An ALL NEW finals system

[The Engineers Room]

In my proposed system the higher ranked teams get a great advantage.

1 & 2 cannot be elimininated until week 4

The winner of 3 v 4 cannot be eliminated until week 4

The loser of 3 v 4 gets to play a first up loser ranked below them in the second week

The winner of 5 v 6 plays a lower ranked side, the loser plays a higher ranked side

7 v 8 is the only first week elimination and the winner is still sudden death every week.

The system makes it very hard on teams that limp into the bottom spots and much easier on the top teams.

For example the first week games this year would be:

Melbourne v Bye
Manly v Bye
Cronulla v Roosters
Brisbane v Raiders
Dragons v Warriors

Then if the highlighted teams won the second week would be:

Sharks v Bye
Storm v Sea Eagles
Roosters v Raiders
Broncos v Warriors

Week 3

Sea Eagles v Bye
Storm v Sharks
Roosters v Broncos

Week 4

Sea Eagles v Storm
Sharks v Broncos

Week 5 (Grand Final)

Sea Eagles v Sharks

In the above example the Storm got three chances and the Roosters two. The Sharks and Broncos were rewarded for victories.

 

[Eskimo Sharkie]

I personally think that a modified version of the AFL system would be good:

Week 1
Semi 1 - 1 v 4
Semi 2 - 2 v 3
Semi 3 - 5 v 8
Semi 4 - 6 v 7
Teams on the left get a home ground advantage, losers of the last two semis are eliminated (none of the top 4 sides can be eliminated in Week 1).

Week 2
Semi 5 - Highest ranked Week 1 loser v Lowest ranked Week 1 winner
Semi 6 - 2nd highest ranked Week 1 loser v 2nd lowest ranked Week 1 winner
Teams on the left have a home ground advantage. Winners of Semis 1 & 2 from Week 1 get the week off. Losers are eliminated.

Week 3
Semi 7 - Winner Semi 1 v Winner Semi 2 (winner gets a Grand Final berth and a week off)
Semi 8 - Winner Semi 5 v Winner Semi 6 (loser eliminated)
Highest ranked winner (from regular season standings) gets home ground advantage.

Week 4
Semi 9 - Loser Semi 1 v Winner Semi 8 (loser eliminated)
Highest ranked team (from regular season standings) gets home ground advantage.

Week 5
Grand Final
Winner Semi 7 v Winner Semi 9

Advantages
- you will have a Grand Finalist from the top 4;
- regular season standings provide home ground advantage to the higher placed sides right through until the Grand Final. It will be harder for lower ranked sides to win the Grand Final - the 8th placed side would need to win four matches away from home just to make the Grand Final;
- a couple of extra matches to bolster TV revenue; and
- week off gives the top sides a chance to recover from niggling injuries.

Disadvantages
- long campaign. On current season progress, would be looking at a Grand Final in mid-October;
- questionable whether it is better to keep playing to build momentum or having time off.

As an adjunct, I wouldn't mind seeing the other eight clubs, the ones who failed to qualify for the finals, play a knock out competition mid-week during the finals campaign. Take the games out into the country.

Week 1
9 v 16
10 v 15
11 v 14
12 v 13
Losers from all four matches eliminated.

Week 2
Highest ranked winner v Lowest ranked winner (from Week 1)
2nd highest ranked winner v 3rd highest ranked winner (from Week 1)

Week 3
Two winners from Week 2 play-off. Could even be played as the curtain raiser to Semi 9.

 

[oldmancraigy]

Annesley is such a McIntyre apologist though and won't seriously consider anything else.

They're considering other systems.

 

[Glory be Lockyer]

shud be a top ten with 2 pools of 5. Each play each other once and top two in each pool advance to the GF qualifiers.

 

[watatank]

Should be a top 16 system IMO

 

[The_Mo]

Should be a top 16 system IMO

Beat me to it.

 

[Glory be Lockyer]

Howbout a top 32 with each club entering 2 sides each year.

 

[oldmancraigy]

Howbout a top 32 with each club entering 2 sides each year.

How about a system where all the players go and tackle bar owners?

Oh wait, that's a different thread...

 

[marshall stalin]

scrap the top 8 and have a round of 16 final series


week1 1 to 8 get a home game
1v 16
2 v 15
3 v 14
4 v 13
5 v 12
6 v 11
7 v 10
8 v 9


week 2 - reginal finals top 4 ranked teams get home final

8 winners then play off in the 1/4 finals - highest ranked winner from 26 competition rounds plays the lowest ranked winner from 26 comp round -second highest players 2 nd lowest and so on

week 3 - sfs/anz/suncorp-depending on who plays who

4 winners from week 2 play off as above format

week 4- anz

2 winners from week 3 play g/f

 

[Eskimo Sharkie]

Another alternative is to have two pools of eight teams during the regular season and reduce the rounds to 22. You play each team in your pool twice and against the teams in the opposite pool once. No matches are played on the weekend before SOO, so teams aren't going to be disadvantaged by having rep players in their squad.

There would be two league ladders and the top four play teams in each group play in the semis at season end.

In each group, 1 plays 4 and 2 plays 3, with the higher ranked side to have the home ground advantage. Losing teams are eliminated.

In the second week, the the winners of the week one matches play. The highest ranked side receives home ground advantage.

Grand Final in week three, the winners of the two groups play the season decider. Kind of like an Aussie Superbowl.

 

[alien]

my finals system. 6 teams. 3 weeks. every game SUDDEN DEATH

week 1
GAME A 3 v 6 (home game for 3)
GAME B 4 v 5 (home game for 4)

week 2
GAME C 2 v winner of GAME A (home game for 2)
GAME D 1 v winner of GAME B (home game for 1)

week 3 - GRANDFINAL
winner of GAME C vs winner of GAME D (game at ANZ)