16 Sep 2008

Anasta joins criticism of NRL play-off structure

6:36 am on 16 September 2008

The Sydney Roosters captain Braith Anasta has joined the criticism of the National Rugby League's controversial play-off system following the Warriors surprise 18-15 win over Melbourne on Sunday.

The eighth-placed team had never come close to beating the minor premier under the system which has been in place for 10 years, but yesterday's result changes the course of the finals and has sparked debate about the fairness of the system.

The Storm lost the chance to go straight into the preliminary finals, instead handing Cronulla the week off.

The Warriors win ended Canberra's season and gave the Warriors a home semi-final against the Roosters on Friday night.

It also means Brisbane's reward for beating the Roosters last Friday is a tough sudden death home encounter against the Storm on Saturday which Anasta saying Brisbane's no doubt thinking they didn't get much advantage from that win.

Had Melbourne won, the Roosters would have been playing Cronulla in Sydney but they now fly out to Auckland.