Broncos Vs. Dragons *SPOILER*

[Charmamba]

Agree with jim. The comp is too even for mcintyre to work.

I don't think there's much advantage playing team 4 either though.

Best bet is to let team 1 pick their opponent out of the bottom 4 of the 8.

Isnt the super league doing something similar this yr? they said something about that on todays game on 9.

 

[Kimlo]

Did anyone see Soward wrap his arms around Folau to stop him jumping for the bomb that Sailor ended up catching? Should have been a penalty right then... It was early on in the game or was i the only one to see this?

I saw this and went off. He got tackled without the ball.... Thought I was the only one who saw it lol.

 

[bigjim]

It's difficult to know what system would work best. You want to give top four teams some privilege for finishing top four but you don't want to advantage them to greatly or on the other side of the coin, disadvantage those teams finishing 5-8.
I'm glad Broncos beat Dragons but do feel probably a little unfair that they had to come to Suncorp in the second week because they lost in the first week.

 

[ningnangnong]

I'm glad Broncos beat Dragons but do feel probably a little unfair that they had to come to Suncorp in the second week because they lost in the first week.

If they were good enough to win, they would have beaten the 8th placed team and the 6th placed team.

They didn't.

Dragons can go suck eggs.

 

[gUt]

GOOOOOOLD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ4HQe5vXUQ

 

[schmix]

GOOOOOOLD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ4HQe5vXUQ

[icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1.

"He's four...f***ing...feet...tall!"

"But sir, he came third in the Dally M"

"He can't ride a rollercoaster for f***s sake!"

 

[Kimlo]

GOOOOOOLD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ4HQe5vXUQ

[icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1.

"He's four...f***ing...feet...tall!"

"But sir, he came third in the Dally M"

"He can't ride a rollercoaster for f***s sake!"

[icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1. [icon_lol1.

Absolutely hilarious, fucking awesome LOL.

 

[Professor47]

I for one am against the McIntyre system - I'm not saying the AFL is perfect either... however it is more fairer to the top 4 teams in the current sort of competition we are having. Gone are the old days where the premiers would 98 percent come from the top 4...

We need to adopt the AFL system until the competition differs. (If it ever does)

 

[Foordy]

I for one am against the McIntyre system - I'm not saying the AFL is perfect either... however it is more fairer to the top 4 teams in the current sort of competition we are having. Gone are the old days where the premiers would 98 percent come from the top 4...

We need to adopt the AFL system until the competition differs. (If it ever does)

so far in the McIntyre system the Premiers have never come from outside the top 4 and even this year the favourites for the title are both top 4 teams

 

[Professor47]

I for one am against the McIntyre system - I'm not saying the AFL is perfect either... however it is more fairer to the top 4 teams in the current sort of competition we are having. Gone are the old days where the premiers would 98 percent come from the top 4...

We need to adopt the AFL system until the competition differs. (If it ever does)

so far in the McIntyre system the Premiers have never come from outside the top 4 and even this year the favourites for the title are both top 4 teams

Well, if things turn out the way I think they will - 6vs 8 GF, that would create history.

The McIntyre system always defends itself with previous results...

I don't support it but that is the system we have in place - every team knows that before the season starts.

 

[Kimlo]

The fact is team 1 and 2 need to win only ONE GAME(and win the first, get a week off) in two weeks and they are in a match to qualify for the grand final. Finish 1-4 and you're almost guaranteed a 2nd chance, finish 1 and 2 and you've got an easy path to the grand final.

I'm fine with the Mclntyre system tbh.

 

[Mister Wright]

Re: Henjak's coaching. I think he's had a lot to do with Wallace's form this year. Particularly in the last month of so Wallace has been on fire. I think Henjak should take a lot of the credit for that.

 

[broncosil]

Hearing a lot of Dragons fans crying about the Mcintyre system not giving the minor premiers enough advantage.
While I prefer the AFL system I think the McIntyre system gives 1 and 2 the best possible chance to get into the prelim.
Maybe you could argue they deserve to retain the home ground advantage if they lose but seriously if you can't beat 8 and 6 how do you expect to beat 4 then whoever survives from the knockouts.

Exactly. If they truly were the best then they would have beat the eels and us, simple. The GF is won by a team that wins every game. The fact is St George hit their peak too early and simply could not lift when it mattered. That does not scream GF winner to me.

 

[Coxy]

It's difficult to know what system would work best. You want to give top four teams some privilege for finishing top four but you don't want to advantage them to greatly or on the other side of the coin, disadvantage those teams finishing 5-8.
I'm glad Broncos beat Dragons but do feel probably a little unfair that they had to come to Suncorp in the second week because they lost in the first week.

Would it be fair that the Broncos' reward for beating a team above them in week 1 is to travel to their next opponent's home venue? Doesn't matter that the game is in Sydney, that's home for St George-Illawarra.

