle. In lieu of a complete home-and-away fixture list, it is in fact quite reasonable to suggest play-offs are a more meritocratic manner of rewarding the best.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
But there has to be a line between full-blown riots of joy and meekly accepting the league leaders prize as an afterthought. The celebrations were good and hard over the weekend, and even if they go and blow it in the coming weeks, the players will always be league winners, and the Panthers fans will appreciate their first bit of silverware since 2003.
While we rightfully celebrate the final winners, we should also make space to remember the league winners. It could also make grand final victory extra special. If, having already won the league title, they went down in history as a double-winning side, it would guarantee them folklore in the annals of their club if not competition history.
It’s Castleford, England, 2017. When the Tigers (of the Yorkshire rather than Balmain variety) won the title they lifted their first bit of top-flight silverware in front of a sell-out stadium with fireworks and to the music of We are the Champions. A few weeks later they lost the grand final. Most fans would’ve preferred it to be reversed, but that takes nothing away from their hard work throughout the year, providing memories of cerebral champagne and Freddie Mercury.
This year things are different anyway. The bloody virus means that celebrations are muted, while some sickened Eels fans could contest the legitimacy of the competition over midseason rule changes and the enforced break if nothing but for a laugh. And the players shouldn’t go on the lash four weeks out from the big day like some nervous regretful groom.
However, is it not possible to give more prominence to the league leaders rather than treat the title as an afterthought? The fact the winners are referred to as ‘minors’ is degrading in itself, as if they had won ‘most improved’ in the year 8 reserves. A larger slice of the prize money or even rings like they give for grand final winners would not be out of sorts.
Wayne Bennett once said that his Broncos “never set out … to win the minor premiership,” while Blake Ferguson dismissed the honour with as there is only one thing that counts. The aim at the start of the season is to be victorious at ANZ Stadium come October, but that shouldn’t detract from what should be seen as a brilliant feat.
Why is there not room to celebrate two achievements – obviously one more important than the other – as a celebration of all the work throughout the season, not just come the finals?
There aren’t many trophies going around. Why diminish a hard-earnt, thoroughly deserved accolade?
PaulC
Guest
Years ago in Qld country competition where I played, the team that won the the most games was declared the Minor Premiers & were sent directly to the Grand Final & the remaining teams fought out the semis & finals to play against the MP's. If the MP's lost the GF they had the right to challenge the following week against the team that beat them. In todays competition (NRL) somewhere in the top eight the Panthers as MP's should have something more than being in the "Top Four" if they lost their first semi? Maybe if the Panthers were eliminated in the semis they could as MP's could challenge the winners of the Grand Final. There has to be more of a prize for the MP's than a Shield. I am not a Panthers fan, all I would like is some debate? I have only been following the Sydney competition since 1960 & am I right in believing that in the early days of Sydney competitions that the Premiership was given to the Team that finished with the most points with no GF??
Slane
Guest
I'm sure somebody could make that argument. But the aim of those 26 rounds isn't to finish on top of the ladder. It's to set your club up for a deep run in the finals. If something isn't your goal, does that lessen the value of achieving it? If I'm not trying to do something and I accidentally do it, how much of achievement is it? Say you are a gold prospector and your goal is to get out and find some gold. Getting your hands on a big fat nugget would be quite an achievement. Lets say you don't find any gold but you accidentally find a diamond that's rarer, worth more and harder to find. Celebrate the diamond till your heart is content but don't pretend you achieved your goal. You still haven't done the thing that you set out to do. If we scrap the finals and go to a first past the post setup then everybody has the same goal(to finish on top of the ladder) and we can start saying it's a genuine achievement. Until then it's just a handy little bonus for one of the 4 teams that are most likely to win the actual Premiership.
