Rd 26 Minor Pemiership

[BranVan3000]

Roosters should beat Titans and Souths should beat Tigers so It's looking like rd 26 will be the minor premiership battle. It's going to be massive!

Privately, I'm a bit disappointed. Was hoping for a dead rubber. Manly and Melbourne will be licking their lips over Roosters and Rabbitohs bashing each other up in a Finals style contest

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

Roosters should beat Titans and Souths should beat Tigers so It's looking like rd 26 will be the minor premiership battle. It's going to be massive!

Privately, I'm a bit disappointed. Was hoping for a dead rubber. Manly and Melbourne will be licking their lips over Roosters and Rabbitohs bashing each other up in a Finals style contest

Like that wouldn't happen anyway?

 

[BranVan3000]

Like that wouldn't happen anyway?

A dead rubber would have meant both sides resting players IMO

 

[innsaneink]

Its set up nicely, isnt it?

 

[Big Sam]

There's a bigger prize than the JJ Giltinan - missing Melbourne in Week 1.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

A dead rubber would have meant both sides resting players IMO

I know mate but the great rivalry will find a way to come out as they'll want to go into the semis with momentum behind them.

 

[Evenflow]

Privately, I'm a bit disappointed. Was hoping for a dead rubber. Manly and Melbourne will be licking their lips over Roosters and Rabbitohs bashing each other up in a Finals style contest

Spot on. With any luck they'll smash the absolute shit out of each other. They'll be playing a final before a final and while some might see that as a good thing on this occasion i don't think it will be. It'd have been a much better way to ease the way into the final if it were a dead rubber IMO, a good hit out but with nothing much at stake.

 

[Diesel]

Couldn't write a better script for the 26th round

 

[GONZO72]

Agree. Manly and the Storm would have been doing cartwheels with the result tonight. There is no doubt that Souths and the roosters want to play manly in week one. Both teams are unbeaten against them this year.
I'm not convinced. Manly are a great finals team, and will be tough in week one. The roosters, might have needed a loss before the finals.
Everyone wants Souths to finish minor premiers. It's the feel good story of the year

 

[Valheru]

Even if the roosters lose this week the following round will still be for the minor premiership because of our differential. That, however, opens up the frightening possibility of finishing 3rd should Melbourne beat manly this week

 

[simostorm]

They way Melbourne have been starting.. I can see Roosters or Souths scoring a couple tries on them in the first half then Storm struggling to get back in front.. They probably better off playing Melbourne week 1 then Manly.

 

[Different kind of Rabbit]

Spot on. With any luck they'll smash the absolute shit out of each other. They'll be playing a final before a final and while some might see that as a good thing on this occasion i don't think it will be. It'd have been a much better way to ease the way into the final if it were a dead rubber IMO, a good hit out but with nothing much at stake.

I think it'll just even things up really. Melbourne and Manly will go to town on each other this week 1st and because of this, I don't think any of the 4 teams will have any great advantage come round one of the finals. All 4 will be involved in a smash up derby in the next fortnight.

Plus, Melbourne and Manly face two teams in the Titans and Panthers who may well need a last round win to sneak into the finals.

If anything, finals football basically begins this week.

 

[RHCP]

I think it'll just even things up really. Melbourne and Manly will go to town on each other this week 1st and because of this, I don't think any of the 4 teams will have any great advantage come round one of the finals. All 4 will be involved in a smash up derby in the next fortnight.

Plus, Melbourne and Manly face two teams in the Titans and Panthers who may well need a last round win to sneak into the finals.

If anything, finals football basically begins this week.

Pretty much. It's all sudden death from here on in for a lot of teams.

Knights vs Broncos and Warriors vs Raiders are must-win games for both sides, and since the result will mean one of each moves further ahead, the Titans, Cowboys and Panthers all can't afford to lose either.

We oft wax lyrical about the closeness of the competition, but has it ever been so close that 2 points seperated 7th and 13th in Round 25?

 

[Lucas-Con]

Grand final preview right here this will be the best game of the year at least until the grand final.

 

[Von]

There's a bigger prize than the JJ Giltinan - missing Melbourne in Week 1.

Agree.

It will be a huge game!!

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

NRL got their wish. Blockbuster round 26 match. I look forward to watching this at the club.

 

[Big Sam]

NRL got their wish. Blockbuster round 26 match. I look forward to watching this at the club.

Get off your arse and go to the game. The trains are free all the way from Bondi Junction.

 

[Evenflow]

I think it'll just even things up really. Melbourne and Manly will go to town on each other this week 1st and because of this, I don't think any of the 4 teams will have any great advantage come round one of the finals. All 4 will be involved in a smash up derby in the next fortnight.

We all have our preferences i spose but i'd much rather be facing Manly at Brookevale 2 weeks out from the finals as opposed the week before finals. IMO a tough and bruising encounter which Storm v Manly will be as well as Roosters v Souths is hardly the ideal preparation going into week one. But again that's just me.

It's not just that either, with the MP not being decided until the final game teams can focus too much time and energy on that and get side tracked from the big picture. The Storm admitted this a few years back. It's all well and good to say it's not a distraction but it obviously is you'd have to think.

 

[big hit!]

It's not just that either, with the MP not being decided until the final game teams can focus too much time and energy on that and get side tracked from the big picture. The Storm admitted this a few years back. It's all well and good to say it's not a distraction but it obviously is you'd have to think.

big picture.

unlike the supporters of the teams, the media and the NRL, i'm sure the good teams with the good coaches won't be getting worked up about this pointless accolade in the grand scheme.

as a souths supporter, i'd much prefer Madge focuses more on getting things right for the Qualifying final the following week rather than than the outcome of rd 26. if he suspects a player here or there needs a spell to freshen up or rehab an injury, then id prefer he weakens the team for the rd 26 match to ensure the team is stronger for the QF.

in this finals system, 1st is no significant advantage over 4th. the rewards and punishment of a wk 1 win and loss respectively are the same for all 4 teams.

the QF is the most important game. it really sets up the positioning for deep into the finals. minor premiership means jackshit if that team loses this game.

and who the f**k remembers minor premiers? the NRL is won in a final day playoff where minor premierships count for nought.

 

[Evenflow]

I totally agree with everything you're saying and i gave up giving a shit about winning the MP a long time ago. My point is that doesn't necessarily mean the players/club won't take it any less seriously, especially a team like Souths who haven't had any sort of success in a long long time. That might sound like i'm taking the piss but i'm honestly not. While the MP might not mean a great deal in the big scheme of things, it'd still be a massive achievement for Souths for the reasons given.

Of course every one of them will say that finals are a heap more important as they obviously are but that doesn't instantly mean they don't give a toss about the MP and may run the risk of being distracted by it. As mentioned it happened to the Storm in 2008 and we all know how that ended up and this was from a team that had tasted success a year earlier and had GF experience.

It may not affect Souths in any way shape or form but nobody can know that for sure and nobody knows whats going on in the players heads/how it will affect them. Anyway time will tell and my original point still stands, hopefully the Roosters and Souths belt absolute shizen out of each other a week before the finals