Here are the thoughts on the subject from rleague.com, submitted by a site reader Adam Lehoczky:
With the 2009 finals series pressing closer, and the race for five finals spots almost obscenely close (a situation the AFL would love to have).
I can almost hear the annual wailing and gnashing of teeth from those who loathe and detest the McIntyre top 8 system.
And yes, it has flaws. The likelihood that the 4v5 and 3v6 games are rendered meaningless, the seeming unfairness that teams 3 and 4 could be eliminated, the inflexibility of the week 1 schedule, and the complexity of the system are just some of the factors that lead people to look at the AFL's system longingly.
With that in mind, I thought it might be worth throwing up some of the benefits of the McIntyre system as I see it:
-- 1. The top two are kept apart until the Grand Final. Although there is a large combination of possible results, the two best teams of the regular season are kept separate until the Grand Final. If they both win, they get the winner 1 and winner 2 slots, and play opposite preliminary finals. If they both lose (unlikely as it sounds), they play opposite semi finals and preliminary finals if they win. And as we saw last year with the Warriors upsetting Melbourne, when one wins and the other loses, the winner of the two (Manly in 2008) gets the winner 1 slot, and the loser (Melbourne) gets the loser 1 slot-meaning they play winner 3 then winner 2.
Compare this to the AFL system and the (necessary) crossover. If one of the top two falls over in week one, they're placed on a collision course with the other. Look at the AFL in 2006: Adelaide (2nd place) defeated Fremantle (3rd) to earn the week off. Meanwhile, Sydney (4th) upset West Coast (1st). When West Coast and Fremantle won in week 2, they swapped partners-leaving the higher-ranked Adelaide playing the minor premiers, with Sydney getting to play the third placed side.
-- 2. Making the Grand Final from 7th and 8th means going through the top 2. If you finish 7th, you're stuck not only having to knock over 2nd, but also having to beat the minor premiers if you want to play in the Grand Final. The Cowboys run in 2004 is an example. The Cowboys famously upset the Bulldogs in the 2v7 game. They then had to beat 3rd placed Brisbane to meet the minor premiers, the Roosters, for a Grand Final berth.
That's right-making the big one from 7th meant having to defeat the top three teams in the comp. With such a run, any team that does make the Grand Final from 7th or 8th clearly deserves to be there. Contrast the AFL. 8th may beat 5th, and if results favour them, they may then have to beat 4th and 3rd to make the decider-a tough road, but nowhere near as hard as the McIntyre system.
3. No massive gap between teams 4 and 5. The only real advantage team 4 has over team 5 in the McIntyre system is the home final. Contrast the AFL system, and the divide could hardly be wider-team 4 gets a guaranteed second chance, team 5 faces sudden death.
