How many teams should the finals have?

[Someguy]

Top 6 imo

All games an elimination, top 2 get the first week off with that week counting as a match for the purposes of suspended players for the rested teams

 

[gregstar]

5

 

[Valheru]

Yep.2nd has the same advantage as 1st. That’s wrong.
I know that commercial reasons mean we’ll never have less than 8 (probably more in the future), but 5 is the fairest.

All good points. It just doesn’t reward the best team throughout the season enough.

I get your point but until every team plays each other twice home and away then coming first is really irrelevant.

Most years there is a win or 2 in it (sometimes F/A) and the teams vying for top spot have played different opponents.

This system treats 1/2, 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8 all as equals which is about the best we can hope for in an 8 team system.

 

[Mr Spock!]

5 with a best of 3 final series

 

[unforgiven]

5 with a best of 3 final series

No

 

[JamesRustle]

No

Best of 5??

 

[The_Frog]

It's fine as it is.

 

[some11]

I dont like 8, i think it is too much but Valheru is 100% correct and even though i personally dont like it, it wont and probably should never come down

Nailed it.

 

[Front-Rower]

Top 7 I think would work well.

Team 1 gets a bye week 1 but gets two bites in weeks 2 and 3.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

I always felt the old Final 5 concept was the best. Bye for the minor premiers, and major & minor semis to eliminate teams.

 

[gerg]

I think the best solution is 16 teams in the finals, all sudden death games. 1 v 16, 2 v 15, 3 v 14 etc. Second week highest ranked winner v lowest ranked winner etc.

 

[Twizzle]

If the NRL want to entertain the idea of wild cards in the finals they should drop it back to 6 with say 2 wild cards

 

[Eelectrica]

6 I think isbideal, but I get why we have 8. No more than 8 while it's a 16 team comp.

We joke about the Titans getting a wildcard based on their fantastic finish. But that's all it is. Would have been great had they won another couple of games and made it. Hopefully next year.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

I had a thought after looking at the ladder, should we cut the finals to 6?
Idk if im advocating for this, I'm just interested in seeing peoples opinions.

If this year is anything to go by I think there is a massive gap between 1-6 and 7-8

On the flip side is there anything to gain by dropping 2 from the finals series anyway?

And a bonus question, if we went to 18 or even 20 would you keep the finals number the same

12... Coz the Dragons would have made it this year.

Would have provided us (false) hope. Then after getting slaughtered in first round, the red V lynch mob would be waking up the bloodhounds, and lighting their torches yet again....

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives...

 

[gerg]

I think the best solution is 16 teams in the finals, all sudden death games. 1 v 16, 2 v 15, 3 v 14 etc. Second week highest ranked winner v lowest ranked winner etc.

My second suggestion (& almost as excellent as my first) is just making amends for the poor results for the Tigers this year. They should really be the cut off. If the Tigers finish their customary 9th, the finals should be the top 8 sides. If they finish 12th the top 11 sides play finals.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

I always felt the old Final 5 concept was the best. Bye for the minor premiers, and major & minor semis to eliminate teams.

I agree. If you made the top 5 you were generally a red hot side... and most, if not all, games were absolute quality.

But I get the revenue needs of 4 games vs 2 in the first round of semis.

 

[Vic Mackey]

It should be a top 15 just so we can laugh at the Broncos even more

 

[Vic Mackey]

When the NRL floated the idea of the wildcard system it was widely misunderstood as a top 10 finals series. When you look at it properly it gradually rewards the top teams in sets of two, making where you finish vitally important

Teams 1 & 2:

Week off
Two chances
Guaranteed two home finals

Teams 3 &4:

Week off
Two chances
Guaranteed one home final

Teams 5&6:

Week off
Guaranteed one home final

After the regular season 7 plays 10, 8 plays 9 with the winners making the Top 8. The top 6 get a week off which will eliminate the farcical weekend we had of Storm, Raiders resting 12 players. Then teams 7-10 will have to win 5 games straight to win the comp which of course will never happen, however it will keep interest in every game of the regular season.

 

[not_all_there]

Minor premier should win the comp

like the EPL

 

[Someguy]

I get your point but until every team plays each other twice home and away then coming first is really irrelevant.

simple solution split top 8 and bottom 8 for the next season. 22 game season, twice against everyone that finished in your half of the table and once against everyone else. Origin give bye week to everyone or is played at end of season.

what I propose gives a schedule that can not easily be managed to give certain teams an easy draw. Will still be issues of how many days teams get to back up, travel etc (NRL will never get this right, week 20 Friday night teams play Sunday finals week 1!?) but will have more integrity than the current system. Also the bonus of more blockbuster games and a chance to shake the 8 up from year to year.