The Australian Rugby League Commission has denied any change to the structure of the Telstra Premiership finals series, including a possible Wildcard Weekend, according to nrl.com.au.
In March, the NRL floated the idea of a Wildcard Weekend whereby teams that finished 7th through to 10th will play off to round out the top eight, whilst the top six teams have the week off.
7th place would play against 10th, and 8th against 9th.
Hypothetically, if this concept was introduced last season, it would have seen the Warriors (8th) play against the West Tigers (9th) and the Dragons (7th) against the Raiders (10th).
The winners of each would advance to the finals and join the rest of the six teams in a bid to take home the premiership cup.
Chairman Peter Beattie said the decision had been made to stick with the current finals format.
"There are two things that this Commission is driven by, and that is consultation and innovation," Beattie said.
"We sought input from a range of stakeholders on the concept of a Wildcard Weekend and whilst it is fair to say that there was strong support in some quarters, on balance, the Commission has determined that the Finals Series will remain as is for the time being.
"We will always look for ways to improve and grow our game, and that includes looking at all options across our regular season and Finals Series, to engage with wider audiences, boost our broadcast figures and promote our commercial partners."
The ARLC also decided that the NRL Holden Women's Premiership Grand Final would be decided before the Men's grand final on October 6.
The commission was also pleased with the results that came from the Magic Round which saw all 16 teams in Brisbane over a weekend in May,ย with eight games spread across the three days.
The numbers included a 12.5% increase in crowds, 10% increase in NRL digital engagement and a slight increase (2%) in the TV numbers.
