Do NZ deserve to be in the grand final?

[Sean]

They had a good season. One more win and they finish fourth.

They played one bad finals match but nerves will do that. Then they have won a big game against the tigers that they copped some horrible decisions and dominated a rested Storm, all away from home.

I picked this GF at $23 after they lost to the Broncos. Just need my Manly $21 odds to get up. Yeahhhh

 

[Masked Eagle]

Absolutely they deserve to be there. Of course they were lucky to be there after the first week, just like we were unlucky to be eliminated in 09. Its part of the luck of the draw, just like it is in the regular season where luck of the draw plays a part, so it does in the finals.

 

[Stuey Davis’s Socks]

They deserve to be there given the way they recovered so well from the hiding they received in wk 1. Reality will arrive for them in a hurry next Sunday though

 

[The Who]

Absolutely they deserve to be there. Of course they were lucky to be there after the first week, just like we were unlucky to be eliminated in 09. Its part of the luck of the draw, just like it is in the regular season where luck of the draw plays a part, so it does in the finals.

That's the point of the thread; luck plays a greater part than it should.
For example: would it have been fair had the Manly V Melb punch-up occurred a week later and Manly had been robbed of seven of their players for a finals match?

Did Easts last year or ' Matter the year before deserve to reach the GF? No, not on their form throughout the season. They were lucky to win a few matches at the season's end and scrape in to the top eight.

A more satisfying GF for me would be Manly V Storm - but of course I'll take a win against anyone!

 

[Masked Eagle]

Absolutely they deserve to be there. Of course they were lucky to be there after the first week, just like we were unlucky to be eliminated in 09. Its part of the luck of the draw, just like it is in the regular season where luck of the draw plays a part, so it does in the finals.

That's the point of the thread; luck plays a greater part than it should.
For example: would it have been fair had the Manly V Melb punch-up occurred a week later and Manly had been robbed of seven of their players for a finals match?

Did Easts last year or ' Matter the year before deserve to reach the GF? No, not on their form throughout the season. They were lucky to win a few matches at the season's end and scrape in to the top eight.

A more satisfying GF for me would be Manly V Storm - but of course I'll take a win against anyone!

Actually luck is probably not the right words to use. Maybe just taking advantage of the circumstances as they prevent themselves.

 

[voicefromthehill]

100% they deserve to be there - they have played some tough matches the last 8 weeks and have got to this game. Better them than the Dragons who didnt even deserve the 8

 

[Rusty]

We all ready have a prize for teams that perform across the whole season, its called the minor premiership. Frankly if you make it you deserve to be there. And in the unlikely event that they beat us then they will more then deserve to be premiers.