2018 - Full draw ?

[rmd]

It's actually a pretty tough draw for the Eagles:
We're one of 5 teams who play 5 of the teams that finished in the Top 8 this year and the only team that plays each of the Top 4 from this year twice.

We play the Broncos twice at Suncorp (but that's a money deal) and we've taken our home game against the Warriors to Christchurch (also a money deal).

Rounds 7 to 12 are all effectively away games now with our scheduled home games against Broncos and Warriors actually away, but we do have 5 of our last 8 at home and we also play the bottom three teams from this year twice.

The Knights and Titans have by far the toughest draw playing 7 of the Top 8 teams from this year twice while the Roosters have by far the easiest draw,playing just two teams from the Top 8 from this year twice (us and the Broncos) and they also play the bottom 5 teams from this year twice. Plus they play the Storm, Panthers and Cowboys all at home in the only match they play against them.

The Slime have a pretty good draw also.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

How simple would this be.

Top 8 from this year play each other twice next year and the bottom 8 once, 24 rounds.

Bottom 8 play each other twice and once against top 8.

Would give you a MUCH closer competition.

Start a week later, one bye round, or start same time two bye rounds with SOO played these weekends.

Thoughts?

 

[brad]

Some seem to have an easier draw , but honestly i dont think any game whether a good draw or not will come easy . Every team should have improved a little in personal or have better combinations which will make them tough ( including us ) . Apart from the storm losing gronk still have a fair replacement coming in and also the addition of Kasiano , but i dont think the gap between Melbourne and the rest will be a margin like this year . Its going to be game on folks .

 

[HappilyManly]

In 2018 Manly will win their first September Premiership since 1996
#Manly9Premierships

 

[Spartan Eagle]

I know it's a money deal but why should the broncos be advantaged by having 2 home games against the eagles.. Don't they get enough benefits?? From round 10 we effectively play the Broncos away, storm away and the raiders away.. Probably our toughest run.. And our last game is against broncos away.. FFS I don't mind giving up our home ground to promote our brand at a 'neutral' venue but to go to the lion's den is another story.

 

[The '47ers]

Thoughts?

12 teams, home and away matches against each other. All fair. Done....

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

If good enough we will feature at the end of the year and hopefully go one or two games better than we did in 2017, I still think 2019-20 are the Premiership Year’s.

But it does irk me to see the Rorters and Squeals playing the bottom 8 twice, I find that a real leg up to two top sides.

If the Rorters can add Cronk and Tedesco PLUS get that draw, they should finish 1 or 2.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

12 teams, home and away matches against each other. All fair. Done....

Super League mark 2.

 

[Chip and Chase]

why not 9-0 you pessimist?

I was trying to not get carried away.

 

[The '47ers]

Super League mark 2.

True Mark, but this current draw system is rubbish and highly unfair. I don't have any other idea to fix it though.

 

[CollaroyJo]

Super League mark 2.

True Mark, but this current draw system is rubbish and highly unfair. I don't have any other idea to fix it though.

So true. Storm should have the hardest draw but have the easiest ????

 

[Brookie Brawler]

If we can't beat the teams from last year's top 4 we won't be premiers and won't deserve to be.

The dogs, bunnies, tigers and dragons were bottom 8 teams that put us away this season, effectively knocking us out of the top 4.

Maybe we are better off with less games against opponents we will underestimate.

If we make the top 4 in 2018 with this draw we will have earned the right to contend for the trophy an will also have the confidence to go with it.

 

[desreturnoftheking]

All the nrls teams LOL

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

Free to Air: 7 games

Teams they play twice: Knights, Eels, Raiders, Titans, Wests Tigers, Roosters, Broncos, Storm, Panthers.

Teams they play once: Rabbitohs, Cowboys, Warriors, Dragons, Sharks, Bulldogs.

Starting point: Trent Barrett couldn't have asked for a better start to the season with the Sea Eagles set to meet just one top-eight team from 2017 (Parramatta) in the first six weeks.

Tough run: Things start to get tricky in Round 15 when they travel to Wollongong to take on the Red V before they earn an Origin-influenced week off. Either side of their Round 17 bye the Sea Eagles are set to face the Panthers and Storm, with fellow top-eight sides the Roosters, Panthers (again) and Sharks to follow in the next three weeks.

Show-stoppers: Manly will take on the Rabbitohs in the Round 3 double-header at ANZ Stadium, while they'll be hoping for a better result when they rekindle their rivalry with the Broncos in the Round 10 double-header at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane's festival of footy. The Round 20 game against Penrith at Lottoland should be a cracker after the Panthers knocked Manly out of the 2017 finals in controversial circumstances.

Origin impact: (Bye: Round 17) Their Round 13 showdown with the Cowboys looks like a blessing on paper, but the Lottoland clash might be a danger game for Manly depending on how many of their players are selected in the Origin squads. The Trbojevic brothers, Dylan Walker and Daly Cherry-Evans are all in contention, while North Queensland will have Johnathan Thurston at their disposal given he has retired from the representative arena.


SEA EAGLES

Ticks

— Between rounds 18 and 23, the Sea Eagles only play away from Lottoland once (round 21 v Sharks).

- Timeslots are pretty well spread out: Two Thursdays, four Fridays, 10 Saturdays and eight Sundays.

— Play seven games against teams from last year’s bottom four.

Crosses

— Eight six-day turnarounds.

— Two away games to finish the season.

— Have to play Roosters, Storm and Broncos twice.

I think we're on the wrong track here, Marty should be up front and Tom chiming in from the back.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Officials said “you can’t please everyone”

Because it's not equal for each team. Teams don't play everyone home and away. Todd is so clever yet that is beyond him, very strange.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

If we can't beat the teams from last year's top 4 we won't be premiers and won't deserve to be.

Yes this is the line I just heard the Talkin Sport 'team' explaining to a knights fan, not very convincingly.
Problem being, you have to get to the top 4 first, and the more tough games the harder that is.
Who would volunteer to play Storm twice instead of Tigers twice?

 

[castle eagle]

now i haven't looked but can someone please confirm the main priority when the draw was done:
has brisbane got enough friday night games to please all those sponsors & avoid the players confusion of playing on other nights which would ruin their tv watching habits?

 

[Rynostradamus]

Because it's not equal for each team. Teams don't play everyone home and away. Todd is so clever yet that is beyond him, very strange.

Oh me thinks he knows what he is doing.

I think there is a debt to the eels first...then he will get to Pay the dogs or was that Pay to the dogs...

 

[Jethro]

#fakedraw

The is no way that is the real draw ........ Broncos only having 5 Friday night games.

They make up for it partially by having 8 Thursday night games.

 

[manly al]

Really don"t know and am not aware how the present N R L draw is formulated or what general criteria is used . The main intention however should be surely for any club to not have to experience and contend with the totally unreasonable and frequent five day turn arounds that Manly had to cope with early in season 16 . I know that there can always be other factors having some influence but i guess that if a side is good and consistent enough , a favorable position the final "s series should still be be well within reach and manageable . Just in regard to some suggestions of groups of top eight teams playing each other twice and similarly with the bottom eight sides , this would actually constitute lots of 7 game rounds for any set 8 teams . So then a season based on this proposal would consist of 21 fixture games, regardless of any allocated byes . In any case it looks like that the 26 round format with two byes per team will still be the standard arrangement for the immediate future, until a better format can be devised and accepted .