I see today that the NRL looks like moving forward with a conference system from 2023, with the addition of two new teams; most likely in Brisbane and New Zealand. The conferences would be split between the Sydney teams and the rest, with the top four from each qualifying for the finals, and the top team from each contesting the Grand Final.
The idea has some merit. It gives the Sydney teams the opportunity to continue some of the rivalries that have been established over decades. Parramatta V Manly, Canterbury V Parramatta, Souths V Roosters, Souths V Wests Tigers, Souths V St George-Illawarra. Fans of those clubs would salivate at the thought of the home and away twice annual clashes.
It’s also good for the game in Queensland. The two Brisbane teams, Gold Coast and North Queensland would each play each other twice. That may increase the chances of having Queensland Cup games played as a curtain raiser to give more value for the price of a ticket. The same can be said in Sydney.
However, the proposed finals format has some problems. Under the current proposal we would never see Manly play Parramatta in a Grand Final again. We’d never see Canberra fight it out against Brisbane (the original idea behind the 1995 Super League, and a Grand Final that still has not eventuated). No more Melbourne V anyone not from Sydney.
It would guarantee a Sydney based team in the Grand Final every single year. Not fantastic if you’re a fan of any team outside of the spiritual home of Australian Rugby League. Yet one may argue that the Grand Final itself may and perhaps should be shopped around as the Super Bowl is in the USA. After all, this whole concept of conferences comes from the National Football League.
So, how to fix it before it gets broken? There are two options. The first is the easiest. Keep the competition united during the season as competition points accrue, and the top eight functions as normal. This option could potentially favour a weaker conference though, with an imbalance between the qualifiers. One can imagine Souths, Roosters and Penrith finishing well ahead of their conference rivals, and taking the top spots in the eight. But rugby league fortunes are cyclical, so swings and roundabouts….
If the NRL are set on having the top four from each conference qualify for the finals, there must be some provision for two teams from the same conference to contest the Grand Final, especially if they are easily identifiable as the best teams in the competition.
So, for the sake of the argument, let’s say the Sydney conference has Souths, Roosters, Parramatta and Penrith qualify. The regional conference (for lack of a better marketing guru’s term) sees Melbourne finish ahead of Canberra, Newcastle and the Warriors.
In week one, Souths beat Roosters and Penrith beat Parramatta. Melbourne defeats Canberra, and the Warriors beat Newcastle. Parramatta and Newcastle are eliminated..
Week two sees Souths and Melbourne have a rest, while the top losing teams play the winners of the knockout games, but in cross-conference games. This would see Roosters V Warriors and Penrith V Canberra. The winners would play the team on the opposite side of the draw in week three. For example, if Roosters beat the Warriors, they would play Melbourne. The winner of Penrith V Canberra (let’s say Penrith) would play Souths. This system allows for teams from the same conference to play in the Grand Final.
Week four would see the winner of Penrith V Souths up against the winner of Melbourne V Roosters in the Grand Final. It would ensure that some of the great rivalries of the game have a chance to continue to add to the history of the game.