Finding The Premier Club

Play-Off Systems : 1908 to present

by Sean Fagan of RL1908.com

Poor old Glebe - they never seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

In 1911 Glebe finished as minor premiers, but the NSWRL ordered semi-finals be played. Glebe lost. Over the next 14 years the NSWRL gave the title to the minor premiers - Glebe, never quite first, finished in the top four in ten of those seasons.

No wonder by the end of the 1920s Glebe seemed to have lost all its energy and fight.

The method used to determine the premier club for each season has constantly changed over the history of the NSWRL/NRL competition. Some clubs have found changes to be opportune, others have seen a season of domination end in tatters and dispair.

In 1908 & '09 a one week semi-final round was played, followed by a premiership deciding Final. In the semis, teams 1 and 2 played 3 and 4 - with the winner of each game receiving two further points to their competition tally. The benefit of this method was that a team's performance over the club rounds was a decisive factor in who played in the Final. In both seasons the possibility of the third placed team displacing the first or second placed team was remote. As a result, the semi-final matches were poorly attended.

The irrelevance of semi-finals in '08 and '09, plus the impact upon the season's schedule from the English Lions tour, saw the NSWRL decide to end the competition with a Final between the top two clubs - the first placed Newtown and the second placed Souths. When the Final ended in a 4-4 draw the NSWRL declared Newtown as the premiership winners (as Souths had been unable to defeat the minor premiers).

It was decided to continue with just a Final in 1911 as the Kangaroos left before the end of the club rounds for England. However, as so many of the best players were missing from the top clubs, the NSWRL resolved to give the minor premiers a 'right of challenge' if they lost the Final. As it turned out, two teams finished equal second (Easts & Souths) forcing a semi-final to be played. Dally Messenger had declined to go on the Kangaroo tour, giving Easts a significant edge - they beat Souths in the semi, and then Glebe in the Final and (the first) Grand Final to take the premiership.

The failure of Glebe, as the minor premiers of 1911, to win the premiership resulted in the NSWRL dumping the use of play-offs to decide the season's premiers. From 1912 to 1925 the competition was won on a 'first past the post' basis. The playing of a Final only occurred when the two top teams finished the club rounds on equal points (three clubs never finished on the same points during this era).

For Glebe, the club who brought about the changed system, it was a frustrating period. They could not clinch first place in any of those seasons - the closest they came was in 1922. In that season North Sydney and Glebe were equal first - however Glebe produced a terrible performance in the Final, losing to Norths 35-3.

During the first-past-the-post era the NSWRL satisifed the public' s need for 'elimination' or 'knock-out' matches by holding a separate City Cup competition at the end of the season.

The 1925 season saw an unbeaten South Sydney team a massive 10 points ahead after just thirteen club rounds. That was enough for most clubs, players and supporters to lose all interest in the competition. The NSWRL suspended the remaining rounds, awarding Souths the premiership and allowing the City Cup to start early.

Not ever wanting a repeat of the 1925 situation, the NSWRL introduced a top four semi-finals system. The first placed team (unless jointly first) were given a 'right of challenge' - meaning if they were beaten in a semi or Final, a Grand Final would be required.

However, during the 1926-54 period a number of variations did occur. In 1937 no semi-finals were played as the season was shortened to allow the departure of the Kangaroos to New Zealand and England.

The other variations (1926-54) all took place when teams jointly finished in first place. The minor premiers were not automatically given the 'right of challenge' if they were in joint first pIace. In most cases, before the semi-finals began, the two joint leaders played a specially arranged match to decide who had the 'right of challenge'. This happened in 1934 between Easts (minor premiers) and Wests. The Magpies defeated Easts and were awarded the 'right of challenge' - as it turned out Wests won the Final anyway.

However, in 1928 when Saints and Easts finished equal at the top, the NSWRL decided no one had the right of challenge. This opened the door for the third placed Souths (8 points behind the other two clubs). The Rabbitohs beat Saints in the semi and Easts in the Final to walk away with the premiership.

