by draw except that teams playing away last year now play at home in the
corresponding round. The first round starts this weekend.
The usual SoO games with split rounds occurs mid year and the same final 8
series with 2 groups playing the old top 4 system culminating in the two
group winners playing in the Grand Final.
The days a team plays on a weekend are unknown. This makes it hard for people
to see the game live as you can't plan ahead. So you stay at home to watch
the game on TV. This is another example of who really runs the game. Not the
ARL but Packer or one of his Channel 9 delegates.
A minor gripe is about the final 8 series. Many people asked me about the
draw last year cos they were confused. The ARL continue to describe the
matches as Games A thru I. It is simply 2 groups (1,4,5,8 & 2,3,6,7) playing
the old top 4 system with the winners meeting in the GF.
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Peter Davies