2023 Comp Structure

[ryan.a87]

I think the draw should be decided on what position you finish the previous year

My rough idea is you'd have 3 divisions based on their finishing position the previous year.

All teams vs each other once (so that's 16 rounds covered)
Top 6 all vs each other twice, middle 6/7 verse each other twice, and bottom 6/7 vs each other twice. (22 rounds total)
The remaining 3 rounds can be just top tier vs middle tier, and middle tier vs bottom tier

This was, you guarantee top 6 vs each other twice (so 12 "blockbuster" matches each year)
and bottom 6 teams have a "softer" draw, so they get a chance to improve their position

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

edit: @ryan.a87, you beat me to it! I agree, finishing positions to dictate the draw for the next season

Conferences are not relevant with the amount of teams in the comp. It works in the US where there are 30+ teams. The "Sydney/Non Sydney" conference model sounds incredibly inequitable. Even in the US, teams in the same state are in different conferences.

With the uneven teams to amount of games situation, the NRL could take the AFL model, by keeping 17 teams in one ladder but allocating the double up games relative to finishing position each year.

If there was to still be 26 rounds and potentially 24 games, meaning 8 repeat matches, you could break it down using finishing positions

Teams played twice:
Finish Top 6 - 3 top 6 teams, 3 middle 6 teams, 2 bottom 5 teams
Finish middle six - 3 top 6 teams, 3 middle 6 teams, 2 bottom 5 teams
Finish bottom 5 - 2 top 6 teams, 3 middle 6 teams, 3 bottom 5 teams

A chance for the top teams to play each other more often and lower teams to get more wins by playing each other more often. To maximize interest, try to manufacture those double ups where possible against rival teams

 

[some11]

With 17 teams, I've been thinking about how the competition would work. I think this would work:
22 rounds with 1 bye team
4 rounds with 3 bye teams
This should give each team 12 home games, 12 away games and 2 byes
I don't know what they'll do around SOO, or decide what teams play each other twice.

Like this. Prefer the season is shortened so games mean more, the longer it is the more absolute nothing games are played.

 

[baselinepanther]

forget conferences, they have spiders on them,

All 9 Sydney sides play each other twice
All Qld sides the same

everything else just fits in but in the one competition ladder.

 

[toomuchsoup]

I love the length of the comp as it is. I think that having to somewhat ‘pace yourselves’ is an interesting aspect of the game. Like the dragons or Warriors starting the season well and fading away for example. And I love watching the game and don’t want less of it

 

[Jamberoo]

More consistent rivallary scheduling, you would always play your conference rivals twice, bit more Interest for the fans following the fortunes of two conferences, you could even split each conference into two divisions ala nfl to add more spice to play off places.
or 20 team comp 19 game season 9 extended team play offs. With 10 games a week we wouldn’t lose anything in tv money.

Nah, it would be less interesting. You could end up with the best five teams in the same conference, and the other a dud conference. Mates would know at the start of the year that their respective teams could not meet in the GF. And you could address all of your concerns without conferences. E.g. have a top 10

Bad, bad idea. Best keep it fluid. Keep the rivalries natural not manufactured. Conferences add nothing.

 

[The_Frog]

It'll have to be a 26 round season again with every team getting two byes.

1 bye every round in non Origin rounds. (total of 24 byes. So 10 teams will need their second bye during the Origin period)
5 teams get a bye before Origin 1.
Other 5 teams get a bye before Origin 3.

Whole comp off for Origin 2.

Still the same amount of games played by each team.

This would mean the comp will have to start a week earlier, or finish a week later. If there is any desire whatsoever to have an international window in the off season, neither are really desirable. Seems this game is painting itself into a corner.

 

[Last Week]

This would mean the comp will have to start a week earlier, or finish a week later. If there is any desire whatsoever to have an international window in the off season, neither are really desirable. Seems this game is painting itself into a corner.

It'll have to start a week earlier. And the NRL are pretty clear about their desire for a dedicated rep window.

The only other option is that for Origin 2, no team gets a bye (so teams are without their origin players twice) and it's played on a Wednesday.

 

[Last Week]

There is no point in trying to make the competition "fair", let alone based off of the previous years final placements.

A competition will never be fair. It can't be. Whether it be not playing every team twice, rep commitments, turn around between games, time of day games are played and shared around. We have all of those issues and they aren't going to be rectified any time in our lifetime.

The only purpose conferences would serve for us for the forseeable future is to maximise the interest in the draw. Which we can do without conferences anyway!

