Definately the top '8'



Finishing 8th out of 14 is not really anything to be proud of.



I'd sooner see just the top 4 in the play offs and have it as 1st v 4th, 2nd v 3rd with the 2 winners meeting in the Grand final



Same in the NRL

Id go with top 6.

Not sure what to suggest for the scrum.



maybe the whistle should be blown, then at the same time the ball is fed into the scrum, and the other team can start to push in the scrum

Hmmmmmm



Coming 6th out of 14 isn't really that good either is it?



It's only one place above half way.

I'm going to have to stop agreeing with you Baz, it's ruining my reputation! Top 4 would be excellent.

Agreeing with Barry McKenzie, the Dalai Lama of Rugby League can only enhance ones standing, not only on these forums, but in life in general.



A cynical person would say it's only a top 8 thing so there are more games played to get more money out of the people that pay to go and watch it or the sponsors who sponsor the games either on matchday or on telly.





It just seems strange that a side that finishes in the lower half of the ladder at the end of the season could actually become the premiers.

I like the top 5 as it favoured the minor prems more than any other team by giving them a week off and no one else.

Not always an advantage.



More often than not NRL teams struggle when they are coming off the bye

Very good point. You've convinced me on that.

Agreed and dock the wages of the players who do it and the coach who is too dumb to teach the players how to pass.



Yes I think that will work.

Yeah, but at the end of the season, I think its worth it.

Top team get a week off. They also only have to win one game to get to the GF, which I think is deserved when they've finished top of the pile.

Top three teams get a "2nd" life and 4th and 5th are scrapping to stay in.

I agree with most on the dragging into touch rule. Just apply the same rules in that scenario as you do over the rest of the pitch and it works - i.e. once momentum has stopped the ref calls held. It was never a problem before so I don't see why they need to play with it now. It generally only happens when someone is running laterally out wide or when a centre has given an ill advised pass, and I have no problem with poor play of that kind being punished.



I also agree with The Offside Monkey on the need to change the restart after a player has been held up over the line. The current system means that the attacking side is penalised for getting over the opposition line. For example, if you get held up over the line on the 3rd tackle, all of your momentum has gone and you have to effectively start a new 2 tackle set, which is basically useless. In a game that is all about territory, it is perverse that you should be punished for getting over your opponent's line.



The counter argument to this is usually that the current system rewards 'good defence'. I say to this two things: 1. Letting your opponent get over your line does not constitute good defence. 2. If you stop an opponent from grounding the ball you ARE rewarded - by not conceding a try.



The old rule of restarting with an attacking scrum 10 metres out did load the dice a bit excessively, I'll admit, so I think a drop out would be a perfect way to restart the game in these situations.