The Finals before the Finals - how important was the run home?

How important is the run up to the finals?

Some commentators preach that easy games allow team to tune up their attack, while others see a run of hard-fought, quality matchups as the best way to forge a winning attitude.

Today, we'll be exploring some of the top 8 sides final months of footy, and how we think it affected their post-season.

The Final Four (Storm, Roosters, Sharks & Raiders)

Now, we're inspecting the run homes of the final 4 teams remaining, who are playing for a chance to make a grand final.

Penrith Panthers (1st)

Storm, Rabbitohs, Warriors, Cowboys

We can’t look into the Panthers much as they didn’t have Cleary. However, they still played 3 finals teams. The bulk of their side still played tough games on the road home.

North Queensland Cowboys (2nd)

Roosters, Warriors, Souths, Panthers

3 finals sides. Although one was Penrith which fielded a NSW cup side. Still tougher than a lot of other sides.

Parramatta Eels (4th)

Souths, Bulldogs, Broncos, Storm

You could make a case that the Eels had the perfect run in. A wake-up call against South Sydney, before two softer games against the Dogs & Broncos. Then a finals simulation - the must win game against the Storm for a place in the top 4.

South Sydney Rabbitohs (7th)

Eels, Panthers, Cowboys, Roosters

2 finals sides and one competing for the finals until the last round. All top 5 teams. An incredible run home. A proper finals month heading into the big games. Souths were prepared better than anyone.

Making up the numbers?

• Melbourne Storm, finishing in 5th, their worst finish to a regular season since some of us even begun watching football.
• We had the Sydney Roosters, the first back to back champions in 20 odd years finishing in 5th.
• Cronulla Sharks, proving the doubters wrong with a new coach (Craig Fitzgibbon) & untested super-star halfback (Nicho Hynes).
• Let’s not forget Ricky Stuart’s Canberra Raiders. 4 wins on the trot before the finals and crowned as a lot of onlookers as the form team in the competition entering the finals. That’s the bottom 4 teams.

You can’t look at that list and tell me that anyone was merely making up numbers in this years finals series. Now that we’ve had a look at the sides that made up the bottom half of the ladder, it’s time to turn our attention to what this article is really about.

Let’s call the introduction to todays article a bonus.

A summary of what the last 4 standing teams had to endure. We often say that you can’t control who you play. ‘What is in front of you’ as the saying goes. Which is correct.

But what if we could?

Would it have made a difference this season?

Soft run home

Cronulla Sharks (2nd)

Tigers, Sea Eagles, Bulldogs, Knights

Not one top 8 side. Conceded 32 & 38 points in their two finals appearances, after being one of the best in the league through 2022.

Canberra Raiders (8th)

Dragons, Knights, Sea Eagles, Tigers

Not one top 8 side as well. Battled hard for a win against Melbourne before being obliterated by Parramatta at CommBank Stadium.

Now that the jury is out on the Sharks and Raiders. What if they could have controlled their run home? Would things have been different?

Would they have been more finals ready?

The truth is we’ll never know. But it’s certainly worth thinking about.

One thing is for certain though, if my beloved Parramatta Eels have a treacherous run home next season, I just might not complain.

[Christian Sipione]