The NRL are looking at introducing a Wildcard Weekend as early as 2020, which will see 10 teams in a new-look finals system.
The proposal, which has been shown to clubs and broadcasters around the country, will see teams that finish ninth and 10th on the NRL ladder given the opportunity to play off for a spot in the finals series.
Over the Wildcard Weekend, two matches would take place. Seventh would face 10th, and eighth would face ninth.
All the six remaining finalists would have a week off.
The teams that finish fifth and sixth would then play elimination games against the two winners of the Wildcard Weekend, with the top four sides to play qualifying finals as usual.
The remainder of the finals series would play out as usual.
If this format was used in the 2018 season, the Tigers and Raiders would have been given the chance to play finals football after finishing ninth and 10th respectively.
Not sold on the idea if you finish 9th and 10th you haven’t performed well enough throughout the season to play finals
Exactly, the current finals format works well anyway they don’t need to mess with that. There’s also so many other reasons not to do it this way aswell
Exactly, the current finals format works well anyway they don’t need to mess with that. There’s also so many other reasons not to do it this way
Souffves Sydney will definitely vote for the change because the majority of their seasons, barring 2000 and 2001 when they did not even register on the wooden spoon ricter scale due to being booted out for being continually an “Embarrassment Of The League” since 1972 onwards have finished in reach of tenth place to have a crack at a wild card entry. Any team that purchases a couple of Million dollars on unknown rejects are well prepared to qualify for a wild card entry.😩😵😂😆🤣😁🤣😆😂🤣😆
I don’t see the point, other than adding another couple of games to the season.
You can call it “wildcard weekend”, or whatever you want, but it’s just extending the finals to the top 10 teams instead of the top 8, and in a 16 team comp?
Maybe, although I still don’t really like it, if/when we expand to a 18 team comp.
This is about the dumbest thing I have heard of in rugby league.
How about you fix the plethora of problems plaguing the game before you start trying to introduce garbage like this.
Don’t mind having a top 7 and let the bottom few play for the last spot in the 8. But don’t expand it to the top 10 for the sake of TV coverage!
Finishing 10th place in a 16 team competition shouldn’t give you the opportunity for a finals birth.
Maybe if the NRL expanded with a few new teams to 18 it’d be slightly more logical.
No no no
Dumb idea and is only another money spinner for the NRL. No team in the history of Rugby League during the McIntyre Final Eight System or the revised system has won the premiership from outside of the top four.
Two teams have made the Grand Final from eighth Parra 2009 and Nth Qld 2017,
Three teams qualified for a grand final from out side the top four Warriors 6th 2011, Nth Qld 5th 2005, Saints 6th 1999
What hope has 7,8,9,10 got if they have to play another game extra to win the premiership while 1,2,3,4,5,6 get a week off to be fully fit from niggling injuries. Totally stupid idea.
If they just leave it the way it is now with a top eight one day some team will win it from the 7th or 8th position playing four games to take the title. but they will have absolutely no hope if they must play 5 games to win the title. Parramatta should of and almost did win it from eighth in 2009 with a great contest and close score line only to find out Melbourne CHEATED THE CAP. This title when stripped from Melbourne should have been awarded to Parramatta.
Keep the eight system as is. If it ain’t broke then don’t try to fix it. Last season s top eight was only 2 points separating 1st to 8th. and the year before 8th made the grand final. Leave it alone I believe we are on the verge of a bottom four team winning the premiership by winning 4 games but never 5. Manly was the exception in 1978 when they won 4 games and drew two to take the title but even that great team still could not win 5 straight. 💪🐔🎱🎱🎱🎱🎱🎱🎱🎱🎱🎱🎱
“Three teams qualified for a grand final from out side the top four Warriors 6th 2011, Nth Qld 5th 2005, Saints 6th 1999”
What about the Chooks in 2010 💪🐔
You are 100% spot on there moggo61. At 98yrs old I sometimes forget the most important facts. Go the Roosters. 💪🐔👍
“”What hope has 7,8,9,10 got if they have to play another game extra to win the premiership while 1,2,3,4,5,6 get a week off to be fully fit from niggling injuries.””
