After a relatively lopsided 2021 season, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo has revealed a radical new promotion/relegation system for 2022.
The first 15 rounds of the 2022 season will see everyone play each other once. Then the top 10 and bottom six teams will spilt into different competitions.
The top 10 will play in the Telstra Super Premiership, and the bottom six will play in the Telstra Country Championship.
TELSTRA SUPER PREMIERSHIP
The top 10 teams will play each other once over nine rounds, with a top five finals series (which was used in the NSWRL and in the Australian Super League competition) and the grand final on the first Sunday night in October. To ensure maximum ratings and advertising revenue, the Telstra Super Premiership games will be played on Thursday nights, Friday nights, Saturday nights (a double header), and Sunday nights.
TELSTRA COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
The bottom six teams will play each other twice (10 rounds) in various locations in country Australia, with each side to have a designated country venue (where they will run promotional events and coaching clinics in-between games), with most games to be played in the afternoons or early evenings. After 10 rounds, the minor premiers go straight to the grand final, with teams two and three playing in a preliminary final. The Telstra Country Championship Grand Final will be played as the curtain raiser to the Telstra Super Premiership Grand Final.
At the end of the season, all 16 teams will reintegrate into the Telstra Premiership for the new season, before they split off again after 15 rounds. The State of Origin series will be played in these opening 15 rounds to ensure all players are available for selection. The format will be assessed when the fourth Queensland teams enters the NRL, though it’s likely to be kept if the ratings are high enough.
“This is not a case of elitism. Rather, it’s a case of giving fans the best of the best over the last two months of the season, a return to the excellent final five system, and a chance for country Australia to see some solid footy on a more regular basis. I understand fans of the bottom teams will be upset at not being able to attend live games, but they can still see their teams play and can make a weekend of it up in the bush,” said Abdo.
The Wooden Spooners considered contacting Buzz Rothfield for comments, but we’re sick of his ‘old man yells at cloud’ rants, and Paul Kent was unavailable as he was recording his new boxing podcast.
