Sydney is Red, White and Blue

[TheFrog]

I’d like to the stats on how many finals series teams have played in over the last 20 years.

Last 20 Years (Last 10 Years)
Broncos 18(8)
Storm 17(9)*
Roosters 13(6)
Bulldogs 12(5)
Sharks 12(6)
Dragons 12(5)
Manly/Northern Eagles 11(7)
Cowboys 10(7)
Raiders 9(3)
Parra 9(2)
Knights 9(3)
Panthers 8(5)
Warriors 7(2)
Rabbitohs 6(5) from 18
Titans 3(3) from 12
Wests Tigers 3(2) from 19

*Storm won enough games in 2010 to finish 5th but were not playing for points due to cheating the cap. Had they been playing for points, they would now be on a 16 year run of making the finals.

 

[DC_fan]

We're everyone's second team

No you are everyone’s 16th favourite team. Go the Storm.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

So what do you want? Forced equity of outcome? Everyone gets a turn to win?

One of my mate’s kids plays in an under 6s and if a team is getting flogged by half time, they swap players to help even out the score so they don’t get too down about it. I reckon that could work in the NRL.

 

[Vic Mackey]

This is a year that started very differently, with lots of unexpected results in the first half of the season, but is ending the same as every other year. The competition is stagnating, and the NRL are complicit in it happening.

The year started differently because the refs were cleaning up the ruck and penalizing offside. Teams that play shit footy like the Storm, Roosters and Sharks were struggling. The powers that be didn’t like this so told the refs to put the whistle back in the mouth and allow wrestlmaina back in. Hence we had those 3 find their way back in the top 4 by finals time.

 

[Lambretta]

Do a poll among neutrals

Who do you want to win the Grand Final?

Storm
Roosters
I hope they both lose, catch something nasty and spend 6 months in hospital with their knobs on fire

I reckon option 3 has it in a landslide

 

[Front-Rower]

So what do you want? Forced equity of outcome? Everyone gets a turn to win?

Comprehension is obviously not your strong point champ

 

[roostersrule2]

It’s clear by the sheer volume of this thread that we are the team people will barrack for this weekend.

You have to admire our will, determination and talent that has taken us from pre-season favourites, to regular season favourites, to post season favourites. Such a journey changes everyone from the players, the coaches and even the fans who had to ride this spectacular wave.

It’s hard as a team to be as good as us and I think people resonate with that commitment to being the best all the time. It’s why not only we will win the game on Sunday, but also the hearts of every fan watching.

 

[Front-Rower]

Last 20 Years (Last 10 Years)
Broncos 18(8)
Storm 17(9)*
Roosters 13(6)
Bulldogs 12(5)
Sharks 12(6)
Dragons 12(5)
Manly/Northern Eagles 11(7)
Cowboys 10(7)
Raiders 9(3)
Parra 9(2)
Knights 9(3)
Panthers 8(5)
Warriors 7(2)
Rabbitohs 6(5) from 18
Titans 3(3) from 12
Wests Tigers 3(2) from 19

*Storm won enough games in 2010 to finish 5th but were not playing for points due to cheating the cap. Had they been playing for points, they would now be on a 16 year run of making the finals.

Just as I thought. Winning competitions relies on a lot of luck in 3-4 games over the backend of the year at finals time, which makes the NRL narrative laughable. Furthermore, making the 8 is an easier task for the teams with the better and more consistent players, which only reside in about half of the teams in the competition.

Those figures right there just go to show that the salary cap (with TPAs) as it works today, doesn’t work.

 

[Valheru]

Comprehension is obviously not your strong point champ

You said it is an issue that there are certain teams that consistently make the top 8.

How else should that be interpreted?

 

[papabear]

This will be the least watch GF for a long long time I reckon, atleast from Sydney fans, I don't think the NRL gets how much the average NRL fan is well and truly over clubs like the roosters and storm.

 

[STORM.99/07]

This will be the least watch GF for a long long time I reckon, atleast from Sydney fans, I don't think the NRL gets how much the average NRL fan is well and truly over clubs like the roosters and storm.