That i totally agree with above . . its now a penalty if you finish 7th / 8th which is probably on points difference half of the time.
This idea is as stupid as the comments that come out of Woodheads mouth
Redv13 I know your a twit but what section of my comment do you dislike❔❓❔❓ Seems to me you agree with me that it is a dumb idea. So looks like the only stupoid comment is your one for admitting you agree with me. Saint Clown🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡——😵😩😆😂🤣😁
Your 1st comment ya muppet, rambling crap as usual 💩💩💩
Facts redv13 or what ever other redv number you post as during the season. I said souffs would votr for it because they have only made the proper semifinals on 13 occasions since 1972 that’s 13 of 47 seasons. If they have a chance of making the semis from two positions outside the Top eight then they will vote awith a YES PLEASE. It would probably benefit Saints also with that horrible history they have of end of season fades. if you guys fade out of the eight into tenth then you can participate in the make believe flop semis.between 10-7🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡clown.
Yep Bad idea
If they want something to fix or change
STOP letting the ref’s get away with bad bloody call. If a ref gets it wrong, it needs to be addressed I think that the NRL needs to look into the ref’s doing a media press conference the same as the captains and coachers have to do. Maybe would answer some questions that the fans would like to know or for them to step up and say they got the call wrong. What sh#t me is when something dose happen in a game the ref’s boss comes out after the game and always say the ref’s got it right, there never accountable r anything , they have No Rulz an sh#t if a coach looks at them that’s a 20k fine. Poor coachers r under the pump and the ref’s r sitting on the beach somewhere drinking margaritas with pressure well I think it time for CHANGE NRL.
This is Rubbish. Just proves the NRL only care about $$$$$. All it does is Reward mediocrity. Whats the point of playing 24 rounds of footy. May as well start the finals in March and let everyone play. Clowns.
ManWar69er you forgot the 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡. If you want to be a Tradesman CLOWN caller, one must display the clowns. Clown🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤣😁
Ok here you go you CLOWN. 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜
Now your getting the hang of it. I have had better apprentices but I will give you your trade ticket for being a Clown Name Caller. Clown 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔ Ok your a Tradesman Clown caller🤡😁
Thanks mate. I feel privileged to learn from the greatest 🥜clown 🤡 of all!
Great!
Lets reward mediocrity!
Why not have a top 10 finals and a playoff for the wooden spoon between the bottom two teams?
Teams that finish 11th to 14th could play a nines comp in between for tv.
Kelby you are onto a winner with the last two placed teams play off for the Wooden Spoon, especially if they are equal on premiership points like in 2009 when the Roosters finished equal last on 14 points with Cronulla’s Sutherland Shire, they unfortunately gave the spoon to us even though we defeated Cronulla twice in the Premiership games Round 8 and round 16 we won by the exact same score 19-12. and proved we were better than Cronulla but we got the spoon. A play off is need in future.😆😂🤣😁
Another dumb idea from Dumb and Dumber. If you finish this far down the ladder it’s season over and back to the drawing board.
I think we should expand the whole wildcard idea. Let’s have 7 through 14 play a round robin over 2 days and that way all but the spooners and penultimate spooners can get a chance to play finals despite being sh!te all year. Or we could allow everyone into the finals and reward the duds, a bit like schools not being able to tell kids they are dumb or are wrong.
I hope this is just the NRL throwing out a distraction and not a serious idea.
Yes suspect its like what politicians do to distract from the big agendas. In this case all the player misbehaviour and negative headlines. That is what Beatie brings to the game. SPIN.
This is the garbage Beattie brings to the game.
Whether you like this idea or loathe it, you have to give the NRL a little bit of credit for finally thinking of something new. In our game we have taken the idea of status quo to new heights so what a breath of fresh air to see a bit of innovative thinking. Well done NRL, lets see some more ideas.