HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The
NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
finals system is the finals series that is currently being used by the
National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
competitions of Australia and New Zealand since 2012. The NRL finals system replaced the
McIntyre System The McIntyre System, or systems as there have been five of them, is a playoff system that gives an advantage to teams or competitors qualifying higher. The systems were developed by Ken McIntyre, an Australian lawyer, historian and English lect ...
which was used from 1999 to 2011. A similar system was previously used by the
Australian Rugby League The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australian Rugby Footbal ...
in the 1995 and 1996 seasons; however, there was no crossover in 1995, and in 1996 teams crossed over in Week 2, rather than Week 3. The system has also been adopted by the
Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
and a slightly modified version adopted by
Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
. The
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
(AFL) also use this system and have done so since 2000. The highest-ranked eight teams at the end of the regular season participate in a four-week tournament, with two teams eliminated in each of the first three weeks. The seventh team is eliminated (and the premiership awarded) in the grand final. The system is designed to give the top four teams an easier road to the grand final than the second four teams, in order to reward regular season success. The top four needs to win only two finals to reach the grand final, while the second four needs to win three; and, two of the top four teams receive a bye in the second week of the playoff and then play at home in the third week, while the other two play at home in the second week.


Current system


Finals format


Week one

* 1st qualifying final: 1st ranked team hosts 4th ranked team * 2nd qualifying final: 2nd ranked team hosts 3rd ranked team * 1st elimination final: 5th ranked team hosts 8th ranked team * 2nd elimination final: 6th ranked team hosts 7th ranked team The eight finalists are split into two groups for the opening week of the finals series. The top four teams have the best chance of winning the premiership and play the two qualifying finals. The winners get a bye through to week three of the tournament to play home preliminary finals, while the losers play home semi-finals in week two. The bottom four teams play the two elimination finals, where the winners advance to week two away games and the losers' seasons are over. The scheduling of each of the four games is at the discretion of the NRL.


Week two

* 1st semi-final:Under the NRL finals system, the term "semi-final" has different usage to that a traditional
knock out tournament A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
. The two games played immediately before the grand final, which would be known as semi-finals in a knockout tournament, are called "preliminary finals". The semi-finals refer to the two games preceding the preliminary finals. This is consistent with the terminology used by the league under the
McIntyre System The McIntyre System, or systems as there have been five of them, is a playoff system that gives an advantage to teams or competitors qualifying higher. The systems were developed by Ken McIntyre, an Australian lawyer, historian and English lect ...
from 1931 until 1993.
Loser of 1st QF hosts winner of 1st EF * 2nd Semi-final: Loser of 2nd QF hosts winner of 2nd EF


Week three

* 1st preliminary final: Winner of 1st QF hosts winner of 2nd SF. * 2nd preliminary final: Winner of 2nd QF hosts winner of 1st SF.


Week four

* Grand final: Winner of 1st PF meets winner of 2nd PF at Accor Stadium on a Sunday night with the game starting at about 7.15pm.


Extra time

In the event of tied scores at the end of the 80 minutes of a rugby league match, two five minute periods of
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
occur. If the scores are not then settled, an unlimited period of
golden point The golden point, a sudden death overtime system, is used to resolve drawn football matches. The term is borrowed from soccer's now-defunct golden goal. Rugby league Australia The golden point is used to determine a winner (where applicable, see ...
will take place. This ensures that none of the matches are draws. Before 2016, the match went straight into golden point time. This most notably occurred in the
2015 NRL Grand Final The 2015 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2015 NRL season and was played on Sunday 4 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium between the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys. North Queensland won the match ...
, when the
North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest town in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...
defeated the
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...
thanks to a
Johnathan Thurston Johnathan Dean Thurston (born 25 April 1983) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the National Rugby League (NRL). Thurston was an Australian international, Queensland State of Origin and Indigenous All ...
field goal. This triggered the change as despite the Cowboys kicking off, due to Ben Hunt knocking the ball on off the kick-off, the Broncos didn't get to play a set with the ball.


