A make or break call
Should the NRL mirror the AFL and take a week off before the finals?
FINALS footy is about the best of the competition slugging it out to determine who will lift a premiership.
As a fan of multiple codes I want to see the best players take to the field to make it the best spectacle it can be.
If an extra week enables them to get much-needed rest after a long season so they can either recover from an injury that would have otherwise forced them out or help them produce their best football again then I’m all for it.
We have had 26 rounds of constant football with the likes of State of Origin in between and you’re going to tell me that people can’t wait an extra seven days for the climax of the season? That’s as shortsighted as it gets. Two weeks that were vulnerable are now as strong as ever. When the AFL introduced it last year it didn’t impact crowds and it didn’t slow momentum.
It was introduced to enhance the integrity of the competition by stopping teams resting big numbers of players in the final round of the regular season. That’s more than enough reason to do it – but it is secondary to my thirst to watch the stars of the NRL take to the field. Finals is no place for second-rate footy. The AFL have held the All Australian dinner, Rising Star award and the Women’s State of Origin match during the week off and the NRL should consider implementing their own break. Some argue the top teams are disadvantaged as they get another break throughout the finals but if you can’t manage your players through a break than something is wrong.