Was the Final Five the perfect system??

[Southernsaint]

As I trawl the internet looking for replacements for the Macintyre System and the AFL Final Eight, it seems like the good old Final Five from the NSWRL is the best system...

No dud teams, it rewards consistency (fifth place back in the day was hard to achieve), and every game meant something.

Bring back the Final Five.

PS: In full disclosure, this is being typed me me in my "Alive In The Five" 1993 Saints shirt...

 

[ostrich20]

I am one of the few that actually prefer the macintyre system to any other finals system.

The best 8 out of 16 teams move onto the finals, and the teams that come in 1 - 4 get an advantage by playing at home and playing the lower ranked sides. The Dragons or the Titans may not see it like this, but it is a huge advantage in week one to only have to beat a team which just made the finals to get to one game before the grand final and get a regional advantage. Form teams or not, the sides that come in at the top of the ladder should be able to beat those lower ranked sides easily as they did it all season.

The murmurs about the system not being fair to higher ranked teams is unjust I believe as well, since in its inception, no team has won the title from outside the top 4, with this year possibly being the only exclusion.

 

[Timmah]

I do believe the final eight, in whatever format, rewards mediocrity. Parra didn't have to play footy at all in the first 16-17 weeks of the competition and have since gone on to win however many games to be in the Grand Final. That's a kick to the teeth to teams like the Saints, Dogs and Titans who were reasonably consistent all year.

No doubting Parra have been too good in the last few months but for them to have done nothing for the first half of the comp is hard to take as a fan of a club who played great footy all year, just to fall at the last hurdle of a long long year.

 

[caylo]

I guess using that system this year you will not have the Broncos or the Eels in the final race who arguably are the two form teams in the comp alng with Melbourne and the Dogs (Parra have won 10 of last 11, broncos have won 7 straight). Teams like Manly and the Dragons would make the final 5 even thou they struggled at that point of the year.

I am by no means saying that the Dragons and Manly shouldnt make it but I think teams like Parramatta and Brisbane are worthy of Participation. If you go back through the years there has almost always been a team from 6-8 that pushes and beats much higher ranked teams. While I like the top 5 system and how its advantages to higher ranked team, I think the comp is to close to rub out teams 6-8 from the finals.

 

[ostrich20]

The amount of teams in the competition is too large to only support a 5 finals system anyway. You would have teams out of the race by week 8-10. The five finals system is not only a crap concept in the current climate on that basis, but it will also financially cripple the game.

 

[caylo]

I am one of the few that actually prefer the macintyre system to any other finals system.

The best 8 out of 16 teams move onto the finals, and the teams that come in 1 - 4 get an advantage by playing at home and playing the lower ranked sides. The Dragons or the Titans may not see it like this, but it is a huge advantage in week one to only have to beat a team which just made the finals to get to one game before the grand final and get a regional advantage. Form teams or not, the sides that come in at the top of the ladder should be able to beat those lower ranked sides easily as they did it all season.

The murmurs about the system not being fair to higher ranked teams is unjust I believe as well, since in its inception, no team has won the title from outside the top 4, with this year possibly being the only exclusion.

I agree, also people point out that teams 3-4 can be out of the finals after week 1 but it have never happened. I prefer the macintyre system to the AFL system, and although it not perfect atm its the best there is.

Other critism is that the dragons had to travel to play the 6th placed broncos after a loss, this can easily be changed without having to change the system imo but I dont like rewarding teams that have lost in week 1. I would also have a problem if St George expected to play melbourne in sydney the week after had they made it, why should melbourne lose their advantage for performing?

 

[ostrich20]

Agree, as the current system is anyway, if you lose in the first week (even though you came first), it should be uphill from there and you shouldn't be getting any easy ride into the GF by getting home advantages.

 

[Southernsaint]

The amount of teams in the competition is too large to only support a 5 finals system anyway. You would have teams out of the race by week 8-10. The five finals system is not only a crap concept in the current climate on that basis, but it will also financially cripple the game.

Bring back the Panasonic / KB Cup for the teams not involved after Winter.

At this stage we reward the mediocrity of Parra over the majority of the season and now they are 50/50 at winning the comp??

Even if I was a Souths fan I would be saying this, no Sour Grapes here...

 

[Dogs Of War]

I do believe the final eight, in whatever format, rewards mediocrity. Parra didn't have to play footy at all in the first 16-17 weeks of the competition and have since gone on to win however many games to be in the Grand Final. That's a kick to the teeth to teams like the Saints, Dogs and Titans who were reasonably consistent all year.

No doubting Parra have been too good in the last few months but for them to have done nothing for the first half of the comp is hard to take as a fan of a club who played great footy all year, just to fall at the last hurdle of a long long year.

So how do you feel about the Dogs winning in 1995? Should we hand back our premiership? We did the exact same thing Parra is doing this year.

 

[Southernsaint]

So how do you feel about the Dogs winning in 1995? Should we hand back our premiership? We did the exact same thing Parra is doing this year.

You only beat Saints on a Dean Pay / John Timu shepherd, don't kid yourselves...

Still angry about that one.

I was a teenager and got my first ride that day, very memorable.

 

[Anon]

I don't know if the top 5 was the perfect system but I do know that the current system, that in previous years has allowed teams who have lost more games they they won during the year to qualify is a joke.

 

[Ridders]

Having a top 5 system would be financial suicide for a game.

