2009 playoff format

[St Helens RLFC]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/7757687.stm

The Rugby Football League has announced a major revamp of the Super League play-offs for the 2009 season.

The most significant change sees the highest-placed team after the first round being able to choose their semi-final opponents in week three.

The four-week series, which ends with the Grand Final on 10 October, will now involve the top eight teams after the league's expansion from 12 to 14 clubs.

The RFL says all 14 clubs have been consulted about the new format.

"This new eight-team play-off series is a tremendous development for the sport and the competition," said RFL chief executive Nigel Wood.

"It will create great drama and bring an added dimension to what is already the most exciting period in the season.

"The increase in play-off places will also add more interest to the regular season by giving more matches added significance as clubs battle through the weekly rounds to give themselves a shot at the ***le.

"By introducing the element that allows the highest-placed qualifier to select their semi-final opponents in week three, rugby league has once again shown it is a highly innovative and progressive sport."


All eight qualifying teams are involved on the opening weekend, with the League leaders facing the fourth-placed team, while second plays third, fifth taking on eighth and sixth meeting seventh. The matches involving the top four teams will see the winners going straight through to the third week of the series and the qualifying semi-finals.

The losers in these two games will have another chance in the second week when they face the winners of the elimination play-offs.

In week three, the winners of the two qualifying play-offs in week one will meet the winners from week two, with the highest-placed team allowed to select their opponents from a choice of two.

Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington, who has seen his side win the last two Grand Finals, welcomed the changes, saying: "I think, having expanded the engage Super League to 14 teams from 2009, that the time is right to expand the play-off system.

"Importantly, this system does recognise those clubs who finish higher in the table and they get advantages for that.

"The option for the top-ranked team to select their opponent in the final play-off game is new and different but I think the RFL should be congratulated for once again showing innovation and courage to continue to strive to improve the product on the pitch."

Week One:
Qualifying play-off (QPO) one - 1st v 4th (winner receives a bye to week three)
Qualifying play-off two - 2nd v 3rd (winner receives a bye to week three)
Elimination play-off (EPO) one - 5th v 8th (loser goes out)
Elimination play-off two - 6th v 7th (loser goes out)

Week Two:
Preliminary semi-final (PSF)one - QPO one loser v EPO one winner
Preliminary semi-final two - QPO 2 loser v EPO 2 winner

Week Three:
*Qualifying semi-final one - QPO one winner v PSF one winner
*Qualifying semi-final two - QPO two winner v PSF two winner

Week Four:
Grand Final - QSF one winner v QSF two winner

* subject to choice of highest placed winner in week one







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I am speechless. Pick your opponents. PICK YOUR OPPONENTS? WHAT? THE? F**K???????????????

 

[cyRil]

Just when I thought league couldn't get more marginalised...

 

[St Helens RLFC]

I am APOPLECTIC with rage. In fact, I'm off to bed, so I could even be considered CATATONIC with rage!

 

[Vambo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

"By introducing the element that allows the highest-placed qualifier to select their semi-final opponents in week three, rugby league has once again shown it is a highly innovative and progressive sport."[/b]

Hardly.... more like laughing stock.

Top 8 is just taking the **** as well.

 

[Cymro]

Funny stuff this

 

[Vambo]

Stains chief slams play-off plans

 

[St Helens RLFC]

I can't disagree with a word of that.

 

[esoj]

some big changes for sure. being able to pick your opponents for a semi is just wow amazing words cannot describe how stupid that decision is to allow that into reality.

 

[St Helens RLFC]

It's absolute NONSENSE. How much motivation is that going to provide to the opposition?

 

[Gay-Guy]

Hmmm...well I have to go against the common feeling here and say I actually like the idea.

However I would take this idea even further and have the highest ranked team being able to choose their semi final opponent from the other 3 semi teams rather than just 2 of them.  However that is just my idea...lets just look at the what the SL have now proposed.

Americas Cup racing has the higher ranked finisher after the round robin choosing their semi opponents.  Having a choice in opponents for semis is not a new thing in sport.  When it comes to the huge amounts of money that is involved with the America's cup all the parties involved do not want a final where there is a possibility that the second best team has already been eliminated.  That is why they allow the highest qualifier to choose their semi opponent as they very rarely if ever choose the next strongest.  

I have never liked the idea of the two best teams meeting in a knockout semi final.  This new idea can give the top team the power to avoid this scenario.  It also conversely gives them the power to take advantage of the second best team if they think they are ready to be picked off on semi final week rather than final week.

Finally it is just rewards for consistency over the season and finishing higher up the ladder.  One team at the top of the tree after QF week one has destiny in their hands.

If the option this year had been given to Manly to choose their opponents for semifinals between the Warriors, Storm or the Sharks then I would suspect they would not have opted for the Warriors (who they played this year).  There was a chance that things may have been dicey IF Manu Vatuvei had scored that try in the early minutes against Manly and perhaps put doubt into the Manly ranks.  However my point is that Manly should never have been in that position to play the Warriors if they had the choice.  They may have seen that Melbourne were the team who was struggling with formor perhaps may have seen the Sharks as the easier option.  Instead the draw said they had to play the Warriors and for a few minutes in the opening session they could have lost their confidence, the Warriors could have grown a leg or two, the game could have swung the Warriors way...and the final might not have had the best team of the comp in it.

I think strongly that the RWC playoffs do not have the two best teams in the final because one of them often gets knocked out by the other when they meet before the final.  The draw for the RWC should be done ONE month before the comp and all the teams should be given ranks according to IRB rankings.  Then after the pools are finished and they go into quarter final time they get the eight quarter finalist and put them in order pre tourney ranks.  Then give 1 the first choice of quarter opponent...then the next available ranked team the choice...and so on.  Then they should do the same with semi final weekend giving the highest ranked of the 4 remaining teams the choice of opponent.  That way the team at the top will not have to meet their most dreaded opponent till the final.

 

[QLD]

oh dear.

 

[Fred187]

I agree that 'choosing your oponents' sounds insane. I'll reserve any real judgement upon the system until we actually see it in action, though - I though the World Cup format was ridiculous, but it actually turned out rather nicely.