Despite clubs previously rejecting the concept, the NRL is reportedly again exploring the introduction of a ‘Wildcard Weekend’ that would expand the final series to 10 teams.
According to The Daily Telegraph, at least two senior NRL club bosses – South Sydney’s Blake Solly and Brisbane’s Dave Donaghy – are strong supporters of the concept once the competition expands to 18 teams in 2027 with the introduction of the Perth Bears.
“This is definitely worth strong consideration when the competition expands to 18 and 19 teams,” Solly said.
The proposed format would see a 10-team NRL finals series take place over five weekends instead of the current four.
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The top six teams would enjoy the first weekend off, as the teams ranked 7th to 10th do battle in a sudden death wildcard round for the final two spots.
From there, the finals series would take place as normal.
Fewer end-of-season ‘zombie’ games
While increasing the number of high-stakes finals matches is great news for broadcasters come September, it would also ensure more teams remain alive in the NRL premiership race, longer.
In addition to reducing the likelihood of mass players restings, supporters of the move say it would also see fewer dead games at the back end of the NRL season with little to no bearing on finals calculations.
Next weekend’s Round 27 includes two such match-ups between the Tigers and Titans, and the Knights and Eels.