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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Puts the competition's credibility at risk': Two teams blocked from making NRL finals
NRL boss Peter V'Landys has told Yahoo Sport Australia that a proposal for a 'Wildcard Weekend' that would radically alter the top-eight finals system is "not on the agenda" and probably won't be in the near future. The mooted plan appears dead and buried as both the NRL and clubs continue to show little appetite for change. A plan to give teams finishing 9th and 10th a crack at making the top-eight by taking on teams 8th and 7th respectively in a Wildcard Weekend was put to club bosses a number of years ago. Under the re-jigged format, teams in the top six would be warehoused for a week after the end of the regular season as the Wildcard Weekend played out. The winner of the two wildcard games would then join the top six teams for week one of the finals. If the current NRL standings were to stay the same at the end of the 2025 regular season, a Wildcard Weekend would have the seventh-placed Sharks taking on the Sea Eagles (10th) and the eighth-placed Dolphins going up against the Roosters (ninth). RELATED: NRL fans left fuming after Latrell Mitchell act goes unpunished Hammer blow for Sharks after star suspended for rest of season Graham Annesley had floated idea for 'Wildcard Weekend' The idea behind giving two teams outside the eight the chance to make the finals was to reduce the number of "dead" games over the closing stages of the season. Stats showed, on average, there were 23 "dead" matches – where one or both teams could not make the finals – each season. This impacted attendances, TV ratings and merchandise sales, costing clubs vital revenue. The NRL's head of elite football operation, Graham Annesley, told clubs at the time a Wildcard Weekend could help recoup some of those losses. "You often hear clubs (outside the eight) say mathematically we can still make it, but mathematically means you have to win every game," he said previously. "If you've missed the eight for multiple years, trying to get members to re-sign for the following year can be difficult. So if this is a way of keeping that engagement and that involvement from everyone associated with the game it is at least worth considering." Peter V'landys rejects idea for 'Wildcard Weekend' The clubs did consider Annesley's proposal but ultimately rejected it. And it appears there is still little support for the concept after it was raised again over the weekend. ARL chairman V'Landys told Yahoo Sport Australia: "It's not on the current agenda and I don't think it will be (in the near future)." One club CEO added: "There was a general feeling the season was long enough without adding another week to it. "And it puts the competition's credibility at risk if you have a team that finished 9th or 10th going on to win the title, as unlikely as that might sound. An eight-team finals system in a competition with 17 sides is about right." Proponents of the Wildcard Weekend could look to revive the idea when new franchises in Perth and PNG are added to the NRL over the next few years. The Perth Bears will enter the competition in 2027, while PNG will come in the year after. How an NRL 'Wildcard Weekend' would work Teams finishing in top six get the weekend off 7th v 10th - (Cronulla v Manly on current standings) 8th v 9th - (Dolphins v Roosters) Losing teams eliminated, winning teams secure 7th and 8th spots in traditional finals format
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness perfect bracket tracker: Just 11 remain unscathed after first round
Mathematically, 0% of entries in Yahoo Sport's Men's Bracket Mayhem remain perfect. In numerical terms, 30 perfect brackets left after the completion of the first round. That's 32 out of 32 games picked correctly. And that's despite fewer upsets than normal. The biggest surprise of Saturday's slate was No. 12 Colorado St. upsetting No. 5 Memphis, which dwindled the number from 0.1% to 0%. That result followed a pair of upsets on Thursday — No. 12 McNeese over No. 5 Clemson and No. 11 Drake knocking off No. 6 Missouri — that eliminated the lion's share of the perfect brackets. McNeese was the LEAST-picked 12-5 upset on Yahoo 😱 — Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) March 20, 2025 A few more surprising results took care of most of the rest, No. 10 Arkansas over No. 7 Kansas on Thursday, and both Ole Miss over North Carolina and No. 10 New Mexico over No. 7 Marquette on Friday. By Friday morning, just .1% remained perfect ... until Colorado State. Duke is the overwhelming favorite among users, with 31% picking the Blue Devils to win it all, followed by Florida (21.5), Auburn (10.3) and Houston (8.9). The most popular non-No. 1 seed is No. 2 St. John's, with 4.7% picking the Johnnies.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness perfect bracket tracker: Just 11 remain unblemished after 28 games