In reality playing in Brisbane is a DISADVANTAGE for the Broncos because we have the best stadium in the world and everyone loves playing there. Plus Dragons in particular have MASSIVE support in Brisbane.

The system we have in the finals rewards winning. And that's how it should be!

Heck, if the Titans beat us they would've had a preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium.

I don't think the home venues thing is the problem to be honest. Teams are professional enough to travel and win on the road. There's no away trip that's impossible.

However it is true that team 8 can often be a team that's hit form at the end of the season and snuck into the finals, but are red hot. And the minor premiers can be a bit stale having had their finals sport nailed down for weeks...that happened last year with Storm and Warriors, and again this year with Dragons and Eels.

Only two real options I can see (given we will always have a top 8):
1. Modify McIntyre to allow the top team to pick their opponent from the bottom 4, then 2nd to pick one of the last 3, then 3rd to pick one of the last 2, and 4th gets what's left. In that example, Melbourne would've most likely been left playing Parramatta in Melbourne, Titans would probably still have been playing the Broncos at Skilled, St George would've picked Newcastle and the Bulldogs would've liked their chances against Manly I reckon.

2. Use the AFL method, which I don't necessarily like because the top 4 get 2 home finals regardless:
1 vs 4 at 1's venue
2 vs 3 at 2's venue
5 vs 8 at 5's venue
6 v 7 at 6's venue

Loser of 1 v 4 plays winner of 5 v 8 at 1/4's venue
Loser of 2 v 3 plays winner of 6 v 7 at 2/3's venue

Winner 1 v 4 vs 2/3/6/7 at 1/4's venue
Winner 2 v 3 vs 1/4/5/8 at 2/3's venue

 

[Anonymous person]

Firstly, Wayne didn't "ruin" our club. Stop showing your ignorance. Wayne had NO control over who came and who went at the end of 2008, let's make that clear.

Have you also forgotten that we went through the WORST patch of losses in our clubs history?

So no, Henjak's achievements have nothing on what Wayne achieves this year.

firstly, yes wayne did start to ruin our club. he might have had no control over who came and left at the end of 2008, but he had control over everything for the previous rubbish (excluding 2006) 6 years where we told players like Berrick Barnes, Luke Priddis, Motu Tony, Petero Civoniceva, etc. that we didnt want them. he started us on our very slippery slope by refusing to change anything and choosing players based on anything but form.

this year was not our worst patch of losses. it might have included some huge scores, but we have lost more in a row under bennett. we also lost many in a row basically every single year since 2000 under bennett.

henjaks achievement far outweighs bennetts this year. henjaks achievements this year can also end with taking out the premiership. waynes ended with a choke.

also, this whole 'with the broncos star studded line up they shouldve done better' thing........wtf? Lockyer, Hodges (who misses more games than he plays), Hunt, Folau and.....um....who exactly are our other big name stars that give us this 'star studded lineup'? im of the complete opposite opinion - with the team of young no-names that we have, it wouldve been pretty believable that we'd miss the finals. im sure i remember reading that this is the youngest squad the broncos have ever had, with the average age being in the very low twenties. when you chuck the 32 year old lockyer, stone age TC and the other 2-3 bordering 30 year olds in there, thats saying something for how many young guys they have. the dragons have far more big name players.

 

[Coxy]

I will say that the Dragons' season is almost a carbon copy of the Broncos' seasons in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Playing excellent, solid football for most of the year. Lead the premiership. Then come finals time, when other teams are lifting, the Dragons' stayed at the same level or dipped a bit, and ended up being beaten week after week.

Then, sure enough, cannon fodder in the finals.

It's fair to say Bennett has developed a habit of overcoaching in the last decade. By that I mean implementing a very conservative game plan with very few "plan B" options. It works well in the premiership up until the 3 quarter mark where teams start to experiment and develop their finals tactics, but by that stage everyone's studied everyone else and you know how to nullify it.

I think that's where Bennett falls down. He thinks what worked in round 2 will work in week 2 of the finals. Some of it will, but you need more.

2006 showed he was capable of changing it up when it counted. Even 2008 he did the same. Maybe he just didn't have the confidence in the Dragons this season to try it.

But as I said earlier, 2010 will make or break Bennett and the Dragons. They need to make the finals in a decent spot (no lower than 5) and they need to win in week 1.

 

[OXY-351]

Would it be fair that the Broncos' reward for beating a team above them in week 1 is to travel to their next opponent's home venue?

The system we have in the finals rewards winning. And that's how it should be!

Is it fair that 6 months worth of effort should lose out over a couple of weeks of finals? Teams who perform consistently over the course of the season should be given more of a reward than teams winning a couple of matches come september.

The way things are these days, it almost seems like the regular season is a bit of a waste of time. All teams need to do is cruise through the season, making sure they make it in the 8 and hit form at the right time. It seems that the teams that just scrape in to the 8 are always the one in red hot form as they have strung a number of late seasons wins together to make it through. IMO it's a bit of a joke that parra are in contention to win the gf, while the dragons are gooone. Parra didn't play well enough to deserve to be in the finals.

