PNG's back.

[Loose Cannon]

Hang on, all these plans with conferences - some Sydney-based, some far-flung - surely that just exacerbates the travel inequity in the competition?

Much fairer if we just eventually get the competition to 22 or 24 teams & just have everyone play everyone ONCE with some kinda wildcard weekend before the playoffs.

This is the ideal system, except I don’t like the wildcard (or rivalry) addendum.

I can’t see the point in making it an even draw, but then butchering it.

 

[MugaB]

Hang on, all these plans with conferences - some Sydney-based, some far-flung - surely that just exacerbates the travel inequity in the competition?

Much fairer if we just eventually get the competition to 22 or 24 teams & just have everyone play everyone ONCE with some kinda wildcard weekend before the playoffs.

The conference system is meant to boost and create more rivalries, to do that, we need to group in the far away places closer to the cluster of nsw teams, and split them up aswell as they are already rivals in themselves
Making the expansion clubs only having to travel to Sydney moreso than have to travel to the outskirts of the competition
The competition will never be fair, but to give expansion areas less travel as possible is a better outcome

 

[Vee]

^^^
This would guarantee that something like 1 in 3 matches is a conference match and the finals knock-out would build those rivalries every year!

And save the Sydney teams having to travel.

 

[flippikat]

This is the ideal system, except I don’t like the wildcard (or rivalry) addendum.

I can’t see the point in making it an even draw, but then butchering it.

Well... the idea is that if we have (say) 24 teams, limiting ourselves to a top-8 playoffs means that there's gonna ba a whole lot more "dead games" in the last month or two.

If we have a wildcard weekend where (say) teams 7, 8, 9 and 10 play for the last 2 spots in the playoffs PROPER, then it gives some teams on the fringe a bit of hope.. even though they'd still be faced with a sudden-death run.

10 teams out of 24 also means it's likely that all teams in the playoffs AND wildcard will have win/loss records that are more wins than losses too.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

You need a conference type system in the US because you have 31 or 32 teams.

With 20 it's not necessary

 

[chrisD]

Conference idea sucks.

 

[MugaB]

You need a conference type system in the US because you have 31 or 32 teams.

With 20 it's not necessary

The point is to create more interest, and have a reason to play each clubs twice and others once, you could in theory give a winning team 3 points in a game within it own conference, that would make the local derby more exciting, imagine knowing you could boost your ladder position just by playing a local rival

 

[Santino Patane]

Id go 4 groups of 5

East Sydney (Victor Trumper Shield)
1. South Sydney Rabbitohs
2. St George Illawarra Dragons
3. Sydney Roosters
4. Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
5. Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

West Sydney (JJ Giltinan Shield?)
1. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
2. Wests Tigers
3. Penrith Panthers
4. Parramatta Eels
5. Newcastle Knights / Canberra Raiders

QLD+ (Arthur Beetson Shield)
1. Brisbane Broncos
2. Gold Coast Titans
3. Redcliffe Dolphins
4. PNG Hunters
5. North Queensland Cowboys

Outsiders (Dally Messanger Shield?; he played for the All Golds)
1. New Zealand Warriors
2. NZ 2
3. Perth
4. Canberra Raiders / Newcastle Knights
5. Melbourne Storm

Finals is Top 3 from each conference
2nd v 3rd
Winner vs first (Conference Final for the Shield)

Winners of conferences join final 4 playoff.

The only Conference break up that is fair and worthwhile is @MugaB set up. Your “Outsiders” division is an absolute sh*tfight and those clubs would be rightfully pissed off to have the setup. Plus having exclusively Sydney conferences should be a complete no. Let’s start thinking like a National Comp, huh??

 

[Pippen94]

There's going to twenty teams. How many rounds do people think will be played?! Teams will only play only strongest rivals twice. Maybe 4 divisions. Sydney conference won't have big travel advantage.