NRL’s World Cup-style idea rubbished amid ‘big risk’

Paul Gallen and Allana Ferguson have rubbished the NRL’s World Cup-style third-place playoff idea after Peter V’landys confessed it’s “very likely” to go ahead this season.

The plan would pit the losers of the preliminary finals against each other and was revealed in The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday.

Bulldogs chief executive officer Aaron Warburton was said to be the man behind the idea.

ARLC chairman V’landys said there was too much clear air in the lead-up to last year’s grand final.

“Last year I sat back and saw Thursday, Friday and Saturday had nothing, no sport. It was clear air, in grand final week,” he told 9News Sydney.

“I said to myself why don’t we have something on in those three days?”

V’landys confirmed it could happen in just over a month.

“It’s very likely,” he said.

“One of the things I want to do at the NRL, we’re a can do organisation. If we decide to do something, let’s do it.”

How the idea will be received is interesting. Players are currently going through 27 rounds of football before finals, with the elite stars featuring in State of Origin and Test match football over the course of the year as well.

Gallen isn’t convinced.

“Good luck,” he said sarcastically on Nine’s 100% Footy.

“I think at the end of the day, when you get football players on the field they’ll put their best foot forward, but to get them on there to play for a third place. I don’t know.

“If you put someone out there for a third place and they do an ACL, then they’re out for the next year also. It’s a big risk.”

Ferguson added the plan works for a World Cup when fans have travelled a long distance, but not for a regular competition.

“When have we ever cared who came third? ... I can’t see that happening at all for the current playing group,” she said.

The former Jillaroos star added a standalone NRLW grand final could be an option.

V’landys wasn’t worried about player burnout.

“No because if the prize money is sufficient, and you’ve got the tribalism in the game (then it will work),” he said.

“We’ve got to come up with an idea where it is an important game, and that’s the challenge. If you’re going to take that game to the next level, then why play it?”

Fan backlash isn’t concerning the NRL boss either.

“I see Twitter as the greatest tool for me, whatever they go against, I go with, because 99.9 per cent of the time they get it wrong,” he said.

While V’landys is no doubt set to face backlash, Phil Gould said he liked the “thought bubble” but thinks there’s better content than a third-place playoff.

Gould also suggested a knockout competition for teams outside the top eight could work, considering the lack of revenue they receive during September.

“I like the thought of putting content on there but I think we can do it a better way,” he said.

“I think football for teams that don’t make the eight might be an incentive where players will play on because they’ve got rep football coming up, it gives teams that miss the eight something to look forward to, to make cash and maybe blood younger players. I think that engages all the fans across the league.”

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