The NRL has conceded it’s “not ideal” for winless Parramatta to have three video games in a row towards golf equipment coming off the bye as they attempt to get their season on observe.
But head of soccer Graham Annesley denies it was an “oversight” as was steered final week and that different sides will undergo one thing related later within the 12 months.
The Eels have misplaced their opening three video games and head into this week’s grand last rematch towards a refreshed Penrith outfit who had the bye final week.
That comes on the again of enjoying Manly who had the bye in Round 2, whereas the Eels then tackle the Roosters subsequent week who can even be recent off the bye.
It’s a brutal set of circumstances for Parramatta but it surely’s all a part of a fancy draw system which elements in a number of issues like quick turnarounds and the hole between golf equipment enjoying different groups.
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The 2023 draw is tougher than most given there’s a brand new workforce which suggests weekly byes return for the primary time since 2006, whereas the Women’s FIFA World Cup impacts venue availability later within the 12 months.
“It is something that is taken into consideration,” Annesley mentioned.
“All of those factors are looked at before a final draw is approved for release. None of those things are ideal in any draw, but they are consequences of all of the competing factors that get built into the draw.
“We have club requests, we have venue unavailability, and this year we’re heavily constrained in terms of venue availability because of the World Cup that’s on later in the year which means a lot of venues are out of action.
“There are major events like Magic Round, we’ve got to look at the placement of byes, and when teams get byes, we’ve got to try to give relief to teams around Origin as much as possible.
“There are so many factors that play into the draw that it’s just not possible to completely resolve everything that you’d like to resolve.”
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The Eels have another sport in Round 17 once they play the Dolphins off a bye, whereas the Broncos are in the same boat once they play the Warriors, Sharks and Knights in consecutive weeks after these groups had the bye.
“There was a year – I can’t remember when it was, but it was a long time ago when we had byes previously – when it was an unintended consequence and I think there was one particular club that followed the team coming off the bye for most of the season,” Annesley mentioned.
“It’s not that this is something that slips through the cracks. A lot of time and effort goes into trying to minimise those matters as much as possible.
“If you have a look at how many teams play teams coming off the bye, it’s pretty widespread across the course of the season.”
Annesley mentioned that the know-how used to assemble the draw elements in byes, however attempting to work round them can be like plugging one gap and creating one other downside elsewhere.
“These are compromises that have to be made to try to fit as many of the essential elements in the draw into the process as possible,” he mentioned.
“Even though we use some of the highest powered technology available to help us resolve the draw, including the same software the NFL use for their draw as well as a lot of other major leagues around the world, it’s not possible to satisfy every single requirement because the computer just grinds to a halt and says ‘this doesn’t work’.
“When the draw is developed, there are a whole bunch of constraints that are built into the software…and you get to a point where you can’t load any more constraints in because the thing just won’t spit out a result.
“Then you have to start loosening some levers, and then it starts giving you results again.
“It’s not something that was overlooked, it’s not something that’s ideal, but it doesn’t only affect one team.”
Source: www.foxsports.com.au