2 X 9 team conference system

[Ron Jeremy]

Love to see a conference system

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Yeah with massive f**ken helmets and forward passes and negros, hey Ron?

 

[Ron Jeremy]

Well why not, I have always liked the idea if we introduced the option on the 5th tackle of passing the ball forward, reckon it would be awesome and provide a new dimension to the game

 

[Twizzle]

you guys seriously think we dont have forward passes now ?

watch Cam Smith from dummy half

 

[Ron Jeremy]

Hahaha yeah true, but intentional forward passses on the fifth tackle - I just always liked that idea, and as I said would completely bring a new dimension and skill level to league

 

[emjaycee]

16 teams - 2 conferences. 1 northern and 1 southern.
Northern Conf:
Cowboys, Broncos, Titans, Knights, Manly, Eels, Bulldogs, Penrith
Southern Conf:
Melbourne, Canberra, St George, Souths, Tigers, NZ, Roosters, Sharks

This keeps travel requirements pretty even with 3 big away trips and the rest relatively local.

Play in-conference twice = 14 games
Play other conference once = 8 games.

Top 3 from each conference play in finals.
Week 1 - 3 games losers out
Week 2 - 2 games losers out
Week 3 - Grand Final

If you wanted to add 2 new teams you bring in Central Coast to Nthn Conf and Perth to Sthrn Conference.

 

[Daneel]

16 teams - 2 conferences. 1 northern and 1 southern.
Northern Conf:
Cowboys, Broncos, Titans, Knights, Manly, Eels, Bulldogs, Penrith
Southern Conf:
Melbourne, Canberra, St George, Souths, Tigers, NZ, Roosters, Sharks

This keeps travel requirements pretty even with 3 big away trips and the rest relatively local.

Play in-conference twice = 14 games
Play other conference once = 8 games.

Top 3 from each conference play in finals.
Week 1 - 3 games losers out
Week 2 - 2 games losers out
Week 3 - Grand Final

If you wanted to add 2 new teams you bring in Central Coast to Nthn Conf and Perth to Sthrn Conference.

How are 3 teams playing 2 games in week 2?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

You need to read up a bit on quantum physics before you go aksing stupid questions like that Dan.

 

[Gary Gutful]

16 teams - 2 conferences. 1 northern and 1 southern.
Northern Conf:
Cowboys, Broncos, Titans, Knights, Manly, Eels, Bulldogs, Penrith
Southern Conf:
Melbourne, Canberra, St George, Souths, Tigers, NZ, Roosters, Sharks

This keeps travel requirements pretty even with 3 big away trips and the rest relatively local.

Play in-conference twice = 14 games
Play other conference once = 8 games.

Top 3 from each conference play in finals.
Week 1 - 3 games losers out
Week 2 - 2 games losers out
Week 3 - Grand Final

If you wanted to add 2 new teams you bring in Central Coast to Nthn Conf and Perth to Sthrn Conference.

The finals should look like this:

Southern Conference

Week 1 Semi Finals - SF1 (1 v 4) and SF2 (2 v 3)
Week 2 Conference Final - Winner SF1 v Winner SF2

Northern Conference

Week 1 Semi Finals - SF1 (1 v 4) and SF2 (2 v 3)
Week 2 Conference Final - Winner SF1 v Winner SF2

Grand Final

Week 3 - Winner Northern Conference v Winner Southern Conference

 

[strider]

f**k this conference shit .... just cos the yanks do it doesn't mean we should

 

[Gary Gutful]

f**k this conference shit .... just cos the yanks do it doesn't mean we should

I tend to agree. I am reasonably happy with the competition as is.

 

[phantom eel]

The aim should be for everyone to play each other once - that's the fairest system, given there's now too many teams to play everyone home and away. We don't need to over think it.

If we're talking 18 teams, that's 17 rounds/weekends, plus four weeks for semis. Add in four stand alone rep weekends (one for the Anzac test/CityvCountry/Queensland equivalent/NZ equivalent, and three for State of Origin/Pacific Islander equivalent) to make a 25 week season - perfect!

