Mar 11 2008
Rugby League – a battle for survival
I am quite excited. Here we are on the cusp of a new Rugby League season, Formula 1 season and we have just seen Casey Stoner win the first round of this seasons MotoGP.
With the Autumn carnival firing up it is a great time to be a sports fan.
However, I propose this be the last season of set teams in the NRL competition. A big statement maybe but hear me out.
The NRL should adapt the system used in English Premier League soccer where teams drop down divisions or are ‘relegated’ and other teams who win their respective competitions and promoted to a higher grade.
The NRL remains the same throughout the season and all the teams play their relevant round robin games. At the end of the season the bottom four teams play off in the finals just as the winning teams do but on grand final day we have two teams playing off in a desperate attempt to NOT be relegated.
The NRL second division would comprise of a group of teams from Sydney and Brisbane league competitions that are separated out halfway through their local league comps and play off against each other over the second half of the season to qualify for the finals. We then get down to two teams who play off on grand final day as well for the promotion spot.
Dream with me for just a moment, the Browns Plains Bears finally reach their full potential as they lure me out of retirement; barely qualify for the second division, then turn on a successive wins streak that launches the Bears onto the grandest stage of them all, Grand Final Day! a chance to win into the big time, its the stuff that movies are made of.
Think of how good grand final day could, it would be an actual GRAND FINAL day, three top games of football for absolutely ALL of the marbles. It could be the single greatest day in sport for the whole year and one I would take three days off work for, one to prepare and one recover from. Even more days off if I am included in the bears run on side.
Please oh please NRL, hear me!
I have actually hoped for something like this myself. I also think it would be a great way to finish the season off with a few games that will totally change the landscape for the season to come. It would certainly get some attention.
Great idea but couldn’t imagine holding a 1st division game at the Browns stains bears home ground with out a major infrastructure injection.
Simple fix is that all the games are held at SFS or Suncorp or QE2 or north syd oval.
There are heaps of grounds that only get used once a fortnight.
Or if they can’t do this what about an FA cup style comp half way though the season? Split into states or areas for the first few rounds to keep costs down.
If you put up $1m in prize money for the winners then you would get serious attention.
Also SJ, you had me until you mentioned about coming out of retirement………can you make future ideas less about you and more about the good of the game…….please mate.
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Thank you Tiger. Maybe you could talk to your employers marketing people about a sponsorship deal for such an event. I agree with your thoughts about using those Suncorp, QEII and the other ‘white elephants’ we have built around the place.
It is likely that I will be called out of retirment soon so I am only writing about an actual news event. Sorry if that upsets you.
SJ
Love it, love it, LOVE IT!!!!
What a fantastic idea. I think the European soccer setup is a brilliant model for the NRL to aim for.
Another idea to add in…… instead of having 2 teams play for the World Club Challenge (how is it a world club challenge when only 2 countries contest it anyway??) run it in a similar style to the Euro Champions League. The top 4 teams in Aust go against the top 4 from NZ, England, France, Wales and any other 2 bob country that wants to throw their hat in the ring.
Sponsors will love it, crowds will love it and the bean counters will love it!!
Tiger…love the FA Cup style knockout comp idea also. Shirvy will be the first captain/coach in the comp since Wally was at the Seagulls
Maybe we could email this to Mr Gallop?? david@nrl.com.au ??