The annual finals system debate thread

[mepelthwack]

Another 'glitch' in the McIntyre system is the 4v5 game on friday night.

Neither team go's into the game knowing what they are playing for because their future is in the hands of other teams.

Most years 4 v 5 will be a dead rubber, however this year due to other results the stakes were high. The looser would be eliminated and the winner would go straight to week 3. If both teams knew this before the game im sure they would have played with a bit more desperation, especially Manly.

Had Manly of won we would of had the farcical situation were team 4 would have been eliminated and team 5 would be just 1 win away from the grand final.

Yep all good points.

A few years back the 4 v 5 game was Dragons V Panthers. One of them lost by ONE point and were eliminated!

Shortly thereafter 4 v 5 was Tigers V Cowboys.

Cowboys had 50 put on them and depite coming 5th as well, got a 2nd chance and as we know went all the way to the GF.

The McIntyre is like a sick joke. Get rid of it!

 

[taste2taste]

all of them have a large advantage for the minor premiers, some arguably greater than the NRL system, such as if they lose they retain home field advantage which is not the case in the NRL system.

This is my major beef with the NRL's current system.

After week 1 of the finals teams rankings from the regular season are forgotten. The highest ranked team from the regular season should always get home field advantage.

This week should be
Drags (1) V Bris (6) in Sydney
and
GC (3) V Parra (8) at the Gold Cost

The Drags and GC spent 26 gruelling rounds to earn their rankings and that shouldnt be forgotten after just 1 week of the finals.

 

[dgsfan]

This is my major beef with the NRL's current system.

After week 1 of the finals teams rankings from the regular season are forgotten. The highest ranked team from the regular season should always get home field advantage.

This week should be
Drags (1) V Bris (6) in Sydney
and
GC (3) V Parra (8) at the Gold Cost

The Drags and GC spent 26 gruelling rounds to earn their rankings and that shouldnt be forgotten after just 1 week of the finals.

I fully agree. With the current system it makes the 26 weeks count for just one round in the finals. Make the regular season worth something. Sure, Brisbane won but shouldn't get more advantage than St Geroge. They finished 6th and Saints finished 1st.

I don't like the AFL system. Why should 1 play 4? Surely that's a tougher game than 1 v 8. It would be more physical than 5 v 8. Why should 8 get the advantage of playing a lower ranked team?

I like the nrl system if not for a few flaws.

 

[caylo]

Yep all good points.

A few years back the 4 v 5 game was Dragons V Panthers. One of them lost by ONE point and were eliminated!

Shortly thereafter 4 v 5 was Tigers V Cowboys.

Cowboys had 50 put on them and depite coming 5th as well, got a 2nd chance and as we know went all the way to the GF.

The McIntyre is like a sick joke. Get rid of it!

In that senario yes the cowboys were lucky to get the second chance but they won their next two games including beating parramatta to get to teh GF. To date no top 4 team has been knocked out so they are getting a second dig essentially (with 3 bottom placed teams required to win for a top 4 team to be out in week 1)

 

[caylo]

I fully agree. With the current system it makes the 26 weeks count for just one round in the finals. Make the regular season worth something. Sure, Brisbane won but shouldn't get more advantage than St Geroge. They finished 6th and Saints finished 1st.

I don't like the AFL system. Why should 1 play 4? Surely that's a tougher game than 1 v 8. It would be more physical than 5 v 8. Why should 8 get the advantage of playing a lower ranked team?

I like the nrl system if not for a few flaws.

Like mentioned the home ground advantage could go to the higher ranked team on the ladder in the second round (i.e Dragons and Titans have home ground advantage, but It would be a farce if Melbourne then had to travel to play the Dragons after they moved straight into the prelim finals)

 

[forward pass]

A lot of people on here are confusing the Macintyre system with the NRL's 'semi final ground' policy. Where the matches are being played and when has NOTHING to do with the macintyre system.

The grounds policy was introduced by the NRL so chances are we would have it with either system. The Macintyre system only determines who plays who - not where or when.

They are two totally different discussion points.

 

[ozjet1]

A lot of people on here are confusing the Macintyre system with the NRL's 'semi final ground' policy. Where the matches are being played and when has NOTHING to do with the macintyre system.

The grounds policy was introduced by the NRL so chances are we would have it with either system. The Macintyre system only determines who plays who - not where or when.

They are two totally different discussion points.

the AFL also rewarded the winning team in wk 1 with a home adv in wk 2 under the McIntyre system.

 

[ozjet1]

This is my major beef with the NRL's current system.

After week 1 of the finals teams rankings from the regular season are forgotten. The highest ranked team from the regular season should always get home field advantage.

This week should be
Drags (1) V Bris (6) in Sydney
and
GC (3) V Parra (8) at the Gold Cost

The Drags and GC spent 26 gruelling rounds to earn their rankings and that shouldnt be forgotten after just 1 week of the finals.

