‘Very unpopular’ solution as NRL carnage is ‘robbing the fans’

The final round of the NRL season is going to see some of the biggest names in the competition watching with the fans in the stands.

Reece Walsh, Cameron Munster and Shaun Johnson will all be rested for the weekend. Photo: Getty Images

In a year the AFL has followed the NRL’s lead into a Magic Round, maybe its time the NRL take a leaf out of their rivals’ book.

Since 2016, the AFL have had a bye round before the start of the finals — which will be this week — in order to encourage teams to field their best teams until the end of the regular season.

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But while it’s not been a very popular move in the past, it has helped teams recover from niggling injuries and ensure the finals kick off with all eight teams getting a freshen up.

While the NRL has so far just played through, the question has to be asked whether there should be a buffer round in rugby league as well, as most finals bound teams are have rested many of their players.

The round was meant to kick off with a blockbuster between the Broncos and Storm at Suncorp Stadium with Brisbane chasing its first minor premiership since 2000.

The equation is simple for the Broncos — a win and they win the minor premiership and the $200,000 prizemoney, they lose and the Panthers win then Penrith will take the spoils.

But instead, the Storm have made 11 changes to their side from last week, having already locked up a top four finish, while the Broncos have eight out through resting, injuries and suspension.

While it makes the match interesting because it will arguably make the match more unpredictable, fans won’t be able to see the likes of Reece Walsh, Payne Haas and Erza Mam against Cameron Munster, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Harry Grant.

Reece Walsh, Cameron Munster and Shaun Johnson will all be rested for the weekend. Photo: Getty Images

If the Broncos do win, the sides will play the following week for the a preliminary final and there is zero chance any player will be rested but it takes a lot out of what should be a huge match.

NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said the decision was the coach’s to make and that he didn’t have issues with the resting across the competition.

Speaking on Fox Sports’ NRL Tonight, Matt Russell suggested an AFL-style bye round could be the solution, although admitted: “I hate the sound of a bye round before finals”.

“(The bye round) has been very unpopular, as you’d imagine it would be in the NRL as well, but what it has done is softened the attitude of people because it has worked,” he said.

“Clubs have stopped resting players in the final round. On top of that, the standard of week one finals has gone to a new level. On top of that, ticket sales are huge because of longer prep time for would-be travellers. It’s also opened up scheduling possibilities — that is Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday finals in week one.

“While it does halt premiership momentum, the AFL has used it as an opportunity to launch AFLW in clear air, something the NRL could do around this time of the season as well.”

But after throwing to former rugby league hardman Mark Carroll, it might show what a hard sell it would be to add in the bye round.

“I’m over the byes, the year is long enough,” he said.

“They’ve had three byes this year, it’s unheard of. I don’t think we’ve ever had that.

“As a player, you don’t want to be resting. It’s all about momentum. You want to be coming into the semi-finals with momentum but also consistency.”

Carroll added that the NRL should make the minor premiership should be worth $500,000 and added the people who suffered were the fans.

Should the NRL show the players the money for the minor premiership? Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images

Speaking on The Back Page, Bryan Fletcher argued: “It’s inevitable that the NRL will follow the AFL in the sense that we’ve got the concussion rule, we’ve got the stand-down protocol that’s 11 days, so I think it will come in, you’ll get a week off before the semi-finals.”

Former AFL player Ryan Fitzgerald said the NRL bosses would argue it’s the perfect time to showcase rugby league with no AFL on “but you’re watching a ressies side”.

On NRL 360, Gorden Tallis said the Broncos had earned the right to rest so many players.

“Whether they get first or second, they get a home final,” he said.

“If you’ve got a niggle and you don’t have to win a game to get into the top four or the top eight, you rest your players.”

Braith Anasta said that fans had reached out, having already bought tickets, spending plenty of money to now not see their heroes play.

Some players are out injured. Photo: NRL PHOTOS

Daily Telegraph journalist David Riccio said fans bye their tickets to see the best players, adding it was time to talk about a bye round.

“This mass resting of players is robbing the fans,” Riccio said.

Anasta argued however that even with a bye round, teams may still rest players in order to avoid injuries if they’ve already wrapped up their position on the ladder.

As for the importance of the minor premiership, Tallis said he didn’t even know he had won the JJ Giltinan Shield at his time at the Broncos during his career.

Riccio said the prize was winning was “non-existent”.

As for players, Manly’s Aaron Woods said the ladder leaders had “earned the right” to rest their players.

The Sharks’ Dale Finucane said the rest of the teams still fighting for positions “hadn’t earned it”.

Originally published as ‘Very unpopular’ solution as NRL carnage is ‘robbing the fans’