Conference system

[glebe tiger]

Conference system is terrible idea. The NRL is already thin with quality players. It's not fair to the out of Sydney conference with the amount of travel they need to do. The NRL's obsession with trying to make the comp some sort of tv bonanza need to chill and take reality check for a second. The comp is very lopsided atm and this system would take away the travel aspects the Sydney teams need to do for far away teams. That in itself wouldn't be fair on the out of Sydney conference. You need the constant advantage and disadvantages of playing teams at home and away wherever they are.

 

[Tiger_Bond]

I love the conference idea. I’ve suggested the EXACT idea for years with a slight difference in the finals system.

The final system should be made up of 4 top teams from each conference and the finals system should stay the same.

Final system should be as follows:
Team 1A vs 2B
Team 2A vs 1B

Winners get a week off (losers get 2nd chance and play winners of next 4)

Team 3C vs 4D
Team 4C vs 3D

Losers knocked out

Highest ranked team in each game gets home advantage at any stage and same with grand final based on for and against in finals competition.

For example if teams 1A and 1B meet in the grand final than the team with the best for/against percentage in the finals series gets the grand final in their capital city.

 

[innsaneink]

I guess fans of Sydney teams interstate won't like it either

 

[mike]

I love the conference idea. I’ve suggested the EXACT idea for years with a slight difference in the finals system.

The final system should be made up of 4 top teams from each conference and the finals system should stay the same.

Final system should be as follows:
Team 1A vs 2B
Team 2A vs 1B

Winners get a week off (losers get 2nd chance and play winners of next 4)

Team 3C vs 4D
Team 4C vs 3D

Losers knocked out

Highest ranked team in each game gets home advantage at any stage and same with grand final based on for and against in finals competition.

For example if teams 1A and 1B meet in the grand final than the team with the best for/against percentage in the finals series gets the grand final in their capital city.

From a Sydney (say conference S) perspective that’s probably a better way to do it. What if the Others ( say conference O) never get to the grand final because conference S is stronger. Or the other way around if Conference O is stronger and no team from Conference S ever gets to a Grand Final. They way it is proposed ensures that a team from each conference is in the Grand Final.

I don’t have a preference either way but I can see why they have chosen the final method they have. I do like the overall conference concept.

 

[the_third]

The next push will be a draft.

 

[Cairnstigers]

The top 8 teams from each year's should be in the one pool the following year
The bottom 8 teams should be in another pool
That way the best 4 teams from the bottom 4 get to play finals each year
Or we will likely still see the same teams play finals each year
This give an opportunity for teams like the Tigers to experience finals football
It also keeps all fans interested
And the travel patterns for each team are likely to be fair

Some might say that if a team in the top 8 can't make finals, then they might throw a few game to purposely go to the weaker 8 so they have a better chance of finals the following year
I think that's a chance we need to take

 

[twentyforty]

😂 Last year I suggested a split comp, and not a single poster thought it was a good idea. Maybe if I had used the word conference 25 times in the one paragraph? 😂
Seriously though, if this is the answer then undoubtedly the question is..
How can we expand (and cash in on) the SoO concept.?

 

[mike]

The next push will be a draft.

I like the draft as well. I know a lot don’t but I do as I think it evens up access to the talent pool.

 

[twentyforty]

The next push will be a draft.

I like the draft as well. I know a lot don’t but I do as I think it evens up access to the talent pool.

If a draft is introduced under the conference system, would it also be split?

 

[the_third]

The next push will be a draft.

I like the draft as well. I know a lot don’t but I do as I think it evens up access to the talent pool.

The afl has father son rules and academies. There is a way to give recognition/protection to some juniors across the board

Something has to be done about the teams. Rooster and or storm making the GF pretty much every year is a joke and devalues the product. I didn’t even watch the GF last year I had zero interest.

Far bigger problem than set restarts

 

[the_third]

The next push will be a draft.

I like the draft as well. I know a lot don’t but I do as I think it evens up access to the talent pool.

If a draft is introduced under the conference system, would it also be split?