As long as I have been an nrl supporter I have read this kind of comment come finls time.I don`t get the negativity.
No one was going to watch the 2015 GF cos there were 2 Qld teams...one of the best gf .played

2017 No one was going to watch the GF cos there were 2 out of sydney teams..Yay Storm won a one sided game(good for us)

The 2018 GF will be a tough game played by the 2 best teams this year..
sad that coops got injured (hate to see that any player gets injured) and probably won`t play.
Good luck(More to Storm) to both teams

 

[Fire]

with their knobs on fire

C'mon Lambretta, cut it out mate, there's no need to go that far...

 

[Fire]

As long as I have been an nrl supporter I have read this kind of comment come finls time.I don`t get the negativity.
No one was going to watch the 2015 GF cos there were 2 Qld teams...one of the best gf .played

2017 No one was going to watch the GF cos there were 2 out of sydney teams..Yay Storm won a one sided game(good for us)

The 2018 GF will be a tough game played by the 2 best teams this year..
sad that coops got injured (hate to see that any player gets injured) and probably won`t play.
Good luck(More to Storm) to both teams

Relax.

Don't take things so literally.

We're rugby league fans. We'll bitch and whinge about anything and everything, but when the time comes, we'll get the job done (i.e., sit down and watch the Grand Final).

Truth be told there's a lot of good times to be had come Sunday:

1. Might get to see Cooper Cronk cry (again);
2. Might get to see Cameron Smith cry (again);
3. Might get to see Billy Slater get suspended; and
4. Might get to see Billy Slater cry (again).

Personally, I'll be playing my favourite drinking game and having a beer every time Bellamy carries on like a pork chop in the coach's box swearing and putting his hands in his pockets like a bitch.

You be sure to enjoy your Sunday too mate.

 

[TheFrog]

.one of the best gf .played

It wasn't really. The last few minutes was good but the rest was pretty damn average.

 

[TheFrog]

The powers that be didn’t like this so told the refs to put the whistle back in the mouth and allow wrestlmaina back in.

This was the crux of it, but it was a bit more complicated. Some teams had far more penalties than others in their games, even after the blitz was supposedly over. The Broncos never played a game with over 20 penalties all season while we played in about 8 of them.

It wasn't just the Broncos (whose fans have been at pains to point out that they received the fewest penalties) not penalised, it was the team they were playing against as well. It wasn't just the Panthers (the most penalised side) hammered, but the team they played against as well (often one team each half). What this meant is that Broncos games were allowed to flow and ours weren't. If one thing comes of all this with Annesley taking over, I hope it is that whatever agenda has been played out this year is dropped forever because it is fu(king the game.

 

[Springs09]

Just as I thought. Winning competitions relies on a lot of luck in 3-4 games over the backend of the year at finals time, which makes the NRL narrative laughable. Furthermore, making the 8 is an easier task for the teams with the better and more consistent players, which only reside in about half of the teams in the competition.

Those figures right there just go to show that the salary cap (with TPAs) as it works today, doesn’t work.

I did some similar stats just for fun, but might as well share.

From the current teams this is how often they've made the finals in recent seasons:
Storm finals 8 of last 8 years (2 premierships*)
Broncos finals 7 of last 8 years
Cowboys finals 7 of last 8 years (1 premiership)
Roosters finals 6 of last 7 years (1 premiership*)
Sharks finals 6 of last 8 years (1 premiership)
Bulldogs finals 5 of last 7 years
Rabbitohs finals 5 of last 7 years (1 premiership)

Sea Eagles finals 5 of last 8 years (1 premiership)
Panthers finals 4 of last 8 years

Dragons finals 2 of last 7 years
Raiders finals 2 of last 8 years
Titans finals 1 of last 8 years
Knights finals 1 of last 7 years
Warriors finals 1 of last 7 years
Tigers finals 0 of last 7 years
Eels finals 1 of last 9 years

There's a pretty big gap between the top teams and the bottom teams. Most of the top teams have been consistently in the top 8 during the last 8 years, with most only having one off year (e.g. Roosters 2016 or Cowboys 2018). Titans, Knights, Warriors, Tigers and Eels have all been consistently rubbish with maybe a good year thrown in somewhere. Titans and Warriors one recent finals appearance each was also at 8th place.

