Storm’s Frank Ponissi proposes two-conference model to protect integrity

Melbourne head of football Frank Ponissi has put forward an alternative conference model for the NRL.

Melbourne football manager Frank Ponissi favours a two-conference system.

Melbourne head of football Frank Ponissi has put forward an alternative conference model that he believes protects the integrity of the competition as NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg and ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys prepare to meet the game’s broadcasters.

Ponissi, whose club won their opening two matches, was stunned by reports over the weekend that a push was back on to torpedo the results from the rounds layed before the premiership was put into hibernation due to the threat of COVID-19.

Not surprisingly, he wasn’t alone in advocating the retention of points from the opening two rounds. Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold, whose side also won their first two fixtures, believes the game needs to honour a commitment to retain those results in a revised competition.

It appears that Ponissi and Seibold will get their way — V’landys confirmed on Sunday afternoon that the idea of dumping the opening two rounds was off the table, a message he passed on to coaches and officials from the undefeated sides when the idea was first raised and again over the weekend.

That hasn’t stopped some of the game’s most influential figures reigniting the push to have the season resumed from scratch.

Meetings on Monday with the broadcasters are likely to be crucial. Greenberg confirmed on Sydney radio station 2GB on Sunday afternoon that he would speak to Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany on Monday while V’landys will hold talks with Nine chief executive Hugh Marks.

The broadcasters will have huge influence over the shape of the season given the NRL is relying on their funding to save the game from financial disaster. Between them, Foxtel and Nine pay more than $300m each year to telecast rugby league.

The NRL is already resigned to losing a chunk of that cash in 2020, although it hopes to mitigate the damage by getting back on the field from May 28. The most likely outcome would appear to be that each side plays each other once over 15 games in the regular season. However, the NRL hasn’t ruled out splitting into pools or completing the full season by running into December.

While Ponissi, one of the most respected figures in the game, is a fan of each team playing the others once as part of a 15-round competition, he has come up with a solution he believes protects the integrity of a shortened competition should the NRL opt for ­conferences. Under the Ponissi model, the remaining weeks of the competition would be played in pools determined by the positions of the sides at the end of last year’s regular season.

The top three teams from each pool would then have a week off on the opening weekend of the finals, leaving teams ranked four and five from each pool to play a wildcard weekend.

The winners of wildcard weekend would then form a top eight once the finals officially begin. Crucially, the Ponissi plan would ensure that some of the game’s most-heated rivalries would be in play for the rest of the year.

“We have to unite as a game,” Ponissi said. “I am pro the two-conference model. It is something different and this is a good time to do it. But not at the expense of teams losing their points.

“We should split the competition in two as they are on the table now. There is no absolute system that is completely fair. Whatever system we come up with, there is going to be some imbalance. What least affects the teams is what we have to look at. You can’t get rid of rounds one and two.’’

As well as discussions with the broadcasters, the NRL will hold further talks with the clubs on Tuesday, where it appears likely some will reignite their push for the season to start over.

The chances of the Storm relocating to Sydney when the competition resumes have heightened after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews extended the state of emergency until at least May 11, reinforcing the strict enforcement of social distancing and isolation.

The Storm will be forced to relocate to Sydney if they want to train as a team.