Us sports don’t split it

 

[diedpretty]

I don't like the proposed final system.

I have been banging on about the exact setup of a conference system with Sydney and National for years. The sticking point i always come up against is the final series. The only way you can do it is the way suggested which doesn't guarantee the best 8 teams are in the finals or you can amalgamate the two points tables at the end of the 25 rounds and the top 8 sides go through to finals. The second scenario avoids the possibility of a weaker conference getting 4 sides in the finals.
Also under the first scenario you can either play all the minor finals in your own conference with the two eventual winners meeting in a grand final or the better option would be playing the minor finals cross conference i.e. 1 of conf A plays 2 of conf B etc.

 

[tigger]

I guess fans of Sydney teams interstate won't like it either

I don't think it will make too big a difference. In Vic, at most, I get to see the Tigers play live once a year. Sometimes not at all if we only have one game against Melbourne. So it's already a tv affair for me.

The biggest problem is that there just isn't enough quality players around for an even competition. Expanding the number of teams will make it worse. The only way I think that can be fixed is with a draft. We tried that once and the courts ruled it was a restraint of trade. I can't see a draft happening and, unless it does, I think further expansion is a terrible idea.

 

[Needaname]

Don’t mind it.
But not sure I agree with an all Sydney Conference.

Think the current system works really and In actual fact the draw is designed in a conference style but we just have one combined finals System.

Notice how we always play Bulldogs, Parramatta and Penrith, Home and Away
Brisbane always play Gold Coast and North Queensland, Home and Away also.
Raiders always play Melbourne And the Warriors Home and Away.
Souths, Roosters and Dragons always play home and away.

It ain’t broke so don’t tinker!

 

[mike]

Don’t mind it.
But not sure I agree with an all Sydney Conference.

Think the current system works really and In actual fact the draw is designed in a conference style but we just have one combined finals System.

Notice how we always play Bulldogs, Parramatta and Penrith, Home and Away
Brisbane always play Gold Coast and North Queensland, Home and Away also.
Raiders always play Melbourne And the Warriors Home and Away.
Souths, Roosters and Dragons always play home and away.

It ain’t broke so don’t tinker!

But it is broke and that's why it needs changing. Play each team in your conference twice would be huge fix. It's too easy to manipulate results through the draw in the current system where you only meet some teams once and others twice.

 

[Furious1]

Dumbest idea I've heard for a while

Couldn't agree more. Although having said that i'm anti expansion and pro draft.

 

[TCL]

I am not a fan of the idea, having said that i'm not a fan of the current system as well that has some teams playing each other twice and others once.

The NRL wants to increase revenue and they are on the right track by adding teams and increasing the number of games played.

I would like to see one comp where the Sydney teams play each other twice and the outside teams play each other twice and the two groups play each other once.

Increase the squad sizes so teams can rest players but do not increase the cap comparatively so teams cannot stack their squads with stars.

Im sure there are holes in my thinking but i think there are holes in the two conference system as well.

 

[Needaname]

Don’t mind it.
But not sure I agree with an all Sydney Conference.

Think the current system works really and In actual fact the draw is designed in a conference style but we just have one combined finals System.

Notice how we always play Bulldogs, Parramatta and Penrith, Home and Away
Brisbane always play Gold Coast and North Queensland, Home and Away also.
Raiders always play Melbourne And the Warriors Home and Away.
Souths, Roosters and Dragons always play home and away.

It ain’t broke so don’t tinker!


But it is broke and that's why it needs changing. Play each team in your conference twice would be huge fix. It's too easy to manipulate results through the draw in the current system where you only meet some teams once and others twice.

I’m just not sure it works that way.
One person mentioned a top 8 vs lower 8 conference. That I could get into.

 

[Jedi_Tiger]

i don't mind the concept of Sydney clubs vs Sydney clubs most weeks big games
maybe they could do a wildcard round perhaps that way the top team in each conference get the first week off in finals.
Rather than 1 v 4 and 2 v 3 etc it should be sprite conference e.g. 5 conference syd v 8 national conference and 5 national conference v 8 Sydney conference and the like.