The NRL has proposed a huge shake-up for NRL finals with a wildcard to be introduced.
The finals format would be a top 10 with the top six to get the first weekend of finals off.
Then seven would play 10, and eight would host nine for a chance to
NRL proposed new finals format to extend to top 10 from top eight
By Andrew McMurtry for news.com.au
news.com.au·
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Speaking on NRL360, host Paul Kent and The Daily Telegraph's Phil Rothfield — who broke the news — had a heated discussion about the move.
"I really like it. The idea is to stop having so many dead rubber games," Rothfield said.
"This year there were 36 matches where there with nothing hanging on the result for some of the sides. What they're trying to do is to get more people to the games, get more interest to the back end of the season."
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"What I like is the fact it's a huge advantage for the top six clubs. They get the first week off, they get to rest, rehab and get ready fro the finals like they do in the AFL. We're putting on two more games for the teams finishing seventh to 10th."
For Kent, he rallied against the idea, calling it a "gimmick".
"I intensely dislike it. It just rewards mediocrity," he said.
"Why should the Raiders who finished 10th on 22 points get a shot at the Dragons who finished seventh on 32 points to make the playoffs? I just don't think they deserve it.
"I think we already have we have too many teams in a top eight in a sixteen team competition make the playoffs, to now extend it to 10, so more than 50 per cent get a chance at the finals. The Raiders who had 10 wins an a bye, they just don't deserve to be there.
Fellow host Ben Ikin added that there have been instances in the past where the teams seven through 10 have been separated by points differential.
Kent hit back, saying "That's true, that's happened once in 21 years".
The one time it happened was the 2014 season where the Brisbane Broncos, New Zealand Warriors and Parramatta Eels all finished on 28 points with the Broncos in eighth and the Eels tenth on differential.
