It seems that every time we get to the end of the season, the same old debate fires up.
Should clubs be given the right to rest players at their discretion, or should they be forced to play at full strength to protect the integrity of the competition?
You will have already and will continue to read varying arguments from both sides of the fence.
But the bottom line is this: If you play well enough during the entirety of the regular season to have the minor premiership locked up with two rounds to play, you have earned the right to do whatever you want.
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There are no ifs and no buts about that statement.
And Melbourne Storm head coach Craig Bellamy has done just that this weekend. He is resting most of his starting side a week early as they prepare for a difficult trip to Townsville, where they clash with the North Queensland Cowboys, who themselves will be desperate for wins over the final two weeks.
Wins there could see Todd Payten's side sneak into fifth or sixth spot and host an elimination final in Week 1 rather than having to travel to Sydney, where they would likely clash with the Manly Sea Eagles or Canterbury Bulldogs.
There is no secret around the Cowboy's abilities at home compared to those on the road, but that is the way the cookie crumbles.
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The Storm, frankly, couldn't care less where the Cowboys, Sea Eagles and Bulldogs finish. What they care about is being in the best possible shape for the finals, and they have determined, as is their right, that a five-day turnaround to Townsville, combined with the long trip for a game that, means absolutely zero to them and their final position, was the right time to rest everyone.
What it does mean, though, is the Storm will be full strength - or close enough to - for their Round 27 clash against the Brisbane Broncos, who provided they can beat the Dolphins this weekend, will be similarly desperate.
Ponissi confirmed as much on SEN Radio this week, suggesting they won't rest their stars for two weeks in a row and simply picked the better of the games to rest.
โAt this stage, we'll be playing our best team against the Broncos,โ Ponissi said on SENQ Breakfast.
โCertainly, the players who are not playing this weekend will definitely play, we wouldn't go into finals on the back of two weeks' rest.
โThe main reason we're resting this week is purely because of the five-day turnaround and going to Townsville, had it been a seven-day, we probably would've played our best team this week and rested against the Broncos.
โBut it's just the way it is, with a five-day turnaround, we thought it was best to give the players a rest now and have the final hitout against the Broncos before the finals.โ
But there is another factor here.
It's the fact that the Storm will likely have another weekend off after the qualifying final, provided they can win on home soil.
If you rest your players for Round 27, there is a very real chance they would only play one game in a month leading into a sudden-death preliminary final.
That is a long enough period of time for rust to start settling in, rather than the players to simply go and have a freshen-up, as they will this weekend before returning for two guaranteed games in a row.
Craig Bellamy is among the smartest coaches in the game. He said previously that he would only rest the players who were open to that idea as well, and there is little doubt he would have worked with each member of his squad before determining who would be making the trip to Townsville on a short turnaround.
And you'd back him to get it right nine times out of ten.
Don't be surprised if the Storm, in complete and utter control of their own destiny and resting players two weeks from the finish line, reap the rewards when it comes to the final weeks in September.