The only time our comp would get to a point where conferences are needed from a competitive stand point is if there was so many teams that an even draw couldn't be made because it would blow out the season. Seeing as we currently have 25 rounds, we're unlikely to ever get to 26 teams in our lifetime if ever.

Conferences and divisions only make sense should we reach 20 teams.

 

[Smug Panther]

It'll never happen ($$$) but I'd prefer an 18-team, 17 round competition run on a 2 year home-and-away cycle. Have a week off after then play Origin and Tests.

I think 2020 showed me how much more I enjoyed that format. So much of this year was treading water, waiting for the finals to roll around.

This with a heap more internationals is the go

 

[Dogs Of War]

It'll never happen ($$$) but I'd prefer an 18-team, 17 round competition run on a 2 year home-and-away cycle. Have a week off after then play Origin and Tests.

I think 2020 showed me how much more I enjoyed that format. So much of this year was treading water, waiting for the finals to roll around.

It wouldn't be that hard to just add 4 extra rounds to round it out to 21 games which is still a decent amount for the season with each team getting an extra bye round in the last 3-6 weeks of the season to freshen them up if you scheduled that well (so 4 extra rounds, but only 3 actual games for each team) and hopefully minimise teams having to rest players coming into the finals.

That would give all most clubs an extra game against rivals. Say Bulldogs, Parra, Penrith, West all play each other again, same for the QLD clubs. It's sort of a defacto conference, but if a bigger rivalry is in the mix say Parra v Manly, you could play with the those match ups. Also means all teams get an even amount of home games.

 

[siv]

18 teams

25 rounds

And 9 Sydney play each other home away

5 Qld teams play home & away

Everything else fits in sounded fine as long everyone plays each other once, home & away over 2 years minimum

8 team finals from a single ladder

 

[parrawentyfan]

17 teams. Going to be fantastic

Brisbane
Canberra
Canterbury-Bankstown
Cronulla-Sutherland
Gold Coast
Manly-Warringah
Melbourne
Newcastle
New Zealand
North Queensland
Parramatta
Penrith
South Sydney
St George-Illawarra
Sydney
The
Wests

 

[Last Week]

17 teams. Going to be fantastic

Brisbane
Canberra
Canterbury-Bankstown
Cronulla-Sutherland
Gold Coast
Manly-Warringah
Melbourne
Newcastle
New Zealand
North Queensland
Parramatta
Penrith
South Sydney
St George-Illawarra
Sydney
The
Wests

The Warriors don't actually have New Zealand in their name any more. They're just "The Warriors".

How they've managed to sneak that past everyone is truly amazing. Reece Walsh could learn a thing or two.

 

[Perth Red]

The Warriors don't actually have New Zealand in their name any more. They're just "The Warriors".

How they've managed to sneak that past everyone is truly amazing. Reece Walsh could learn a thing or two.

Good point, in most media things they’re called the vodaphone warriors!

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

The Warriors don't actually have New Zealand in their name any more. They're just "The Warriors".

How they've managed to sneak that past everyone is truly amazing. Reece Walsh could learn a thing or two.

I wonder if they’ll go back to Auckland if we ever get a Wellington franchise.

 

[Dogs Of War]

It'll have to start a week earlier. And the NRL are pretty clear about their desire for a dedicated rep window.

The only other option is that for Origin 2, no team gets a bye (so teams are without their origin players twice) and it's played on a Wednesday.

The problem is that one team must have a bye. So in the 3 origins, it's guaranteed one team at least will get that opportunity the week leading into origin. Be interesting to see how the NRL manages that.

 

[Last Week]

The problem is that one team must have a bye. So in the 3 origins, it's guaranteed one team at least will get that opportunity the week leading into origin. Be interesting to see how the NRL manages that.

Actually, it'll be 5 teams that get a bye before Origin 1 and 3.

It's the only way to guarantee that all teams get 2 byes.

 

[yobbo84]

Looking forward to some key match-ups.

South Sydney vs Penrith
Parramatta vs Canterbury-Bankstown
Canberra vs Newcastle
St George Illawarra vs Cronulla-Sutherland
Vodafone vs The

 

[gerg]

Actually, it'll be 5 teams that get a bye before Origin 1 and 3.

It's the only way to guarantee that all teams get 2 byes.

I can't understand why only one team would be admitted. How does the NRL 'sell' a bye to a team for round 1? I think we can guess that the round 1 bye team will be either Raiders (my team), the Warriors or the Titans. But now with 4 teams in Qld maybe they'll have Titans in a Qld derby in round 1?