The most remarkable situation happened in 1941 when three teams finished equal in first place. On for/against they were in order: Easts, Balmain, Canterbury. As a result, the NSWRL announced that no one would have the 'right of challenge'. In a four team semi-finals series that was probably fair enough. It was ironic when the 4th placed Dragons won the Final - with none of the three first placed teams having the 'right of challenge' Saints took the premiership without having to face a Grand Final.

For the 1954 season, and thereafter, the season has ended with semi-finals culminating in a Grand Final. No longer would a club enter the play-offs with a 'right of challenge' advantage. The four team semi-final system was played on a 1v2 (winner to Grand Final) and 3v4 system for Week 1.

One of the more interesting events came in 1960 when four teams finished in equal second behind St George. The teams were forced into play-offs based on their for/against position to decide the top four: Wests (2nd) v Balmain (4th), Easts (3rd) v Canterbury (5th). The two winners (Wests and Easts) then played-off for 2nd and 3rd places in the semi-finals, while Balmain and Canterbury met for 4th place. Wests took 2nd place by beating Easts, the Tigers lost again and their season was over (Canterbury taking 4th place). The top four play-offs were then played as usual. The Roosters finally won through to the Grand Final, but had little energy left to confront St George and lost 31-6.

In 1973 the NSWRL expanded the play-offs into a top five system. This awarded the minor premiers a week off and effectively gave them two chances to reach the Grand Final. It also seemed improbable for many seasons that a 4th or 5th placed team could reach - let alone win - the Grand Final.

The first was Canterbury in 1979, however they were beaten by St George. In 1989 Canberra finally proved it could be achieved, when they came from 4th place to win the premiership. The Brisbane Broncos in 1993 won four consecutive elimination matches to win from 5th place.

The 1975 season was unique - Balmain, Wests and Parramatta all finished on equal points for fifth place. With it now impossible to delay the semi-finals by a week, the NSWRL drew Wests and Parramatta 'out of a hat' for a Tuesday play-off, with the winner to play Balmain on the Thursday. Parramatta won both matches, then defeated the 4th placed Canterbury on the Sunday. After leading Manly early in the next semi, the Eels ran out of steam and their dramatic finals charge was over.

The top five system was hugely popular and served rugby league well until it was replaced in the 1995 season following the expansion of the competition to 20 clubs.

The 1995 and '96 seasons saw the use of a top eight system which used quarter-finals. The top four clubs played each other (1v4, 2v3), as did teams 5 to 8 (5v8, 6v7) - the two lowest ranked losers were eliminated. Subsequent matches were all organised on a ranking basis, with losers eliminated. In the 1995 season Canterbury were able to win the Grand Final from sixth place.

The 1997 Super League competition used the old top five method, while the ARL (NSWRL) changed that year to a top seven finals series. The minor premiers were given a week off - in the other matches it was 2v3, 4v5 and 6v7 (with the loser of this last match eliminated). Manly (minor premiers) defeated Newcastle (who had won the 2v3 match) to reach the Grand Final. The Knights won one of two Finals played the next weekend and clinched the other Grand Final place, eventually winning the premiership.

The first NRL competition (1998) adopted a top ten system, granting first and second place a week off. In the first week the matches were arranged as 3v6, 4v5, 7v10, 8v9 - the two lowest ranked losers were eliminated. The ninth-placed Canterbury were able to reach the Grand Final where they lost to Brisbane (minor premiers).

From 1999 to the present the NRL has used a top eight system where the opening matches are 1v8, 2v7, 3v6 & 4v5 - lowest ranked losers progressively eliminated.

The quest for a perfect model will probably never end. Each system has its advantages and disadvantages - the most determining factor for success lies in being in form at the right end of the season. It is not always the most consistent team that wins the premiership.

The true test of a champion team is twofold. It is proving to be consistent enough over the season to clinch a play-off spot, and then to be able to win the remaining three or four matches from there.

Arguably, the team that can do both of those, deserves to be the season's premiers.