 

[Meth]

I do believe the final eight, in whatever format, rewards mediocrity. Parra didn't have to play footy at all in the first 16-17 weeks of the competition and have since gone on to win however many games to be in the Grand Final. That's a kick to the teeth to teams like the Saints, Dogs and Titans who were reasonably consistent all year.

No doubting Parra have been too good in the last few months but for them to have done nothing for the first half of the comp is hard to take as a fan of a club who played great footy all year, just to fall at the last hurdle of a long long year.

Should Parramatta win the Grand Final, or even if they don't, there achievement should not be negated by the fact that they finished the regular season in 8th position.

To beat teams 1, 2 and 3 confirms that they are the form team in the competition at the moment and have been for around the last 3 months. A big part of winning this competition is coming into form at the right time and Parramatta have done so- it will be a thrill to see the win the premiership from 8th position.

Whatever you think about the finals system is irrelevant- every team is on the same playing field.

Parramatta have not been rewarded for mediocrity- they have been rewarded for their brilliance and their resilience.

Bulldogs fell at the penultimate hurdle, not the final hurdle. Either way, in hurdles, if you fall at the first hurdle or the final hurdle, you fall before the finish line, and what position you were in when you fell matters not.

 

[ostrich20]

Bring back the Panasonic / KB Cup for the teams not involved after Winter.

At this stage we reward the mediocrity of Parra over the majority of the season and now they are 50/50 at winning the comp??

Even if I was a Souths fan I would be saying this, no Sour Grapes here...

We don't reward mediocrity. It would be a reward if the Eels would have to play 5th just to get through to the second week, like in the AFL system.

You make the finals in 8th and have to place the best side all year in the first week of the finals. If the Dragons can't managed to beat a side that has been mediocre for most of the season than that is there problem. Parramatta have then had to go and play 2 and 3 and could well play 4 to win the GF, thus they have beaten all the top 4 sides this year consecutively to win the GF. doesn't look like so easy to me.

Every year apart from the last two years have ended in the 1st team moving straight to the prelims and eighth exitiing.

Results speak from themselves.

a five finals system thus isn't financially viable, and just wouldn't work in the NRL today, have 12 teams then maybe.

 

[Azkatro]

The logical conclusion to problems like the half-a-season teams we're getting like Parramatta is to place more emphasis on winning the comp - by winning the comp I mean, what is currently known as the JJ Giltinan Shield, or "minor" premiership.

All the experts (quite rightly) talk about the finals as starting over, so why not formalise it? Make the minor premiership *the* premiership, and use the final positions of teams as seeding for an end of season cup competition.

The old City Cup competition that was run up until the end of the 1950's was so popular that one season (1925) was ended prematurely in order to start the City Cup comp sooner.

 

[taxidriver]

I do believe the final eight, in whatever format, rewards mediocrity. Parra didn't have to play footy at all in the first 16-17 weeks of the competition and have since gone on to win however many games to be in the Grand Final. That's a kick to the teeth to teams like the Saints, Dogs and Titans who were reasonably consistent all year.

No doubting Parra have been too good in the last few months but for them to have done nothing for the first half of the comp is hard to take as a fan of a club who played great footy all year, just to fall at the last hurdle of a long long year.

x2

 

[simostorm]

As I trawl the internet looking for replacements for the Macintyre System and the AFL Final Eight, it seems like the good old Final Five from the NSWRL is the best system...

No dud teams, it rewards consistency (fifth place back in the day was hard to achieve), and every game meant something.

Bring back the Final Five.

PS: In full disclosure, this is being typed me me in my "Alive In The Five" 1993 Saints shirt...

Your blameing the top 8 system cos your team was a pathetic joke when it counted the most.
haha..
Why dont you entitle your post..
A top 8 system that StGeorge wont Choke on..

 

[Y2Eel]

Bring back the Panasonic / KB Cup for the teams not involved after Winter.

At this stage we reward the mediocrity of Parra over the majority of the season and now they are 50/50 at winning the comp??

Even if I was a Souths fan I would be saying this, no Sour Grapes here...

:lol::lol: Suck it!

 

[Y2Eel]

I do believe the final eight, in whatever format, rewards mediocrity. Parra didn't have to play footy at all in the first 16-17 weeks of the competition and have since gone on to win however many games to be in the Grand Final. That's a kick to the teeth to teams like the Saints, Dogs and Titans who were reasonably consistent all year.

No doubting Parra have been too good in the last few months but for them to have done nothing for the first half of the comp is hard to take as a fan of a club who played great footy all year, just to fall at the last hurdle of a long long year.

So we should make it a top 4 system seeing as though every other team behind the Storm pretty much had a poor start or ending to the season... :lol::lol: Cry me a river!!


BTW to go the Final 5 there would have to be a few extra games during the season meaning Parra would most Definitely make it in the 5 meaning the Dragons and bulldogs would be out anyway..

 

[thommo4pm]

I do believe the final eight, in whatever format, rewards mediocrity. Parra didn't have to play footy at all in the first 16-17 weeks of the competition and have since gone on to win however many games to be in the Grand Final. That's a kick to the teeth to teams like the Saints, Dogs and Titans who were reasonably consistent all year.

No doubting Parra have been too good in the last few months but for them to have done nothing for the first half of the comp is hard to take as a fan of a club who played great footy all year, just to fall at the last hurdle of a long long year.

Could not agree more.

Very well said.