Finals schedule

[Raiderdave]

Canberra fans are STILL whinging..you come 2nd stop having a sook!

Either build a 40k stadium or be quiet, up to you.

Oh shut up you moron.
What the F does the size of the venue have to do with it

The irony is if the cowboys or Storm qualify to host a prelim final the same weekend we do
In venues approx the same size as ours
They get theirs at home

We don't !!
So...
The NRL is run by twats !!!

 

[Stephen Durrant]

The fact that if the Raiders and Cowboys get wins in week 1 only the 4th placed Cowboys will get to a home final in week 3 shows how insanely unfair this finals scheduling is.

Given that the stadium in Canberra is far better equipped than the one in Townsville.

 

[Usain Bolt]

does the elimination finalist loser play a home or away the next week.
So if the Broncos win and the Cowboys lose what venue would it be played at.

1-2 get 2 home games
3-6 get one home game
7-8 no home games

 

[Stephen Durrant]

1-2 get 2 home games
3-6 get one home game
7-8 no home games

This is how it it is supposed to work but not if you are either the Raiders or Knight if they come 1-2 they only get the one home game if they win it. But this is the NRL who somehow have no issue with running a comp that is totally unfair.

 

[thorson1987]

does the elimination finalist loser play a home or away the next week.
So if the Broncos win and the Cowboys lose what venue would it be played at.

Well the loser of the elimination final would in fact be eliminated.

The losers of the Qualifying Finals play at home against the winners of the Elimination Finals.

 

[TheFrog]

Newcastle and Canberra are the anomolies in nrl PF finals plan

Titans too.

 

[TheFrog]

Panthers win and they can choose which Sydney venue to play at.

Phil Gould tweeted the other day that the Panthers have not been asked such a thing. They'll just put it at whichever stadium they feel like.

 

[Cumberland Throw]

Your prediction isn't accurate

My prediction

apologies was way out

 

[Cumberland Throw]

My prediction

Broncos v titans friday 7.50 suncorp
Melbourne v nq sat 5.30 ammi
Raiders v sharks sat 7.30 gio
Penrith v dogs sun 4pm anz

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

This is how it it is supposed to work but not if you are either the Raiders or Knight if they come 1-2 they only get the one home game if they win it. But this is the NRL who somehow have no issue with running a comp that is totally unfair.

Its the ARLC who take the $ from the finals crowds, so they get to play them wherever they like...

I dont consider it unfair that Newcastle/Canberra cant hold these matches (i think to call it "unfair" is very self indulgent, when did the universe promise this?) But it does seem dumb, as holding these matches in these locations would probably draw the biggest crowds.

 

[Stephen Durrant]

Its the ARLC who take the $ from the finals crowds, so they get to play them wherever they like...

I dont consider it unfair that Newcastle/Canberra cant hold these matches (i think to call it "unfair" is very self indulgent, when did the universe promise this?) But it does seem dumb, as holding these matches in these locations would probably draw the biggest crowds.

The home town advantage is a huge advantage earnt by teams coming in the top 4 and winning in week 1 of the finals. The Raiders, Knights and Titans are the only three teams who are excluded from having this advantage and therefore the system is completely unfair/unjust.

I would define unfair as being the lack of equality within the competition. If there is not the same opportunities provided to ALL 16 teams (the opportunity to have a home town advantage when earnt) then the competition is not being run fairly.

 

[Timbo]

The home town advantage is a huge advantage earnt by teams coming in the top 4 and winning in week 1 of the finals. The Raiders, Knights and Titans are the only three teams who are excluded from having this advantage and therefore the system is completely unfair/unjust.

I would define unfair as being the lack of equality within the competition. If there is not the same opportunities provided to ALL 16 teams (the opportunity to have a home town advantage when earnt) then the competition is not being run fairly.

Yep. That's my main problem.

Only three teams are hurt by this - us, the GC and Newwy.

And of the three, our fans have to travel the furthest for our 'home region' final.

When you consider that NQ and Melbourne will host theirs in stadiums of comparable capacity to Bruce, it's utter bullshit.

 

[forby]

Penrith deserve a home final just as much as any of these other teams. We now play a 'home' final around 60km from our home ground. No other club has to do this. Even ANZ is more than 40km away.
Home finals are played within 25km for every other club in the NRL.
Cronulla and Penrith are the only final clubs who play out of non Government built and funded grounds, and are penalised because of this.
This is also why wasting money on rebuilding Parramatta for the second time is wrong and the new stadium should have been built at Penrith.

 

[undertaker]

This is how it it is supposed to work but not if you are either the Raiders or Knight if they come 1-2 they only get the one home game if they win it. But this is the NRL who somehow have no issue with running a comp that is totally unfair.

As much as us Knights folk have loved to make fun of the Raiders and their fans in the past, I did mention this week 3 finals venue issue with other RL fans at university when home finals were extended into weeks 2/3 for the first time in 2007 (when the NRL released a sheet of the possible venues allowed for weeks 2 and 3), and thus sympathise with Raiders fans if they do beat the Sharks on Saturday night. And as has been mentioned, it will be a bigger joke if the Cowboys also win and they are allowed to play at 1300Smiles Stadium in week 3, yet Canberra will have to play at either ANZ or Allianz Stadium. How exactly is that fair, and why haven't the ARLC fixed this Gallop gaffe since their inception?

Newcastle have a larger stadium capacity (33,000) than 1300Smiles and AAMI Park , yet like the Raiders, would be made to play a 'home' preliminary final at either Allianz or ANZ Stadium, and possibly against the Roosters or Bulldogs at those venues. Now, I know it will be at least a few years before the Knights are ever in contention for this, let alone make the preliminary finals (given our abysmal form and poor playing squad), but yet this finals scenario is ANOTHER gross inconsistency with NRL management/ARLC that has caused frustration amongst the fans.

