The annual finals system debate thread

[sting]

2009 is a perfect example.

StGeorge lost to the 8th place eels and then had to go to Brisbane to play the 6th place Broncos

 

[RHCP]

They lost. They had their advantage, they wasted it.

 

[Nuke]

I was thinking about the finals setup the other week when the debates fired up again (as they always seem to do by the 1st weekend of the Finals!). One of the points I saw raised was that the games' qualities were so vastly different from 4v5 down to 1v8. Personally, I don't have a problem with the current setup, as it rewards the teams who finish higher up with easier games. 1st has an easier game (in theory) than 2nd, who have an easier game than 3rd, ect, all the way down to 8th who have the hardest game of the weekend.

To combat the supposed 'inequality', why not have 1v5, 2v6, 3v7, and 4v8. Keep the '2 lowest ranked losers drop out' and the '2 highest ranked winners skip a week' thing in. I'd keep the home city advantage in week 2 for the winners of week 1, as -in my opinion- if you're good enough to win in week 1, you deserve the home advantage over a team who didn't win in week 1.

 

[mepelthwack]

With any luck Warriors will win gf to expose the farcical McIntyre further, ie. 6th place thrashed in week 1 still allowed to play and wins premiership.

 

[DC_fan]

I don't like any finals format that allows a team that loses a game to continue.

The Warriors lost in the first round of the playoffs and have now made the grand final.

Both the AFL and NRL finals format allows for that to happen. For me their is something wrong with that.

 

[adamkungl]

With any luck Warriors will win gf to expose the farcical McIntyre further, ie. 6th place thrashed in week 1 still allowed to play and wins premiership.

Whether they got thrashed or lost by 1 point is entirely irrelevant, what a geniused argument. The 2 worst teams in week 1 got knocked out, what exactly is farcical about that?

2009 is a perfect example.

StGeorge lost to the 8th place eels and then had to go to Brisbane to play the 6th place Broncos

Agree. Perfect example of why it works. If team 1 is too shit to knock off a team that lost approx half their games, they should have to join the shitfight with the other remaining teams. If they are deserving of the premiership they'll turn it around and win, if not they'll bomb out in straight sets.

it's all irrelevant - to win the comp you have to beat the best. What order you do it in is the only thing that changes between systems really.

 

[Spanner in the works]

Have real problems with a finals series. Melbourne were the best team all year and I think it's a load of bollocks we don't get to see them go round because of a rare loss. People talk about seeing the best players in the Grand Final. f**k that. I want to see the best two teams in the Grand Final.

 

[adamkungl]

I love the finals. Nothing better in sport imo. I think the Minor Premiership should hold more significance, however. dropping the word 'minor' and far more prizemoney. $100k is pitiful in 2011. Should be held in almost equal regard to the premiers. Maybe call it 'League Champions' or something. I don't know.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

The problem with the McIntyre system is that it allows the results of other games to have an effect on results of other games.

The AFL system (the one we used to have) there are clearly defined rewards and consequences for each team. They know beforehand what will happen if the win or lose. With the McIntrye system, nobody has a f**king clue and they have to play the games in a certain order to prevent them becomming pointless.

On the McIntyre system, no team outside the top 4 has ever won it.

 

[Mr Fourex]

Have real problems with a finals series. Melbourne were the best team all year and I think it's a load of bollocks we don't get to see them go round because of a rare loss. People talk about seeing the best players in the Grand Final. f**k that. I want to see the best two teams in the Grand Final.

So basically scrap the semi final series as a whole?

1 plays 2 in a last round "Grand Final"........team 2 wins

is that fair as well?

I don't agree. Whilst there are a few questions with the current finals format, the onus on winning qualifying games to put you in a position to win the Grand Final is paramount to the essence of Rugby League.

Two teams playing that on "any given day" .........either side can win.

