*Official* NRL 2011 Season thread

[howardj]

That time of the year again to teee off at the McIntyre Finals system.

That two games this weekend could be absolutely meaningless (finals games no less, when every match is meant to mean a whole heap) is the ultimate indictment on this system.

That is, if Manly and Melbourne win, then it simply does not matter who wins out of Broncos v Warrirors, and St George v West Tigers. The winner of those games gets the same treatment as the loser....a sudden death game in the following week.

Yes, I know Manly or Melbourne could lose this week. That's not the point. The point is that every finals game should mean a whole lot. Under this system, there is a better than even chance that two games from the first week will mean nothing. Any system that even carries that possibility is flawed and should be scrapped.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Agree with howard here; whatever happens in the 3v6 & 4v5 games is completely determined by other results. Seems a nonsense.

 

[Prince EWS]

That is, if Manly and Melbourne win, then it simply does not matter who wins out of Broncos v Warrirors, and St George v West Tigers. The winner of those games gets the same treatment as the loser....a sudden death game in the following week.

The winners get home city games against Week 1 losers though while the losers get away city games against Week 1 winners, so it's not completely the same.

 

[howardj]

That's true, but I think there should be more difference in terms of reward/punishment for the team that wins compared to the team that loses in games 3.v 6 and 4 v 5 in the first week.

Another thing I don't like, from a spectator standpoint, is that watching the game you don't actually know what the consequences are for a loss or a win. Conceivably, you could be watching your team play it's last game of the season, or they could be winning their way through to the preliminary final in Week 3. As a spectator, you just do not know.

 

[morgieb]

The winners get home city games against Week 1 losers though while the losers get away city games against Week 1 winners, so it's not completely the same.

Well yeah, but they don't get complete home ground advantage either....

 

[howardj]

Thaiday has plead guilty and will cop two weeks.

Bastards.

I reckon the Warriors are a huge chance this weekend, and would take great confidence from their performance up here a few short weeks ago.

 

[Prince EWS]

Warriors are specials this week.

 

[Ausage]

I'm a big fan of McIntyre for reasons I've gone into previously. It gives a very pronounced benefit to teams 1 and 2, while each team beneath that gets a progressively tougher road. Any of the top 6 teams could be playing for a week off, and any team below 2 could be playing to be knocked out. There's always a lot riding on the outcome of every single match, even matches which don't feature your team, moreso than the AFL system.

When you compare it to the AFL system, 1 and 2 have it much better under McIntyre, while 3-4 have it probably marginally worse. 5-6 probably have it marginally better under McIntyre (chance for a week off but play a tougher opponent), while 7-8 are far less likely to even make it past the first round. The downside is that it has more theoretical uncompetetive games (1v8 and 2v7) than the AFL model (1v4 and 2v3) but in a comp like the NRL that is usually pretty even I think it's not such a big deal.

 

[Mister Wright]

There's a lot riding on each match this week. What I really like is that each team knows it is a must win. Unless you finish in the top 2 you are not guaranteed of progressing, so to say there is nothing riding on each game is a bit of a stretch. Just like last year, where we saw team 2 and 3 lose. It was very conceivable if Manly had of beaten the Dragons the Tigers could have been knocked out after finishing 3rd. As it was the Warriors who finished 5th were knocked out.

 

[howardj]

I'm cold on McIntyre

3rd place this year finished with 4 more wins than 6th place - that's a lot more success. And yet, if 3rd beats 6th this Saturday, both teams (should teams 1 and 2 win) will be thrust into an elimination game next weekend. So 3rd has four more wins than 6th during the home and away season, then beats them this weekend , but both teams are then placed on an equal footing for week two of the finals. Now, I accept that that may not happen (as Melbourne or Manly may get beat) but we're talking about the system itself here. And any system that even allows for such an inequitable outcome, is flawed.

I like the AFL system which largely puts the top four on an equal footing and the bottom four on an equal footing. If we apply it to NRL this year, at the end of the home and away season, there is often little difference between 5 and 8 on the ladder (for instance in the NRL this year, only one point separates teams 5 and 7) and very little difference between the top four after the home and away season (for instance only one win separates the top three teams in the NRL this year).

Top foru and bottom four is a good way to separate it - and with each match definitely having consequences.

That said, I am still looking forward to the games this weekend. If Warriors v Brisbane is anything like last month, it will be a cracker! I also think tbe Cowboys are a sneaky chance at the SFS. The highlight though will be Saints v Tigers.

Love September.

 

[Mister Wright]

I'm of the opinion is that they are effectively two different seasons. The pre-finals season where you try to get the best position possible for the finals and then the finals part of the season. It should be as cut throat as possible in the finals. I like the effective sudden-death nature of the finals.

 

[Johnners]

Tigers looking pretty good here, and should get better in the coming weeks week if Lawrence comes back for Matt "Nugget" Utai.

 

[_Ed_]

Sheesh. The Warriors are lucky NZ sports fans are distracted at the moment. That was ugly.

 

[Prince EWS]

Sheesh. The Warriors are lucky NZ sports fans are distracted at the moment. That was ugly.

Yeah, they were ****ing awful. Brisbane were pretty good as expected but they weren't 40-10 in a semi-final good; the Warriors were their own worst enemies.

 

[NUFAN]

Completely agree with Howard here, the only thing I like more about AFL, is the finals series system.

Also, Gus mentioned it last night, but I've been thinking about it too, if a team misses a week during the finals series for winning, that week should count as a week on a players suspension. I was going to raise the point if Broncos had a week off, that it should count for Thaiday, but the same applies for Glenn Stewart and Manly now.

The NRL Finals Series is awesome from week 2 onwards though, can't wait for the likely Broncos vs Dragons match.

 

[howardj]

^ YOu're a good good man. Yeah, I'm not against weeks 2-4 of the finals, it's just the first week that needs to be changed. Like if the Storm win today, Brisbane for all intents are in the same position as the Warriors (i.e. a sudden death game next week), despite the fact that we finished 3rd, they finished 6th, we had four more wins than them during the season, AND we just pumped them by 30 points in the first week of the finals.

It's poo

 

[howardj]

oooh the Saints next week....a dam buster!!!

 

[BoyBrumby]

Wow. Fair to say not too many saw that result coming.

Haven't seen it. Choke from Wests or Warriors finally standing up?

 

[Son Of Coco]

Should be a good game tonight. Don't really care who wins, but wouldn't mind seeing the Broncos get up given it's Lockyer's last season. Have a sneaky suspicion they will.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Would've got a kick out of seeing Parker penalised for an incorrect play the ball after he got pole-axed in that tackle leading up to the try, even though it would've been ridiculously harsh...I still can't shake this dislike for the Broncos, despite Locky.

Has been a good start to the match though. Some quality footy. The Broncos young blokes have been playing so well, even that young Pommy guy Jack Reed.

EDIT: Such a bad mistake from Gasnier...