 

[Dragon Slayer]

Has it been reported how many weeks Wighton is out for with that nasty shoulder charge?

Should be 2 weeks but being the finals I hope they cut him a break and only make it 1 week.

 

[Surely]

Home Venues Explained
Week One: Qualifying Finals & Elimination Finals
The highest qualifying teams after 26 Rounds will host each match at their normal home venue, with exception to any Sydney based NRL club which will play their 'home game' at either the Allianz Stadium or ANZ Stadium.

The following home City venues may qualify to host a Final in Week 1:

New South Wales / ACT:
Sydney: Allianz Stadium, ANZ Stadium
Canberra: GIO Stadium
Newcastle: Hunter Stadium

Queensland:
Brisbane: Suncorp Stadium
Gold Coast: Cbus Super Stadium
Townsville: 1300SMILES Stadium

Victoria:
Melbourne: AAMI Park, Etihad Stadium, MCG

New Zealand:
Auckland: Mt Smart Stadium

Week Two: Semi Finals
The highest qualifying teams in each match (winners 3 & 4) will host in their home city.

The following home City venues may qualify to host a Final in Week 2:

New South Wales / ACT:
Sydney: Allianz Stadium, ANZ Stadium
Canberra: GIO Stadium
Newcastle: Hunter Stadium

Queensland:
Brisbane: Suncorp Stadium
Gold Coast: Cbus Super Stadium
Townsville: 1300SMILES Stadium

Victoria:
Melbourne: AAMI Park, Etihad Stadium, MCG

New Zealand:
Auckland: Mt Smart Stadium

* A decision on which days both Finals will be played will be made following the completion of Week 1

Week Three: Preliminary Finals
The highest qualifying teams in each match (winners 1 & 2) will host in their home Region.

The following Regions and venues may qualify to host a Final in Week 3:

New South Wales/ACT Region (Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Canberra):
Allianz Stadium, ANZ Stadium

Queensland:
South East Queensland Region (Brisbane, Gold Coast): Suncorp Stadium
North Queensland Region (Townsville): 1300SMILES Stadium

Victoria Region (Melbourne):
AAMI Park, Etihad Stadium, MCG

New Zealand Region (Auckland):
Mt Smart Stadium, Eden Park


https://www.nrl.com/NRLHQ/ReferenceCentre/FinalsSystemExplained/tabid/10635/Default.aspx


How do Newcastle and Canberra get arse f**ked ?

 

[Glen]

It's clearly a Sydney conspiracy

 

[undertaker]

This is how it it is supposed to work but not if you are either the Raiders or Knight if they come 1-2 they only get the one home game if they win it. But this is the NRL who somehow have no issue with running a comp that is totally unfair.

Only three teams are hurt by this - us, the GC and Newwy.

And while that remains the status quo, the NRL aren't going to change the situation anytime soon.

Its the ARLC who take the $ from the finals crowds, so they get to play them wherever they like...

I dont consider it unfair that Newcastle/Canberra cant hold these matches (i think to call it "unfair" is very self indulgent, when did the universe promise this?) But it does seem dumb, as holding these matches in these locations would probably draw the biggest crowds.

In the hypothetical situation of this years finals where Canberra and Cowboys both win and advance to week 3...

You are wrong in saying that because the ARLC takes the $ from finals crowds, they can do whatever they want, when one team (Cowboys) is allowed to play at their home ground of similar capacity to the other, yet the other (Canberra) is forced to play theirs at a larger stadium 300km away. Furthermore, schedule Canberra's 'home' final on the Friday night, and that significantly dents the number of fans who can travel the 300km from Canberra to get to the game at ANZ/Allianz. This leads to another bugbear as to why week 2/3 finals haven't reverted back to Sat night/Sunday after Ch9 got their night GF back. The change in week 2/3 finals from Sat night/Sunday to Fri night/Sat night in 2008 was a compromise deal as a result of the GF being shifted to twilight. Now that Ch9 have got their night GF back in 2013, why no one in the media has mentioned anything about this is a mystery. But, that's a whole different topic altogether...

And in addition to the 'self-indulgent' point, if extracting $ is the focus of the NRL as to the reason why the other team Canberra has to play in a larger stadium, then the Cowboys should subsequently be scheduled to play their week 3 final at Suncorp Stadium simply because it is a larger venue (in the name of extracting more $ from a larger crowd that could be achieved at Suncorp). You cannot pick and choose, and apply different standards for other teams; you either make both Canberra and Cowboys play at the larger stadia away from their home ground, or you allow both teams to play at their own home ground.

The NRL are going to have massive eggs on their face if the above hypothetical situation arises, and makes them look like a rank-amateur organisation.

 

[Tommy Smith]

Even worse I believe it's a very real prospect that the Raiders will face the Cowboys in a Sydney prelim.

I expect the Storm and Raiders to win next week. And then once the Cowboys smack the Broncos up in Townsville it'll be a Prelim of Canberra vs Cowboys in Sydney.

Complete and utter madness.

 

[undertaker]

Even worse I believe it's a very real prospect that the Raiders will face the Cowboys in a Sydney prelim.

I expect the Storm and Raiders to win next week. And then once the Cowboys smack the Broncos up in Townsville it'll be a Prelim of Canberra vs Cowboys in Sydney.

Complete and utter madness.

If it ends up being on the Friday night, Canberra vs Cowboys at Allianz will definitely get less than the 27-28k or so capacity that GIO Stadium can hold, hence nullifying the NRL's viewpoint of taking Canberra's home game to a larger venue to get more bums on seats and more $.