The Roar
The NRL finals format is always questioned at this time of year but with the competition moving to 17 teams next year, is it time to tweak the system?
For the first time since 1994, there will be more teams missing the playoffs than qualifying.
This means the NRL is not rewarding mediocrity with a side unlikley to be sneaking into eighth spot with a losing record.
In the 2022 season, the Broncos missed the cut despite having a 13-11 record while St George Illawarra’s three late wins meant they went 12-12 but finished 10th.
The NRL has considered the possibility of a 10-team finals system where the top six teams automatically qualify and the teams ranked 7-10 playoff for the last two spots.
There has also been plenty of conjecture about stadium hosting rights in the finals following the controversial decision to allow Penrith and Cronulla to host week-one matches at their suburban stadiums instead of larger venues in Sydney.
Experts Roar – Finals format
I would leave the current top-eight system as it is apart from one small alteration.
The current set-up rewards teams enough if they finish in the top four with a home-ground advantage and then a week off for the two highest-placed winners.
What I would consider would be rewarding the winning teams from the first round with hosting rights in the second week so Raiders vs Parramatta would be at Canberra and Rabbitohs vs Sharks would be at Accor Stadium.
Canberra Raiders (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
When the NRL expands to 18 teams, hopefully by 2026 or ’27 at the latest, the NRL should revive the wildcard weekend idea. Give the top six teams the week off to freshen up the best talent for the playoffs and let the next four teams battle it out for the last two finals berths.
The naysayers will say nay, as they do, because it rewards mediocrity but that’s missing the point – those four teams would have little to no chance of going all the way to the Grand Final by winning five straight matches, particularly if they’re facing rested opponents in an Elimination Final.
It would also create more interest in the final month of the season for the teams in the middle to lower end of the table, boosting crowds and TV ratings, which in theory should make the NRL a more valuable product, if administered professionally.
The top eight system is pretty decent in that it’s designed to create a month’s worth of fixtures and does that well. The old system didn’t really make any regard between finishing 1st and 4th, so that wasn’t great, and this one affords the double chance.
My major gripe would be that it rewards mediocrity: this top eight is the first one in a long time where all teams have actually been good, and usually someone with a losing or even record makes it.