Wildcard Weekend: NRL’s latest wheeze to keep the juices flowing

Wildcard Weekend is the NRL’s latest wheeze to keep the juices flowing late in the season.

Back in the Super League days, as the rebel competition and the Australian Rugby League discussed a Super Bowl-like game between their respective champions, one respected official proposed the concept of a “Wooden Bowl’’.

The Wooden Bowl would have involved the last-placed finishers in the respective competitions playing off on grand final day to decide the worst of the worst. A grand final of sorts, only with little grandeur.

Yesterday, as news filtered through of the NRL’s plans to consider revamping its finals system to what would effectively be a 10-team competition, a current club official quipped: “The wooden bowl is back baby.”

And therein lies the problem for the NRL. It may not be the worst of the worst, but some will no doubt suggest “Wildcard Weekend” severely dilutes a system that already results in some average teams playing finals football.

Mediocrity would be rewarded more than ever. The chances of team nine or 10 actually winning the grand final is slim — about as slim as it gets given they would be required to win five games a row in sudden death to lift the premiership trophy.

Yet the mere thought that a team in 10th place could play on grand final day was enough to cause conniptions among some clubs and media.

It shapes as tough sell for the game, even though there would appear to be plenty of benefits. Meaningless games would be reduced. Interest would be retained. Supporters would be given hope when previously it was lost.

The NRL insists crowds and ratings would be solidified rather than slumping, as they do at the moment when teams towards the bottom of the ladder are involved at the end of the season.

Maintaining broadcasting ratings is one of the greatest challenges for modern sports — the landscape is rapidly changing and no sport is immune.

So many kids, and some adults for that matter, are more interested in Fortnite than football. The codes need to find new and novel ways to keep eyeballs and interest.

“Wildcard Weekend” may yet be the answer. The NRL will test the waters in coming months and be guided by the response, both from officials and supporters.

One group stands to benefit more than any other. The NRL is coming off a season in which coaches were turned over at an alarming rate. Nearly one-third of sides will start the season with a fresh pair of hands holding the clipboard.

Coaches face the same challenge every year. Unless your name is Wayne Bennett or Craig Bellamy, or Trent Robinson for that matter, the minimum expectation is the finals.

Make it that far and your job is generally safe. Suddenly, there would be 10 spots up for grabs. You won’t necessarily need to be a supercoach to qualify for Wildcard Weekend.

Do a serviceable job and there is every chance your team can make it that far. The opposite applies to those sides who miss the cut.

The pressure on those in the bottom six would intensity. Missing an eight-team finals series is one thing. Missing out when there are 10 spots up for grabs, that’s just plain embarrassing,