Ad-O
Guest
Yeah, but its harder to finish top after 26 rounds than to win a handful of playoff games on the bounce. You could make an argument its a greater achievement.
mushi
Roar Guru
Should read "Actually is" I'm a horrid typist and worse on my phone
egbert
Guest
Valid points and well argued. But that headline needs some work! I thought the article was going to be about how players who win an NRL game are all being labelled as under 18
mushi
Roar Guru
Actually a knock out comp is a better judge of quality. Box office =/= quality. Forrest gump beat out shawshank redemption, pulp fiction and usual suspects at the box office. Still not a better movie
King in the north
Roar Rookie
If Penrith go out of the semis in straight sets, ‘minor’ premiers will sound like the height of flattery.
Noosa Duck
Roar Rookie
One needs to remember that until we actually have an equal home and away round season there will always be inequality with the draw. I cannot remember when the terminology "minor premiers" crept into the equation it was probably coined by some scribe in the Telegraph newspaper some years ago. It was always know as the JJ Giltnan Shield in recognition of the team finishing at the top of the ladder. Before that it was the G/F trophy until they decided to have a Sponsored trophy and made a sculpture of the wonderful photograph taken by the late Telegraph reporter & photographer John O'Gready who I had the privilege of knowing. Personally, I dislike the terminology minor premiers as it is an achievement worthy of recognition but it is nothing derived from playing finals football.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Spot on Baz ! The highlight of the NRL competition has always been the premiership decided on Grand Final day . And so it should remain . I have also believed that the team who wins the minor premiership is most deserving of winning the GF . This year I believe it even more so , but whether it pans out that way , only time will tell .
no one in particular
Roar Guru
penrith have home field advantage in the finals and theoretically the easiest path to the GF. What more do they need?
The Barry
Roar Guru
I’m on board, the Bulldogs are the 1993, 1994 and 2012 premiers. The Broncos, Raiders and Storm can get stuffed Seriously though the minor premiership is as celebrated as it needs to be. The winning team gets a trophy and a hundred grand... I’m sure they can play we are the champions too if they really want to If fans don’t celebrate it as much as the premiership its because the excitement of winning the MP three rounds from the end of the comp is nothing compared to the excitement of winning on grand final day You can’t tell fans which one they should celebrate more...
The Late News
Roar Rookie
Don't call me baby?
Paul
Roar Guru
I could not agree more, Tom. The feat of winning enough games in even 20 rounds of footy should be seen as a major achievement, not some afterthought. In many ways every year is a season in two parts; the rounds that determine the finalists, then the finals themselves. Come finals time, there's almost a season reset, with teams now playing knockout footy, culminating in the grand final. It's a real shame those with a voice in the gae, seek to diminish what is a major achievement. In the case of the Panthers, as you point out, losing only one match all season deserves more accolades than it's been given. Perhaps some sort of mention could included in the Dally M's, with the Panthers getting the trophy again on national TV?
Slane
Guest
The minor premiers are the team that qualified highest for the finals. Why does that need to be celebrated? I can understand why people who grew up watching soccer in Europe might want a bigger celebration for finishing on top of the ladder. But the reality is that the home and away season is really just a bunch of qualifying rounds for the finals. If you want the minor premiership to mean more you have to scrap the finals. Finals and Origin are the only times that the stadiums are full to the brim. Hard to see it happening.
Nat
Roar Rookie
You seem nervous Tom? You shouldn't be, your team has been the highlight of the season and you should celebrate that. If not for the MP than the opportunity they've given themselves. I wouldn't even call it a hot streak, there's been nothing lucky about the way they are winning. Through injury and suspension they've shuffled the deck chairs and still won. It's a fortunate position to bring in a rookie winger, score 4 tries then bench him anad for the season. Take your good form and enthusiasm and care not that they can afford to drop one, they won't have too.
Sam
Guest
You answered your own question - "In lieu of a complete home-and-away fixture list". That's the reason the minor premiership doesn't mean anything and won't until all teams play each other an equal amount of times. The MP's get home ground advantage all throughout the finals which is a pretty big reward.