Broncos great reveals baffling “joker card” idea

Four competition points, but risk it all in the process?

Published by
Scott Pryde

Brisbane Broncos great Corey Parker has revealed his baffling idea for the NRL to implement a "joker card."

Parker said on SEN Radio that each team should be given one joker card per season that they can play in a week of their choosing.

It would then allow the team to bank four competition points if they win by more than ten points, but the team playing the card would risk it all and not score any competition points if they win by less than ten points.

The former State of Origin forward also said no joker cards could be used during the Origin period, and that they had to be declared as in use at the time team lists are submitted on Tuesday.

He also said the joker card does not have to be used during the season by a team.

"You must nominate the joker card on the Tuesday when the teams are announced," Parker said on SEN Radio.

"When you go into that game, you must win by ten [or more] points. If you win by ten points, you get four [competition] points. If you win by six points [for example] and have nominated the joker card, you get zero [competition] points.

"You don't have to play your joker card. So you could go the whole season and not play a joker card.

"Throughout the Origin period, no joker card can be played. So for example, if you are the North Queensland Cowboys in the current state right now and you're playing the Dolphins next week, and you're desperate to make the eight, you may play your joker card."

While other competitions around the world in various other sports have bonus points - most notably the Super Rugby competition - it's not something the NRL or rugby league, in general, have ever looked at, with for and against used to split equal teams at the end of a season.

The idea has been in large parts panned on social media, with one user suggesting competition points should be added or removed for wins or losses of greater than 50 points.

Published by
Scott Pryde