The NRL needs to reduce the number of teams in finals and find a better finals system. I reckon the old top 5 system is the fairest. It rewards those teams who play well throughout the season.

 

[Coxy]

Would it be fair that the Broncos' reward for beating a team above them in week 1 is to travel to their next opponent's home venue?

The system we have in the finals rewards winning. And that's how it should be!

Is it fair that 6 months worth of effort should lose out over a couple of weeks of finals? Teams who perform consistently over the course of the season should be given more of a reward than teams winning a couple of matches come september.

The way things are these days, it almost seems like the regular season is a bit of a waste of time. All teams need to do is cruise through the season, making sure they make it in the 8 and hit form at the right time. It seems that the teams that just scrape in to the 8 are always the one in red hot form as they have strung a number of late seasons wins together to make it through. IMO it's a bit of a joke that parra are in contention to win the gf, while the dragons are gooone. Parra didn't play well enough to deserve to be in the finals.

The NRL needs to reduce the number of teams in finals and find a better finals system. I reckon the old top 5 system is the fairest. It rewards those teams who play well throughout the season.

It depends. Are the premiers the best team all year or the best team during the finals? Reality is we always praise the team who's best come September, not all year.

Bulldogs were shit for most of 1995, but won the Grand Final.
Cronulla and Parramatta were the best teams all year in 1999, but didn't make the Grand Final.
Heck, Souths were the best and most consistent team all through 1991 but didn't make the Grand Final.
Canterbury the same in 1993.

Were the Broncos the best team in 2006? Not by a long shot.

It's not about being the best team all season. All that's about is giving you the best position in the finals.

St George-Illawarra and the Bulldogs both got that opportunity. Both got to play at home against teams lower on the ladder and both could not be eliminated, and both would get a week off if they won. It's not the Broncos or Eels' fault that the Dragons couldn't make the most of it.

Heck, even the Titans had a good opportunity. If not for their shithouse first half against us they would've won, got the week off and be playing at Suncorp Stadium for a spot in the Grand Final this weekend. Instead they lost, had to play at a neutral venue in Sydney and failed to put it together.

The Broncos, for finishing 6th, have had to play 3rd and 1st so far, and won both. They now face 4th, and will likely play 2nd in the Grand Final if they get that far. When they finished 5th in 1993, it was similar. Had to beat 4th, then had to beat 3rd, then had to beat 1st, then had to beat 2nd.

The Eels have also had to play 1st and 3rd so far, and also won both. Now they face 2nd, and regardless will play a team that finished higher than them in the Grand Final if they make it.

If you want to reward the best team all year, then make the Minor Premiership the MAJOR PREMIERSHIP, and consider the finals a whole new competition, a Challenge Cup, for the top 8 sides. That'd be a massive change in culture for rugby league, and it will probably never happen.

People look at the AFL competition, but the reality is in their game the top 2-4 teams are usually the standouts, and the rest of the top 8 are really just making up the numbers. Plus their game inherently favours the better teams. There's not the dependence on referee decisions and player mistakes to swing a game like can happen in rugby league.

And if you look back through the history of McIntyre with the NRL, the 7th or 8th teams that have managed to win games have been teams running into form at the right time. In 2000, Parramatta were hitting form coming into the finals and upset 2nd placed Roosters. In 2002 the Dragons came into the semis after a big win over eventual premiers Sydney Roosters, and then upset Newcastle (after taking out Andrew Johns). In 2004 the Cowboys had come from nowhere to make the finals on a pretty amazing run of wins, and then upset the Bulldogs.

All those teams were 7th beating 2.

Then in 2008 the Warriors hit form at the right time and upset Melbourne.
Similarly this year the Eels had won 7 of 8 going into the finals, while the Dragons had lost 3 of their last 4.

Let's think back to 2004 as well. The Broncos had lost to the Storm at home in week 1, and the Cowboys had beaten the Bulldogs in Sydney. The result was those two teams had to meet in Sydney. Broncos vs Cowboys in Sydney....before the rivalry really had taken hold and it wasn't Thurston vs Lockyer etc. To avoid a financial disaster, the Cowboys and Broncos agreed to shift the game to Townsville. That led to the recent scenario where week 2 games were "home city" finals, where the winning teams from week 1 hosted finals in week 2. Everyone applauded that. Nobody whinged about how it was "unfair" for the Broncos, who finished 3rd, to be flying to a hostile Townsville crowd to play.

The ranting of Gould and others is just typical of rugby league's knee jerk reaction to what's happening right now, rather than looking back over history and seeing it's not new, it's not a new pattern of events and instead of thinking about it logically we rush to appease the masses with a poorly considered decision which very likely will result in a different whinge in a year or two's time.