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Message: [QUOTE="Big Pete, post: 3559547, member: 1899"] The McIntyre system tossed up some fun scenarios like the Cowboys in 2004, Warriors in 2008 and Eels in 2009 but it was a very uneven format. A team like St George Illawarra could dominate the competition, lose the opening week and suddenly they find themselves in a do or die game in Brisbane. They could have easily fixed home ground advantage, but the other concern was that 1 v 8 and 2 v 7 wasn't usually the best preparation for Week 3. So often those games would be low quality and the top team would treat it like a training run, only to find themselves up against it in Week 3. That's what happened in 2005 with the Eels and the Dragons. The Eels beat a Manly side that had finished the season with a 2-8 record and were really just making the numbers. The Eels had the game won easily at half-time, before they got sloppy and allowed the Sea Eagles to race in a few tries. Meanwhile the Dragons actually found themselves trailing against the Sharks who were 3-7 coming into the finals. In the end they won but it was easily their worst win in recent weeks. Neither team turned up with the same intensity as their opponents. The Eels especially looked like they were going through the motions and by the time they realised they were against it, they had no response. I don't think we're seeing that as often and when a team does suffer some complacency like the Panthers they get the opportunity to work it out against quality opposition. Who knows, playing the Rabbitohs instead of the Titans may have been a blessing in disguise in 2021. [/QUOTE]

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