Advantages for ladder positions

Under this finals system, the final eight teams are broken up into four groups of two. Each group of two earns one extra benefit over the teams beneath it. These benefits are home ground finals and the ''double-chance'', whereby a first-week loss will not eliminate the team from the finals. Note that the "home" designations may be irrelevant for games played between teams from the same state – all finals games played between two Sydney based teams will be held at Allianz Stadium or Accor Stadium, regardless of the "home" team's home ground.


First and second

First and second receive the double-chance, and will play their first two finals matches at home: their qualifying final, and then either a semi-final if they lose their qualifying final or a preliminary final if they win their qualifying final. They need to win two finals to reach the grand final.


Third and fourth

Third and fourth also receive the double-chance, but receive only one finals match at home: either a semi-final if they lose their qualifying final or a preliminary final if they win their qualifying final. They need to win two finals to reach the grand final.


Fifth and sixth

Fifth and sixth receive one home final: their elimination final. They need to win three finals to reach the grand final.


Seventh and eighth

Seventh and eighth receive no home finals. They need to win three finals to reach the grand final.


Venues

In the first week of finals, the higher ranked team from the regular season hosts at their regular home ground. In the second week, the higher ranked team again hosts; however, Sydney teams must host at one of the major stadiums, those being
Western Sydney Stadium Western Sydney Stadium, commercially known as CommBank Stadium, is a multi-purpose rectangular stadium in Parramatta, within the Greater Western Sydney region, approximately west of Sydney CBD. It replaced the demolished Parramatta Stadium ...
, the
Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...
, the
New Sydney Football Stadium The Sydney Football Stadium, known commercially as Allianz Stadium, is a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built as a replacement for the original Sydney Football Stadium, it was officially opened on 28 August 2022. The gro ...
, and
Stadium Australia Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park, in Sydney, Australia. The stadium, which in Australia is sometimes referred to as Sydney Olympic Stad ...
. In the third week of finals, the qualifying final winner hosts, again if it's a Sydney team, at one of those major venues. The NRL Grand Final is then held every year at
Stadium Australia Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park, in Sydney, Australia. The stadium, which in Australia is sometimes referred to as Sydney Olympic Stad ...
in week four of the finals. The
Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...
has hosted the most finals clashes, followed by the
Sydney Football Stadium The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rect ...
and
Stadium Australia Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park, in Sydney, Australia. The stadium, which in Australia is sometimes referred to as Sydney Olympic Stad ...
.


Criticism

The new finals system was introduced after the 2011 season, after debate had raged for several years before that. In 2008 for the first time ever the 8th placed team (New Zealand Warriors) beat the 1st placed team (Melbourne Storm) in week one of the finals. In 2009, the scenario occurred for the 2nd time ever when the Parramatta Eels defeated the St. George Illawarra Dragons. In both case, these teams then went on to have home advantage in the second week of the finals, leading to criticism from fans and pundits that too much of an advantage was being given to lower placed teams. However, under the current system the 7th and 8th placed teams can never have a home finals match – a move which seems designed to eliminate the possibility of a team making a late charge towards the grand final despite finishing relatively low in the regular season. This has led to criticism that the current system has rendered having a top 8 pointless because some of the teams are there simply to make up numbers as it has been made far too difficult for them to progress very far into the finals series. Despite this, in 2017, the eight-placed
North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest town in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...
were able to reach the grand final, where they were defeated by the minor premiers, the
Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm are a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria in Australia that participates in the National Rugby League. The first fully professional rugby league team based in the state, the Storm entered the competition in 1998. ...
. It has also been noted that criticism of the previous McIntyre System has come primarily from coaches and players after their team has been eliminated from the finals by a lower ranked team. Complaints about the system from teams that have won games they were expected to win seem far less prevalent.


See also

*
AFL final eight system The AFL final eight system is an eight-team championship playoff tournament developed and adopted by the Australian Football League in the 2000 season. The eight teams, which are ranked or seeded in advance of the tournament, participate in a fo ...
*
Super League play-offs Since 1998, a play-off system has been used to determine the Super League champions. The format has changed over the years, starting with a play-off involving first five, then six teams, eight, four and currently back to six. The play-off series ...


References

{{Rugby League in New Zealand National Rugby League Tournament systems Rugby league in Australia Rugby league in New Zealand