A 2006 pre-season idea.

[steve_mortimer]

Watching tonights game on Fox made me think of a few ideas for a pre-season comp for next year to take to country areas and involve non-NRL clubs. So here goes.....

All 15 NRL clubs plus 5 others, NSW Country, QLD Country, QLD Cup winners and two Group winners from the NSWRL. Week one teams are seeded based on previous seasons table finish. The 5 new club are slotted in at spots 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15. The Top ten match off ie: 1V10, 2V9 and so on. So Round one looks like this (based on 2004 table)....

Pool A
Roosters V Nth QLD
Bulldogs V QLD Country
NSW Country V Melburne
Brisbane V St. George
Penrith V QLD Cup Winners

Pool B
Canberra V Souths
Group Winners A V New Zealand
Wests Tigers V Manly
Newcastle V Parramatta
Group Winners B V Cronulla

The TOP 8 ranked winners from Week One go into Week Two. Then the 4 Week Two winners go into the semis then the Final in Week 4 with a double header seeing the semi losers playing for third spot.

The key to this comp being the rule changes. All NRL clubs only allowed to field 6 1st grade players from previous year to even up for 5 invitational sides. A try scored from within your own half on same tackle would give 6 points instead of normal 4 to entice entertaining football. No scrum, just a turnover. Also all NRL clubs to play in their heritage kits.

The games could be taken to the country and televised on Fox Sports. I know this could be an entertaining pre-season idea that tends to lead back to the Amco Cup style of comp but i'm sure it would be a huge boost for country football.

Any ideas on this?

 

[Özil]

what is this? the English FA Cup?

 

[steve_mortimer]

What FA Cup?

There is no point following this years FA Cup now Liverpool have been knocked out I'm still reeling from that OG......and last weeks poor showing against B'Ham....and the string of 1-0 defeats since January.....and the fact Ever..can't say the name are ahead of us on the table. But we'll reel them in before seasons end i'm sure.

 

[PARANoIR]

I think its a good idea. Ive always wanted to see something like this. Except I think the NRL teams should be allowed to field more than 6 players from the previous year. Perhaps 10? You're forgetting its a 17 man game .

Some of the players left should be put into the invitational teams I think.

 

[bulldogs_chick16]

undefinedgood stuff

 

[Christabella]

what is this? the English FA Cup?

I think he meant it would work similar to the AFL's Wizard cup pre-season competition.
The idea has merit and would make the trials more meaningful but I would wait at least to 2007 to see if a 16th club is admitted then have running exactly the same way as the Wizard Cup.

 

[Dawgfather]

Too detailed....too many problems....to many arguments from club CEO's....same old argument of player burn out, same old arugment of no one playing good players...no commitment from clubs.

No chance.

 

[Christabella]

There is no point following this years FA Cup now Liverpool have been knocked out I'm still reeling from that OG......and last weeks poor showing against B'Ham....and the string of 1-0 defeats since January.....and the fact Ever..can't say the name are ahead of us on the table. But we'll reel them in before seasons end i'm sure.

Hehehe losing to Birmingham is the League is never fun!
At least you don't have to put up their moronic fans thinking that they are better than you. To make a generalisation these guys on the whole have a lower IQ than the average Roosters fan!
I'm sure if you were on a Liverpool forum site, you would get enough taunting from Everton fans

 

[steve_mortimer]

I'm not too sure Stevie J,

The idea is not too far from the old Lotto Challenge from the early 90's. If you gave the running of it to the right person and dangled enough money for the winner i'm sure some clubs would look at it as a serious option ie: Souths, Wests Tiger and Manly. Also having the rule where only 6 1st graders from the previous year would cut problems of player burn out.

Clubs play enough trials anyway these days. And also the big factor is the AFL have pissed all over the NRL in recent years in the country areas in NSW and QLD. 15 years ago hardly anyone took notice of the AFL. In 2005 the AFL has caught up with the NRL and is taking future NRL stars from the country where League once had all to its own.

Even if some CEO's don't like it they must realise they are getting walked all over in country areas by the AFL. The crowds in remote areas for the Wizard Cup have been massive and the promotion for AFL is second to none where the NRL continues to play trials with next to no publicity.

Brisbane Lions jumpers have outsold Bronco jumpers 3:1 in recent years. Surely this is a sign that the NRL MUST do more to promote the game in the country before the AFL takes a strangle hold????