Mathematically, 0% of entries in Yahoo Sport's Men's Bracket Mayhem remain perfect. In numerical terms, 30 perfect brackets left after the completion of the first round. That's 32 out of 32 games picked correctly. And that's despite fewer upsets than normal. The biggest surprise of Saturday's slate was No. 12 Colorado St. upsetting No. 5 Memphis, which dwindled the number from 0.1% to 0%. That result followed a pair of upsets on Thursday — No. 12 McNeese over No. 5 Clemson and No. 11 Drake knocking off No. 6 Missouri — that eliminated the lion's share of the perfect brackets. McNeese was the LEAST-picked 12-5 upset on Yahoo 😱 — Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) March 20, 2025 A few more surprising results took care of most of the rest, No. 10 Arkansas over No. 7 Kansas on Thursday, and both Ole Miss over North Carolina and No. 10 New Mexico over No. 7 Marquette on Friday. By Friday morning, just .1% remained perfect ... until Colorado State. Duke is the overwhelming favorite among users, with 31% picking the Blue Devils to win it all, followed by Florida (21.5), Auburn (10.3) and Houston (8.9). The most popular non-No. 1 seed is No. 2 St. John's, with 4.7% picking the Johnnies.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness perfect bracket tracker: Just 30 remain unblemished after 28 games
Mathematically, 0% of entries in Yahoo Sport's Men's Bracket Mayhem remain perfect. In numerical terms, 30 perfect brackets are left after 28 games — including another 12-over-5 upset. The latest, No. 12 Colorado St. upsetting No. 5 Memphis, dwindled the number from .1% to 0%. Then after Saint Mary's rallied to beat Vanderbilt on Friday afternoon, the number of perfect brackets remaining dropped below 200. Though the Tar Heels' comeback attempt failed, Ole Miss' win over North Carolina then eliminated more than 100 additional entries. That brought the total perfect brackets down to double digits for the first time. And No. 10 New Mexico's win over No. 7 Marquette knocked off a few more. Two No. 12 seeds — the other being No. 12 McNeese over No. 5 Clemson on Thursday — have now moved onto the second round and have taken out a huge swath of brackets. More than 85% of the entries picked Clemson, and those 85% pretty much knew by halftime of Thursday's game that their brackets were about to bust. The Tigers managed just 13 first-half points, one off the tournament record for fewest points scored in a half. Clemson went on a run late in the second half to make things interesting, but ultimately couldn't overcome the putrid first half, losing 69-67. McNeese was the LEAST-picked 12-5 upset on Yahoo 😱 — Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) March 20, 2025 Nearly 66% picked picked No. 7 Kansas against No. 10 Arkansas on Thursday, which left about 5% of brackets still perfect after the Razorbacks held on in a back-and-forth affair. More than 58% had Missouri over Drake. By Friday morning, just .1% remained perfect ... until Colorado State. Duke is the overwhelming favorite among users, with 31% picking the Blue Devils to win it all, followed by Florida (21.5), Auburn (10.3) and Houston (8.9). The most popular non-No. 1 seed is No. 2 St. John's, with 4.7% picking the Johnnies.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness perfect bracket tracker: Just 76 remain unblemished after 24 games
Mathematically, 0% of entries in Yahoo Sport's Men's Bracket Mayhem remain perfect. In numerical terms, 76 perfect brackets are left after 24 games — including another 12-over-5 upset. The latest, No. 12 Colorado St. upsetting No. 5 Memphis, dwindled the number from .1% to 0%. Then after Saint Mary's rallied to beat Vanderbilt on Friday afternoon, the number of perfect brackets remaining dropped below 200. Though the Tar Heels' comeback attempt failed, Ole Miss' win over North Carolina then eliminated more than 100 additional entries. That brought the total perfect brackets down to double digits for the first time. Two No. 12 seeds — the other being No. 12 McNeese over No. 5 Clemson on Thursday — have now moved onto the second round and have taken out a huge swath of brackets. More than 85% of the entries picked Clemson, and those 85% pretty much knew by halftime of Thursday's game that their brackets were about to bust. The Tigers managed just 13 first-half points, one off the tournament record for fewest points scored in a half. Clemson went on a run late in the second half to make things interesting, but ultimately couldn't overcome the putrid first half, losing 69-67. McNeese was the LEAST-picked 12-5 upset on Yahoo 😱 — Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) March 20, 2025 Nearly 66% picked picked No. 7 Kansas against No. 10 Arkansas on Thursday, which left about 5% of brackets still perfect after the Razorbacks held on in a back-and-forth affair. More than 58% had Missouri over Drake. By Friday morning, just .1% remained perfect ... until Colorado State. Duke is the overwhelming favorite among users, with 31% picking the Blue Devils to win it all, followed by Florida (21.5), Auburn (10.3) and Houston (8.9). The most popular non-No. 1 seed is No. 2 St. John's, with 4.7% picking the Johnnies.