Keep the grand final on October long weekend, and work backwards to the comp starting date (mid-April?). If this is not early enough in the year.... add on a four week pre-season comp/cup in leiu of trials (like AFL, followed by a one week break), and we have an early March start date!

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

How do you run a 4-week pre-season comp with 18 teams?

Each team plays 3 games, randomly drawn, and then the top 4 on F/A go into a knockout? That's 5 weeks and it's the shortest I can get it without getting ridiculously stupid. A knockout from the start won't work as 18 doesn't drop down in any workable way (only way I can think of is winner with lowest F/A gets eliminated, too, leaving 8 in week 2?)

Still, that's only 1 or 2 home games from that comp (finals would be in bigger stadiums) with only 8 or 9 home games from a 17-week comp, meaning maximum 11 home games but minimum 9, which the clubs won't like at all.

***

Personally, if we were going to go for the 17-week comp I'd turn the pre-season into a 9s circuit. NZ, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and possibly sell one to an overseas location (China, Abu Dhabi, US etc.) and the Clubs get a cut of the profits as well as prize money.

17 week comp, 4 weeks of 9s, 4 stand alone rep weekends, 1 week gap between 9s and Premiership starting = 26 weeks.

 

[The Engineers Room]

Funny how I proposed this exact system 4 years ago on these forums.

You end up with more local derbies which would help crowd and TV ratings.

But the finals must not be 4 from each conference.

 

[byrner]

They already play in conferences now, its just they change them every year. The better teams play in a conference and the shyter teams play in another one.

 

[The Elephant In The room]

Disadvantages the non-Sydney conference with excessive travel so shouldn't happen.

Really? Apart from the Knights and Raiders, I'd doubt there isn't any significant effort on the non-sydney teams. They'll still have to leave their home ground for 50% of the games.

If anything, the arguement would be that the Sydney teams significantly reduce their travel so they are advantaged. But seeings how both sides of the equation are playing against teams in the same situation, I couldn't see it having too much effect TBH. It's certainly no different to the situation where the Broncs are advantaged by having 7 day turn arounds on Friday night 95% of the time.

 

[phantom eel]

Personally, if we were going to go for the 17-week comp I'd turn the pre-season into a 9s circuit. NZ, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and possibly sell one to an overseas location (China, Abu Dhabi, US etc.) and the Clubs get a cut of the profits as well as prize money.

17 week comp, 4 weeks of 9s, 4 stand alone rep weekends, 1 week gap between 9s and Premiership starting = 26 weeks.

Sounds good. The 4 weeks for the pre season cup.comp was arbitrary, hadn't put any thought into the structure.

We just need something there to make sure the "season" kicks off when people expect something footy-related to kick off - a 9s circuit (televised on free to air) over those March weekends would work just as well.

 

[Gary Gutful]

Funny how I proposed this exact system 4 years ago on these forums.

That's not funny.

 

[Hollywood Jesus]

Really? Apart from the Knights and Raiders, I'd doubt there isn't any significant effort on the non-sydney teams. They'll still have to leave their home ground for 50% of the games.

If anything, the arguement would be that the Sydney teams significantly reduce their travel so they are advantaged. But seeings how both sides of the equation are playing against teams in the same situation, I couldn't see it having too much effect TBH. It's certainly no different to the situation where the Broncs are advantaged by having 7 day turn arounds on Friday night 95% of the time.

Well, if Sydney teams are advantaged then non-Sydney teams are disadvantaged...

It would affect the players' health (less recovery time) which could see more injuries, and give less preparation for games (possibly) and players would be spending less time with their families. There would be a massive difference in the way teams prepared, recovered and lived and it would just not be fair.

This may seem OK when you're only playing similar teams but when these traveling teams played the sitting Sydney teams in cross-conference matches there would be a disadvantage in terms of winning those points up for grabs, which would skew the competition.

 

[The Engineers Room]

How do you run a 4-week pre-season comp with 18 teams?

I like the idea the AFL had a few weeks back where three teams play two halves each and the team with teh most points win.

Start with 18 (6 games), then you have two games the next week. Then a final game and it all gets concluded in three weeks, that allows another week for general trials and the WCC.