We enter the final round of 2015โs NRL competition with plenty of questions yet to be answered.
Who will finish with the wooden spoon? Will the Sea Eagles overcome tremendous odds to make the eight?
Most importantly perhaps, who will become the 2015 minor premiers?
Both the Roosters and Broncos are a chance of claiming the J.J. Giltinan Shield and the $100,000 prize money for finishing first at the end of the regular season.
Apart from the money, how important is the minor premiership?
Could you honestly tell me, without Google, you could name every minor premier from the past ten years?
Iโll waitโฆ
Did anyone remember that the Storm were stripped three minor premierships during this time?
I fully admit, I didnโt, and I forgot the Dragons won it twice in a row.
The Roosters are in prime position to capture their third straight minor premiership. A win over South Sydney, and the shield is theirs.
Should they fail to turn that into a second premiership in three years, how will history look back on this Roosters side?
Will winning three minor premierships, but only one Grand Final, put them amongst the best teams of the modern era?
I would argue that if the Bunnies were to win the Grand Final this season, they would be remembered as more successful, being that they would record two premierships in three seasons, without a single minor premiership.
There are strong rumours that Ben Hunt will miss tonightโs clash with the Storm, with a slight injury.
I could guarantee 100% if tonightโs game was a finals game, Hunt would play.
Although the Broncos are only an outside chance of capturing the shield, is Bennett admitting that itโs not all that important by resting Hunt?
Surely if the minor premiership was that big a prize, the Broncos would do everything they could to improve their chances of winning.
There is talk of the Roosters resting players, although being that theyโre already without their halfback and best forward, itโs probably not a luxury Trent Robinson can take should the Broncos put the pressure on with a win.
Then again, which means more, $100,000 or a fully rested James Maloney and RTS?
Personally I think the prize money should be doubled in an attempt to add more prestige to the shield.
To finish top of the table you need to accrue more competition points than any other side. To win a Grand Final you theoretically need to win only four games in a row.
Of course you need to qualify first, but the Dragons could well qualify for the finals with only 11 wins. The Roosters are likely to enter the finals with 18 wins.
Theoretically the Dragons can win the title with only 15 wins, three less than the Roosters would enter the finals with.
Surely the minor premiership should mean more.
Iโm a fan of the finals system as it creates incredible drama, but right now the minor premiership is $100,000 and an answer to a trivia question.
It needs to mean more.
The worst rule in rugby league
Iโve said it before, and Iโll continue to say it, the current video refereeing rules are an absolute farce.
The fact we place so much emphasis on an on-field refereeโs guess, makes this the worst rule in rugby league.
For one, and stop me if youโve heard this before, why would a referee refer something if he was sure in his original decision? (No, I donโt buy into the KFC conspiracy)
Secondly, has anyone, ANYONE, ever defined โconclusive evidence to overturnโ?
What constitutes enough evidence to overrule the on-field guess?
The official reason for the change in the wording of the rule was to rid the decision making process of the benefit of the doubt.
At first I was a big fan of the change, as I loathed the benefit of the rule doubt. If youโre unsure, award a try? Youโre kidding.
That being said, the current system, which I still believe was introduced to take the heat off decision makers, is arguably worse.
Instead of having multiple officials across the round with differing opinions on what equates to benefit of the doubt, we now have multiple officials across the round with differing opinions of what equates to sufficient evidence โฆ much better!?
Under the current rule, rather than making a decision, the video referees can just throw their hands up, call โtoo hardโ and stick with the original decision.
Last night, half my twitter time line blew up after Shaun Fensomโs try was allowed. Not because it didnโt look like a try, but because some didnโt see one angle showing a tiny part of the ball probably touching the line, as sufficient evidence.
For mine it looked like a try, but Iโve seen similar decisions remain unchanged due to the ridiculous rule in place.
Imagine the Grand Final coming down to a refereeโs on-field guess?
Suburban no go
For those who havenโt heard, should the Sharks finish in a position to hold a home final at any time during the finals, that game will be held at either Allianz or ANZ Stadium, and not Remondis Stadium.
The same would apply for the Tigers, Dragons, Sea Eagles etc, whose stadiums, like Remondis, donโt qualify as finals venues.
Forget the talk of facilities, travel etc, the decision comes down to one thing, and one thing only; stadium capacity.
The NRL does not want to face the possibility of locking fans out due to hosting finals at venues with small venues.
Fan opinion has been split on the decision ever since the rule came in, and this year is no different.
The Sharks, should they fail to make the top four, could host the Rabbits or Bulldogs, at ANZ Stadium. They could also host the Dragons, at Allianz, a stadium the Dragons have played home games at this season.
Common sense would dictate that the Sharks take a home game against the ANZ based teams to Allianz, and vice versa with the Dragons, however, it then becomes a neutral venue.
The Sharks are the only possible top 8 side that will forfeit home ground advantage, or even play a home game โawayโ during the finals series.
If they finish fourth, fifth or sixth, theyโre guaranteed one โhomeโ game during the finals series.
Theoretically teams like the Sharks and Manly can play all season to earn a home ground final, yet never host one.
Itโs a decision these sides have been aware of for many seasons now, but it still rightfully infuriates fans.
Why should fans of the Sharks be forced to travel an hour to watch their team play a home final?
Manly fans have downright refused to travel when they host finals.
The Sharks have finally made Remondis Stadium a fortress, and wonโt get to enjoy the same advantage as their fellow finalists, who will all be able to host home games, some despite not having earned it.
The past few seasonsโ finals have failed to even come close to selling out Allianz and ANZ Stadium, and thereโs the possibility there will be less than 22,000 at a Shark hosted final at Allianz.
Iโm sure it has NOTHING to do with the fact the NRL commands a percentage of the gate takings for finals games.
If this isnโt a shot against the suburban grounds, I donโt know what is.
