Has the NRL stumbled upon its next annual fixture in the form of a yearly spoonbowl?
Friday night’s loser-takes-all fixture between Wests Tigers and Parramatta has made a case for it.
The match is officially the Tigers’ fastest-selling fixture in years, having sold out on Sunday, five days before kick-off at the typically hard-to-attend Friday 6pm slot in Campbelltown.
The game is also likely to command more focus than most others this weekend, with a clear motivation for both teams in an otherwise miserable and long end to the season.
The Eels are desperate to avoid adding to their already record-high 14 spoons, while the Tigers have spoken for weeks about avoiding a third straight last-placed finish.
“Everyone remembers first, everyone remembers second,” Parramatta five-eighth Dylan Brown said.
“It’s the same with the wooden spoon. Everyone remembers the wooden spoon, but no one remembers second-last.”
Which begs the question: Could the NRL have this kind of hype around a spoonbowl each and every year?
The league are continually looking for new ways to shape the season.
A wildcard weekend remains a possibility, particularly once expansion takes the game to 20 teams. A bout between the bottom two teams could fit in perfectly.
The main stumbling block would likely be with players, who would understandably not want to turn out in a game designed to determine the league’s worst.
Critics would also point to the fact the last-placed side could sit well below second-last, but that is no different to a grand final deciding the premiers.
“It’s the grand final four weeks early,” injured Eels halfback Mitch Moses said.
“You don’t want to come last, that’s the thing. I’m not too sure if it would work. Hopefully, I never play in one.”
But he can understand the hype.
“Both clubs have passionate supporters,” Moses said.
“With Wests Tigers and Parramatta, I have been lucky enough to play for both clubs.
“The Tigers have been in some good form lately so that’s why all their fans are coming out. And we had a win on the weekend.”
Genuine last-round spoonbowls between the two bottom-placed teams where the loser is guaranteed to finish last are incredibly rare.
In the last 40 years, there have only been two.
Parramatta beat Gold Coast to avoid the spoon in 2011, while the most recent contest came in 2015 when Penrith handed the spoon to Newcastle.
For those who have played them, they mean more than a normal game.
“It definitely mattered that night,” Panthers forward Isaah Yeo said of the 2015 match.
“It was a lot more fun than having a wooden spoon. I think everyone will be tuned in Friday night, and you don’t want to be the loser.”
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