Run to finals

[JJ]

If we have a home final it will be at ANZ or Allianz, not Penrith.

That's not fair IMO

 

[Rich102]

Fair? This is the NRL.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

It’s the rules. Unless it’s changed, it’s:

Prelim final: home ground
Quarter final: home city
Week three: home state
Grand final: ANZ

So Sydney teams only play their first final at home.

 

[TheFrog]

It’s the rules. Unless it’s changed, it’s:

Prelim final: home ground
Quarter final: home city
Week three: home state
Grand final: ANZ

So Sydney teams only play their first final at home.

That was changed a few years back. We had to play the Bulldogs at Allianz in 2016 in our home final. The club was given the choice of ground, ANZ or Allianz. It chose Allianz because ANZ is the Bulldogs home ground. From next year we will be allowed to have a home final at Parramatta.

 

[JJ]

Cronulla have been disadvantaged similarly I think?

Really poor system IMO

 

[TheFrog]

Cronulla have been disadvantaged similarly I think?

Really poor system IMO

Manly too.

 

[Leber]

So if we finish 4th, lose in round 1, we still get a home semi round 2... right?

Also, if we finish 4th, win in round 1 and get a week off in round 2, do we get a home game for the grand final qualifier?

 

[JJ]

At the moment it really seems like a 3 team contest

The Dragons look gone. The Sharks, us and Broncos haven't stepped up, and Penrith too but who knows what to make of them...

 

[Burns]

So if we finish 4th, lose in round 1, we still get a home semi round 2... right?

Also, if we finish 4th, win in round 1 and get a week off in round 2, do we get a home game for the grand final qualifier?

Yep to both of those!

I’m not sure if I’m the event of Week 3 if the NRL would make the match be played at Eden Park. Wouldn’t think so seeming that Melbourne get to play their match at home, and that’s a similar capacity to Mt Smart.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

That was changed a few years back. We had to play the Bulldogs at Allianz in 2016 in our home final. The club was given the choice of ground, ANZ or Allianz. It chose Allianz because ANZ is the Bulldogs home ground. From next year we will be allowed to have a home final at Parramatta.

Ah that sucks. Was that because they introduced some sort of minimum standard for finals grounds that the suburban grounds don’t meet? I reckon the old system that I described was the best compromise, they should’ve kept that.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

So if we finish 4th, lose in round 1, we still get a home semi round 2... right?

Also, if we finish 4th, win in round 1 and get a week off in round 2, do we get a home game for the grand final qualifier?

Yes to the first one I believe. Not sure about the second.

 

[TheFrog]

Ah that sucks. Was that because they introduced some sort of minimum standard for finals grounds that the suburban grounds don’t meet? I reckon the old system that I described was the best compromise, they should’ve kept that.

They don't hold big enough crowds, that's the only standard they don't meet, except for Brookvale which is a dump.

The Bulldogs final in '16 got 22,600 at Allianz which is about 1000 more than Penrith holds.

They changed it when the Dragons declined to move their home final against Manly from Kogarah to Allianz in 2010, and it only drew 15k odd. It was the last finals match played at a Sydney ground other than ANZ or SFS.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Pretty lame, they should just take the hit on crowds for week one. After that it’s fair enough as any QF should pull 35k+, unless it’s Manly vs Melbourne or something, haha

 

[sup42]

Jim Doyle made it clear when there was debate over the future of Mt Smart a few years back...that the NRL had decided that Mt Smart was not fit to host NRL finals games anymore.

I hope our club has sought an update on that situation should the case arise for a home semi.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Jim Doyle made it clear when there was debate over the future of Mt Smart a few years back...that the NRL had decided that Mt Smart was not fit to host NRL finals games anymore.

I hope our club has sought an update on that situation should the case arise for a home semi.

I don’t think that’s a massive issue for us, we go to Eden Park for anything bar a grand final anyway so we don’t lose home advantage. But it does seem pointless to move the game unless the crowds will be there.

 

[Philip_Smith007]

Can't find any official rules to link too, but I think will be at Eden Park for any home finals games.

Which would be great this year as we are into breaking Hoodoos.

But are we counting chickens here?

 

[Burns]

Hmm, results didn't go way with the Sharks game at all.

Could see 5th/6th/7th being decided by F/A.

 

[Philip_Smith007]

Hmm, results didn't go way with the Sharks game at all.

Could see 5th/6th/7th being decided by F/A.

Yep, I'd say 4th is now out of reach.
Sharks won't go down to Cowboys Knights or Dogs.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Tigers got up too though that’s more a concern for the Broncos. Sharks will be hunting 4th hard now, if we manange to beat Penrith things are going to get very tight in the middle of the 8. Some of those heavy losses are going to bite our arse with our lousy for and against, we could help that by winning a couple of our remaining games well.

 

[VillaTheGorilla]

Maaaan, Sharks beating Storm really stuffs us up.

End of the day, all we can do is win our next 3 games and hope for the best.
Bulldogs and Cowboys are have been playing well lately so they may be able to help us out.

It's best that our boys don't worry about all of that...focus on winning our next few games and getting our attack sorted, make sure were ready for the finals