Now compared to a decade ago:
Broncos finals 8 of last 8 years (1 premiership)
Storm finals 6 of last 8 years (1 premiership*)
Dragons finals 6 of last 8 years

Roosters finals 5 of last 8 years (1 premiership)
Raiders finals 5 of last 8 years
Warriors finals 5 of last 8 years
Eels finals 5 of last 8 years
Bulldogs finals 5 of last 8 years (1 premiership)
Sea Eagles finals 4 of last 6 years (1 premiership)
Sharks finals 4 of last 8 years
Knights finals 4 of last 8 years (1 premiership)
Cowboys finals 3 of last 8 years

Panthers finals 2 of last 8 years (1 premiership)
Rabbitohs finals 1 of last 6 years
Tigers finals 1 of last 8 years (1 premiership)
Titans finals 0 of last 1 year

A lot more teams were up and down. The only clubs rarely in the finals were Panthers, Rabbits and Tigers, and Panthers and Tigers won a premiership during that time, while Souths were rebuilding after being kicked out of the comp. Premierships were also spread evenly throughout the competition, instead of the last few years where they have gone to the clubs that are always in the finals like Storm, Roosters, Cowboys and Sharks.

Might be nothing but to me the competition definitely feels less even than it did a decade ago, especially with the amount of teams that continually struggle. With the recent big name retirements it might switch around in the next few years, but if it doesn't and the same teams still dominate then the salary cap is not working.

 

[Albert Rosenfeld]

I am overwhelmed by the excitement that I experience when I step foot in Bondi Junction. The love for the Roosters is everywhere.

 

[Springs09]

It's been a pretty bad run for neutrals for a while. The last time there was a fairly likeable side in the gf was probably the Warriors in 2011. Even before that, Melbourne, Manly, Brisbane and the Roosters made appearances. The reality is though, most fans hate most teams.

It wasn't too bad seeing the Cowboys win their first premiership.

There's only been 2 GFs since 1992 that haven't featured one of the hated teams the Broncos, Storm, Roosters, Manly or Dogs. And to make matters worse we've had to sit through 10 GFs where two of these teams have played each other.

 

[Reflector]

The problem is that:

Roosters
Storm

Are both largely unpopular teams with neutrals, have SFA local juniors and while Melbourne is AFL dominated, the eastern suburbs of Sydney aren't exactly a league hot spot either. Most Roosters fans are spread north, south and west of their traditional heartland.

Manly are a largely unpopular team and (like the Sharks and Panthers) have a smaller support base outside of their traditional heartland.

The Broncos are arguably the most supported team in the NRL and have fans all across Qld- but as Artie Beetson once said, for every person you meet who likes the Broncos you can find 3 who hate them.

When the above teams are successful for a lengthy period of time (teams that aren't from big RL areas, are unpopular or have a smaller support base) neutral fans become indifferent. If you think good players continually go to the Roosters for the eastern suburbs lifestyle, or to the Storm/ Broncos simply because they want to play for Bellamy or Bennett, you're kidding yourself.

There needs to be a change to how TPA's are monitored, otherwise teams like the Tigers, Raiders, Titans and Knights might as well not bother turning up, while we continue to see diverse match-ups in GF's between the same 3-4 teams who currently are the ones listed above.

 

[myrrh ken]

Both are mercenary clubs so for me, it comes down to personalities.

Gotta have someone likable. Storm have Hoffman (probably not playing), Addo Carr. Roosters have Latrell and Teddy. Advantage Goosters

Then they have to have the least amount of merkins or grubs. Storm have Chambers, Smith and Slater. To a lesser extent vunivalu and munster Roosters have Napa and Cronk. They are more clumsy/ space cadet.

Go goosters