So then.......what if the STG & CAN won their games last weekend, and the other two games went as they did, you'd propose that:

MAN (5) host BRI (6)
GC (3) host MEL (4)

tell me what wouldve been the point of the MEL vs MAN game?

the fundamental principle of finals is WIN the freaking game.

 

[Gaba]

the mcintyre system is far better for the excitement, and the finals are meant to be where the sides are suppose to be playing thier best , not where 4 teams 1 v 4 and 2 v 3 can play mediocre know they will get a 2nd chance.

Thats not finals football

only teams 1 and 2 should get the 2nd chance by default

teams 3 through to 8 dont know whether they will be around after week 1 if they lose , thats why the majority of games are played at a higher standard in the mcintyre system then it would in the afl system


afl is the boring finals system and predictable - the mcintyre is more exciting and less predictable

 

[_Johnsy]

another option is after week 1when the finals series enters week 2, all games played in sydney (SFS or anz)

 

[Eels Dude]

another option is after week 1when the finals series enters week 2, all games played in sydney (SFS or anz)

Deja Vu

 

[Jeremy_hindmarsh]

i like the mcintyre systen tbh, if the sides out of the top 4 are good enough to take out the title, they will, parra might be a classic example this year, Up the EELS

 

[Cheops]

Home ground advantage is no myth - but it is not that good.

better off losing than winning - explain it.

Use the 2008 results, but assume the home ground advantage goes to the higher ranked team. Brisbane won their first match, and would have had to go and play 1st placed Melbourne in Melbourne. If they had lost in the first week, they would have got to play 8th placed Warriors at Suncorp - in theory a much easier game (although the Warriors would have smashed them anyway )

They got the home ground, so you could at least argue they had some advantage by winning their first match

 

[Parra]

But no team outside 1 and 2 can take a loss for granted. The good thing about these finals is you lose - good chance you are out. What makes it so is the strong NRL comp right down to 9 & 10.

In a comp where the top few teams are streets ahead a top 8 is a joke anyway.

 

[Tyler Durden]

love the mcintyre system...

under the mcintyre system, it is possible for ANY combination of teams to face off in the grand final. ( cannot get a 5v8 or 6v7 GF in the AFL)

 

[parra-matters]

AFL system is fairer, if Knights had of won titans who finished 3rd would have been out.
Top 4 should get 2nd chance IMO.

 

[dollyhands]

I like it as it is.

If you are a top side and you can't win your match, can't blame anyone but yourself.

Like in all final series, just keep winning or you deserve to drop out.

You mean like how the broncos couldn't win their first final in 06' (got easily beaten in)

 

[Loudstrat]

AFL system is fairer, if Knights had of won titans who finished 3rd would have been out.
Top 4 should get 2nd chance IMO.

FFS - throw the bloody Mac system out because something that has never happened MIGHT happen!

If 5, 6, 7, and 8 all win, that tells you that 1, 2, 3, and 4 are not the best sides in the finals.

The WHOLE IDEA OF FINALS IS TO SEE WHICH TEAM IS THE BEST - not to be an elitist series for clubs lucky to have minimal injuries during the season over clubs that may have done it tough.

There have been a few minor premiers who have not made the GF - I recall Easts in 81, Souths in 88 and us in 05. None deserved to be in the GF.

 

[Marshall_magic]

love the mcintyre system...

under the mcintyre system, it is possible for ANY combination of teams to face off in the grand final. ( cannot get a 5v8 or 6v7 GF in the AFL)

you can't get 1v7 or 2v8 in the McIntyre system

 

[ozjet1]

another option is after week 1when the finals series enters week 2, all games played in sydney (SFS or anz)

and then there will be arguments that interstate teams who have a right to home games arent getting them.

there's no problem with how the home advantage is awarded under the mcintyre system.

the problem is that the play-off system itself isnt suited to a competition which operates such a long regular season. the system in use by the AFL would be more appropriate to take into account the performance over the longer regular season.

furthermore, people need to understand that these games are play-offs, not an extension of the regular season.....and there's always something riding on playoffs in any sport. otherwise the stakes wouldnt be so high. for the bottom seeds in the mcintyre 8, its elimination from the series. for the top seeds, its loss of home adv as a trade off for the double-chance. the top seeds cant have it all.

as i wrote in another thread, comparison with the system the AFL currently use is akin to comparing apples with oranges. that system segregates the teams into top 4 and bottom 4 - qualifying finalists & elimination finalists. this segregation doesnt occur in the mcintyre 8. the top 4 in the AFL actually play higher seeds in the 1st week than the top 4 in the mcintyre 8, and the bottom 4 in the AFL play lower seeds than the bottom 4 in the mcintyre 8. for this reason, it would be a serious fault in the AFL system if the lower seeds got the home game in wk 2.