Graham Lowe: Which coach will crack a smile?

The MacIntyre system is a name that leaves me cold. Maybe it's just me but it sounds like a title bridge or polo would use.

But it does work well for the top eight NRL semifinal competition.

However, the key to success during the MacIntyre system is to keep winning.

Melbourne taking on Manly tonight should set the weekend up for a dramatic first week of semifinal footy.

And just to add a little more intensity there is a distinct chance the loser of this game could be gone for 2010.

There is no love lost between these two clubs and both coaches are very good at being angry.

Manly's coach Des Hasler once smiled, I think it was when he was still at school (primary school). He certainly doesn't waste them now.

And Melbourne's Craig Bellamy is another who doesn't see the point of smiling when you are the coach.

But both men know whoever wins tonight will be very happy. Because any of the top eight involved in the play-offs have a chance of winning the Grand Final.

The key is getting there and that is why after tonight one of them is a step closer and will be laughing. Maybe not in public, but he will have an inner joy that will be hard to disguise.

The other will have an anxious wait until after Sunday afternoon's Dragons versus Eels result. Because this completes the first round of semis and decides which two teams drop out.

Under the MacIntyre system the two lowest-ranked losers after this first weekend are eliminated.

This pressure is made for grumpy young/old men like Hasler and Bellamy. Both would boo Santa Claus. And they let nothing get in their way of their own expectations.

Then tomorrow evening the Titans are at home to the Broncos.

There is plenty to like about both these teams and also their coaches.

John Cartwright has done a great job at the Titans but there are signs his team has developed wobbly wheels, and at this stage of the season, pit stops are costly.

Broncos' coach Ivan Henjak has also done a fine job filling the empty shoes of Wayne Bennett.

His captain Darren Lockyer is in his best form and has a class backline to lead around the field. And their forwards have a tough edge about them which should make their team too strong for the entertaining Titans.

The later game between the Bulldogs and the Knights will be a thriller. It's a classic match up between a boxer and a fighter.

The Dogs' fighting spirit makes them a threat in any big game. And under Kevin Moore's no-fuss type of coaching this side has flown under the radar for most of the season and let other teams enjoy the limelight.

But without Brett Kimmorely it's hard to see the Dogs winning this.

Sunday's game is a sink or swim match for the floundering Eels. It is their Grand Final arriving early.

Their coach Daniel Anderson was given a timely reminder of why they have finished in eighth spot on the premiership ladder and the Dragons finished first.

Against a well-drilled and superbly organised team last week they were flogged. And that's praising them.

Unless they uncomplicate their game they will get another hiding from Wayne Bennett's Dragons.

Their superstar fullback Jarryd Hayne is someone who can make something from nothing and against this St George mob that's all they will give him.

However, it was fitting he received the NRL's biggest player prize on Wednesday night picking up the Dally M Player of the Year Trophy.

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