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'No real advantage': Why NRL needs better incentives for minor premiers
Nicholas Quinlan • August 31st, 2025 4:26 pm
With the NRL finals just two weeks away from starting, the excitement is beginning to build for what will be a great four weeks of footy.
Already seven teams have booked their spot for finals action, with the final spot still up for grabs between the Roosters, Dolphins and to a lesser extent, the Sea-Eagles.
Within those finals-bound sides, there is still plenty of competition to finish as high as possible to get a more even match-up/home final or a double chance.
But in the eyes of Joel Caine, he would like to see more incentives based on where a team finishes to raise the stakes.
Caine, who was filling in for Scott Sattler on SEN’s Saturday League Kick-Off, proposed that the NRL should allow the minor premiers and 5th place to select their opponent for the first week of finals.
He thinks that this would increase the incentive of finishing 1st or 5th by creating more competition in the home and away season, and gives a unique advantage that no other side gets.
“In my opinion, the minor premiers from a player’s point of view and from a coach’s point of view, they get no real advantage over team two,” Caine said.
“You both get a home final. Yes, there is $100,000 that goes to the club. But the players and coaching staff get nothing out of it.
“I think if you finish minor premiers, you should get to choose who you play out of 3rd or 4th.
“And likewise for 5th. So, 5th gets to choose who they play out of 7th or 8th.”
To use this year as an example, it would mean that the Raiders would choose to either play the Bulldogs or the Broncos in their qualifying final, with the Warriors then getting their pick out of the Panthers or the Roosters in the elimination final.
It would certainly add another dimension to the finals.
For instance, the prospect of the teams in 3rd, 4th, 7th or 8th being selected by either 1st or 5th could see a chip on their shoulder mentality develop, showing that they are not easy beats, creating plenty of spice.
While the teams in 1st or 5th can select a more favourable match-up as a reward for their regular season performance.
The NRL finals are set to begin on September 12.
