Top 6 Finals Series

[mistertaylor]

If this weekend's finals series resilts have shown us anything, it is that mediocre teams should not have the right to play finals.

Broncos scrape through with an inferior W/L record and the Sharks play their GF in the last week of regular season. Both teams comprehensively beaten.

NRL should look at a top 6 finals series in future years

 

[moffla]

If this weekend's finals series resilts have shown us anything, it is that mediocre teams should not have the right to play finals.

Broncos scrape through with an inferior W/L record and the Sharks play their GF in the last week of regular season. Both teams comprehensively beaten.

NRL should look at a top 6 finals series in future years

On the flip side, you blokes finished 8th and made the grand final just 2 years ago

 

[Timmah]

While few would disagree that 8 teams in a 16 team comp making finals rewards mediocrity, it's not gonna happen.

Unless you can invent a top six system which makes sense, and have the same number of games as an eight-team finals series, then the NRL will never go for it.

 

[Tommy Smith]

With a top 6 finals instead of top 8, there would have been 6k in attendance for the Tigers-Sharks game at Leichhardt instead of 20k.

That's the whole premise of the top 8 system - to keep as many teams and their fans interested for as long as possible.

Of course most of the time teams 7 & 8 are just making up the numbers (though so are 5 & 6 if you go by history) but every now and then you get an Eels '09 or Cowboys '17 fairytale run.

So the positives of the current top 8 system definitely outweigh the negatives.

 

[Last Week]

Yeah, na. Keep it as is.

If we go back to 20 teams, I'd be in favour of a top 10 again.

 

[Danish]

If we had a top 6, we wouldn’t have got to see the broncos getting pumped like a $2 hooker.

That alone makes the top 8 superior

 

[beave]

If we had a top 6, we wouldn’t have got to see the broncos getting pumped like a $2 hooker.

That alone makes the top 8 superior

/thread

 

[mistertaylor]

On the flip side, you blokes finished 8th and made the grand final just 2 years ago

I still thought top 8 was too generous back then as well.

 

[mistertaylor]

If we had a top 6, we wouldn’t have got to see the broncos getting pumped like a $2 hooker.

That alone makes the top 8 superior

Hard to argue with that, actually

 

[mistertaylor]

Some good arguments for retaining top 8 but I still think it's a shit idea thag a team who finished regular season with 50% win rate has the opportinity to string together 4 consecutive victories and be crowned Premiers.

 

[mongoose]

Some good arguments for retaining top 8 but I still think it's a shit idea thag a team who finished regular season with 50% win rate has the opportinity to string together 4 consecutive victories and be crowned Premiers.

doesn't happen every year though. Last year 8th finished with 15 wins and 9 losses! most years 8th is on 12 or 13 wins.

This year it was 11.

 

[SBD82]

If we had a top 6, we wouldn’t have got to see the broncos getting pumped like a $2 hooker.

That alone makes the top 8 superior

 

[bad boy bubby]

Top 8 = more money for the NRL
Crowds and TV rights.
Unless they can get more for both they won't change it.

 

[Springs09]

Since the current Top 8 system was introduced in 2012, 7th and 8th have made the GF once each while 5th and 6th haven't at all.

You can say the Top 8 rewards mediocrity and it has this year, with Broncos and Sharks being largely rubbish for most of the season. But then they got what they deserved and were kicked out immediately.

Also, with teams like 7th and 8th making the GF. Take 2014 as an example - Bulldogs were up top most of the year before losing a few towards the end of the season. By the finals there was still only 4 points between them and Souths and by the GF Dogs had 16 wins compared to Souths' 17.

 

[JokerEel]

If this weekend's finals series resilts have shown us anything, it is that mediocre teams should not have the right to play finals.

Broncos scrape through with an inferior W/L record and the Sharks play their GF in the last week of regular season. Both teams comprehensively beaten.

NRL should look at a top 6 finals series in future years

No No you got it wrong....... WILD CARD WEEKEND!!!! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[The Marshall]

It's just the way the cards fell this year but say the 'Dogs scrapped in the 8 which was possible with a couple of results going a different way you could have had Parra and the 'Dogs playing yesterday and BankWest would have been rocking! It doesn't happen every year but it is pretty exciting when a team goes on a long run to scrap into the finals then goes deep into September.

 

[bazza]

I think top 8 is fair whilst teams do not play each other twice

 

[ReddFelon]

I actually preferred the Wild Card 10 set up they were pitching earlier in the year. That it was able to reduce the dead games from 30 to 8, was good enough. Plus the extra finals cash without any drawbacks to the regular season.

 

[YoHadrian]

NRL loves money. They'd have a 16 team finals series if they could.

 

[Someguy]

While few would disagree that 8 teams in a 16 team comp making finals rewards mediocrity, it's not gonna happen.

Unless you can invent a top six system which makes sense, and have the same number of games as an eight-team finals series, then the NRL will never go for it.

Same number of games is the real issue not achievable.

Really I would be happy less games have 3v6 4v5 1&2 get a week off.

Otherwise 1v8 2v7 3v6 4v5 every game an elimination. Never been a fan of the second chance but can see the idea under the current system is that the eventual gf winner has likely played every other team in the top 4 during the finals