 

[*Paul*]

The solution, as is raised and ignored each year, is the realisation that the finals and the regular season have no relationship (the convoluted systems are merely in place to maintain the illusion of such)

So once you've got that assimilated, you realise all this messing about with double chances et al becomes meaningless - it's just the actual existence of finals that matter.

And then once you've got that down pat, 1v8, 2v7 sudden death emerges as the most useful system. It's simple, and above all, creates the artificial tension which is the whole point of finals.

 

[some11]

Have real problems with a finals series. Melbourne were the best team all year and I think it's a load of bollocks we don't get to see them go round because of a rare loss. People talk about seeing the best players in the Grand Final. f**k that. I want to see the best two teams in the Grand Final.

LOL! not even a troll could make this shit up.

 

[Spanner in the works]

So basically scrap the semi final series as a whole?

1 plays 2 in a last round "Grand Final"........team 2 wins

is that fair as well?

I don't agree. Whilst there are a few questions with the current finals format, the onus on winning qualifying games to put you in a position to win the Grand Final is paramount to the essence of Rugby League.

Two teams playing that on "any given day" .........either side can win.

This is the point I am getting at. Finals are stupid. Said somewhere else (may have been this thread) that I prefer the EPL system with a Cup competition thrown in throughout the season. The regular season should be all about being the best team all season. Otherwise what's the point if you can get knocked out? Want a finals series change it to a Cup competition IMO.

 

[Mr Fourex]

This is the point I am getting at. Finals are stupid. Said somewhere else (may have been this thread) that I prefer the EPL system with a Cup competition thrown in throughout the season. The regular season should be all about being the best team all season. Otherwise what's the point if you can get knocked out? Want a finals series change it to a Cup competition IMO.

Grand Final/Semi finals are an exciting way to finish the season IMO

and I find the whole "top of the league wins" concept a bit....mehhh

If anything .......like AK suggested above, possibly the minor premiership could mean more ie: $ worth more.

 

[Jason Maher]

Why have a 6 month season if 1 game can completely undo any advantage gained? Divide the comp into 4 pools of 4, play 6 games home and away, then have the top 2 from each pool advance to an 8 team finals series.

I like the AFL system because all the aces are held by the teams that have put in the effort and earned a high ladder position. This is as it should be.

 

[firechild]

I like the AFL system because all the aces are held by the teams that have put in the effort and earned a high ladder position. This is as it should be.

How is that not the case here? In both systems, teams 1 and 2 win and go through to week 3. Win again and they're at a grand final. Only real difference is that to do this, in the AFL system, teams 1 and 2 have to beat teams 4 and 3 respectively whereas under the Macintyre system, they only have to beat teams 8 and 7. As a minor premier, I know which team I'd prefer to play for passage to the prelim.

 

[Crippler]

A couple of points I need to raise

if Knights won against storm the following would of happened

1) Tigers reward for "Winning" would of been to play the Minor premiers storm

2) Dragons punishment for "losing" would of been to play the 8th placed Knights in Sydney

Also Warriors would of been kicked out and never been anywhere near making the Grand Final

Talk about a joke of a finals system

 

[wittyfan]

The AFL system should be at least trialled in 2012 tbh.

 

[Eels Dude]

This is the point I am getting at. Finals are stupid. Said somewhere else (may have been this thread) that I prefer the EPL system with a Cup competition thrown in throughout the season. The regular season should be all about being the best team all season. Otherwise what's the point if you can get knocked out? Want a finals series change it to a Cup competition IMO.

Well that would be wonderful if the funds were there to have an internal cup competition, enough funds and population base for a lower grade relegation system, and rugby league was popular enough worldwide and Australia wasn't located on the bottom half of the globe to enable an international cup competition. Unfortunately none of that is the case though so get with the real world.

 

[_Johnsy]

Have real problems with a finals series. Melbourne were the best team all year and I think it's a load of bollocks we don't get to see them go round because of a rare loss. People talk about seeing the best players in the Grand Final. f**k that. I want to see the best two teams in the Grand Final.

What an absolute load of horse shyte.

Finals = win when it matters, nothing else.