The NRL has a lot of momentum at the moment and future expansion provides opportunities to fix some of the scheduling issues of the NRL competition and State of Origin and enhance the finals series.
I have proposed the following changes to achieve the following aims:
– Protect player welfare
– Maximise revenue
– Improve the integrity of the NRL competition
– Promote NRLW
– Allow the NRL competition and State of Origin to co-exist and reduce their impacts on each other
This would work for 18 to 20 teams. If there were 19 teams for a period of time, you would add an extra round to accommodate the bye each week.
It would be worthwhile to reduce the total amount of rounds but at least have a few rounds to enable teams to play some traditional rivals twice a year.
With a 24-round competition with 20 teams, each team would play each team once, and have an additional three derby/rivalry games and two byes.
There will be a total of 22 matches before the final series -a reduction of two matches from now.
Table of Contents
NRL and Origin
Rounds 1 to 11 – full rounds, including Vegas and Magic Round.
Round 12 – reduced round – Group 1 byes. Each club will be placed in either Group 1 or Group 2 for the byes over the Origin period.
NRL Origin 1 – played on Wednesday Night.
Round 13 – reduced round – Group 1 byes (optional to play for Group 2 Origin players) and also have NRLW Origin 1.
Round 14 – reduced round – Group 2 byes.
NRL Origin 2 – played on Wednesday Night.
Round 15 – reduced round – Group 2 byes (optional to play for Group 1 Origin players) and also have NRLW Origin 2.
Round 16 – full round.
Zac Lomax of the Blues. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Representative Round
– NRL Origin 3
– NRLW Origin 3
– U21 Men and Women’s Origin
– NSW Cup vs QLD Cup rep clash
– Pacific Internationals involving NZ, Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, PNG, Fiji
Clubs can run community engagement days with players not involved.
Rounds 17 – 24 (25 for 19 teams) – full rounds.
This schedule allows the Origin series to be more condensed, but still allows sufficient recovery, and finish a week and a half earlier.
Players will potentially only miss one round of NRL for their club due to Origin duties. It gives sufficient preparation time before games one and two.
There is a guaranteed mid-season break for players not involved in Origin games one and two as each team gets two consecutive byes.
This will result in improved player welfare by allowing a holiday break with family, giving time to get over niggling injuries and mentally refresh, especially for some of the younger players.
There will be less disruption to the NRL season. Only four rounds of the NRL Competition in total affected by byes (currently it is six) and more international rugby league.
I think it would be too much of a stoppage to the regular season to have three standalone Origin weekends and harmful to overall revenue.
It would be difficult for players to maintain intensity over three weekends in a row of Origin matches.
This proposal would maintain two Wednesday night Origins which would maximise ratings.
(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images for RLWC)
The third Origin could be played on a Sunday night.
Date/time schedule determined for last three rounds (22 – 24) to maximise TV coverage of preferred matches following completion of Round 17.
Final Series
Time for a 10-team finals series that combines a top-eight knockout finals system with the previous McIntyre system for Week 1 of the finals, and providing a bye weekend before the grand final.
A wild card playoff involving teams 11 and 12 would be pointless and rewards mediocrity. If you can’t make the top 10, you are not really adding anything to the finals series.
I know some would argue if you are not top four you are not really adding anything. A top 10 would still ensure most teams are in contention towards the end of the season.
A bye before the finals start also kills momentum and, currently, the NRL benefits from the AFL having a bye weekend at the start of their final series.
The week off before the grand final would be more beneficial as it avoids having players ruled out for minor concussions and maximises the chances of both teams being as competitive as possible.
It is only a matter of time before a big-name player is going to be ruled out of a GF due to sustaining a ‘Category 1’ concussion in the week before, despite feeling like they are right to play.
It allows both teams in the decider to be refreshed leading to a better contest.
Currently, if a team has to play every weekend of the finals, they are virtually busted by the time they get to the grand final.
Knights players celebrate with the NRLW Premiership Trophy. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
It also allows the NRLW grand final not to be overshadowed by the men’s finals and is good promotion for the finals of the State Cups.
It also ensures judiciary hearings are less disruptive and the Dally M awards can be held at a more convenient time and grand final teams can hold fan days on the bye weekend.
At the moment, it is very difficult for any team to come through and win a grand final from outside the top four.
A team that currently gets no week off at all before the grand final will always struggle against a team that did manage to get a week off.
This proposed format achieves a better balance between rewarding the top four teams and ensuring other teams are in with a fighting chance, creating a better final series.
The top three teams would be guaranteed an extra chance. Teams six to 10 would all have to win for team four to drop out after the first week.
Finals Week 1
Game A – 5 v 6
Game B – 4 vs 7
Game C – 3 vs 8
Game D – 2 vs 9
Game E – 1 vs 10
Bottom two losers will drop out.
A top eight will then be created based on the results and it will become a knockout draw from then on – similar to a tennis tournament draw.
Sharks celebrate during the 2016 NRL Grand Final. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Finals Week 2 (Quarter-Finals)
Game F – Highest winner vs 3rd highest loser (1 v 8)
Game G – 2nd highest winner vs 2nd highest loser (2 v 7)
Game H – 3rd Highest winner vs Highest loser (3 v 6)
Game I – 4th highest winner vs 5th highest winner (4 v 5)
Finals Week 3 (Semi-Finals)
Game J – Winner of Game F v Winner of Game I
Game K – Winner of game G vs Winner of game H
Winners of both games go through to the Grand Final.
Finals Week 4
NRLW grand final
NSW Cup grand final
QLD Cup grand final
This will be a bye weekend before NRL Grand Final.
Finals Week 5 (NRL Grand Final)
NRL Grand Final
U21 Grand Final
NSW Cup vs QLD Cup Interstate Championship
Other entertainment
We are at the dawn of an exciting new era for the NRL and a revised schedule and finals format is vital to capitalise upon that.
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