Could a pre-finals bye round halt the NRL’s rest-athon?
George Clarke and Scott Bailey |
Ivan Cleary is open to the NRL following the AFL’s lead and giving teams a week off before the finals series as mass late-season restings look set to have major ramifications on the make-up of the competition’s top eight.
Knowing his side need a minor miracle to still make the top four across the final two rounds, Cleary has named a side mainly drawn from Penrith’s NSW Cup team, with 16 of his frontline players sat out of Thursday’s grudge match with Canterbury.
Melbourne counterpart Craig Bellamy has also chosen to give four of his regular starters a week off, with Harry Grant (suspension) and Tui Kamikamica (concussion) also sidelined for Friday’s meeting with the Sydney Roosters.
While neither coach has broken any rules, their selections have prompted fierce debate in the NRL given their decisions to field depleted squads could have a flow-on effect in the finals race and leave fans and broadcasters short-changed.
Canterbury, for example, will lock in a top-four finish with a win over the rotated Panthers, while the eighth-placed Roosters can put a dent in the finals aspirations of Manly and the Dolphins by beating the Storm.
Cleary says the NRL adopting an AFL-style pre-finals bye round could quieten some of the criticism of sides such as Penrith and Melbourne as they take a cautious approach with their stars heading into September.
“I don’t think that’s a bad idea and it gives everyone the understanding you’re going to get one (bye),” Cleary said.
“I’m sure it would influence a team’s decision to rest blokes.
“The NRL is already advertising finals, so that sort of shows that the regular season is coming to an end, and in the final series it goes up at notch.
“We’re not trying to just turn up and make up the numbers (against the Bulldogs), hopefully the fans will appreciate that.”
The NRL’s season structure will be reconsidered once the competition expands to 19 teams with Perth and PNG, including the potential of a wildcard weekend.
The permutations of the final two rounds of this season are being keenly felt by 10th-placed Manly, who will be hoping the Storm get past the Roosters on Friday.
The Sea Eagles will also be crossing their fingers the Dolphins lose their last two games, including a final-round clash with first-placed Canberra.
The Raiders have secured a top-two finish with last weekend’s dramatic win over Penrith, and coach Ricky Stuart has previously rung the changes when his side’s finals berth is secured.
“You look at the situation right now and you’d love Melbourne to play their best side and put a big score on the Roosters,” said Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic.
“I would love that. But ultimately we’ve got ourselves in a situation where we need to rely on other people – we haven’t been good enough to leave it on our own terms.
“I put it down to what we’re doing. I don’t like relying on other people.”
RUN HOME FOR THE FINALS CONTENDERS
1. CANBERRA (42 points, +172) – Tigers (h), Dolphins (a)
2. MELBOURNE (40 points, +258) – Roosters (h), Broncos (a)
3. CANTERBURY (36 points, +114) – Panthers (h), Sharks (h)
4. WARRIORS (34 points, +26) – Eels (h), Sea Eagles (a)
5. BRISBANE (32 points, +148) – Cowboys (a), Storm (h)
6. CRONULLA (32 points, +67) – Knights (h), Bulldogs (a)
7. PENRITH – (31 points, +111) – Bulldogs (a), Dragons (a)
8. ROOSTERS – (28 points, +72) – Storm (a), Rabbitohs (h)
9. DOLPHINS (26 points, +81) – Titans (h), Raiders (h)
10. MANLY (26 points, +4) – Dragons (a), Warriors (h)
AAP
