McIntyre System
Encyclopedia
The McIntyre System, or systems because there have been five of them, is a playoff
system that gives an advantage to teams or competitors qualifying higher. The systems were developed by Ken McIntyre
, a Australia
n lawyer and lecturer in English, for the Victorian Football League
in 1931.
since its foundation in 1897.
The system immediately preceding the Page-McIntyre system was the "amended Argus system" that had operated from 1902 to 1930, which in turn was preceded by the "original Argus system" introduced in 1901.
McIntyre also devised the McIntyre Final Five System for the VFL for 1972, the McIntyre Final Six System for 1991, which was revised for 1992, and the McIntyre Final Eight System
for the 1994 season. The AFL grew dissatisfied with some of the outcomes the Final Eight system might allow and so replaced it with another final eight system
in 2000.
has used the McIntyre Final Four and Final Five at different times throughout its history, and has used the McIntyre Final Eight System since 1999. The Page-McIntyre system is also used in the A-League
(soccer), the ANZ Championships (netball), the Australian Baseball League
and Women's National Basketball League
.
Under the name Page playoff system
, the McIntyre Final Four is commonly used in softball
and curling
events, especially in Canada
. The system was also used in the Rugby League National League Three
in Great Britain
for the 2004 season.
In the first round of the Page-McIntyre system the highest two ranked teams play each other, with the winner going straight through to the grand final and the loser going through to the next round. The lowest two ranked teams play to avoid being eliminated and to go through to the next round. The winner of the second round match gets through to the grand final. In this system, the top two teams are able to lose a match and still qualify for the Grand Final, this is referred to as a 'double chance'.
Assuming that each team has an even chance of winning each match, the probability of one of the highest two ranked teams winning the competition is 37.5% compared to 12.5% for one of the other two teams.
From the second round the McIntyre final five system is the same as the Page-McIntyre system, however, in the first round the lowest two ranked teams play to eliminate one team and the second and third ranked teams determine which match they will play in the second round. The highest ranked team has a bye to the second round.
In this case, if all teams have an even chance of winning each match, the highest ranked team has a 37.5% chance, ranks two and three have a 25% chance and the lowest two ranked teams have a 6.25% chance of winning the competition.
The first McIntyre final six system was also the same as the Page-McIntyre system from the second round. In this case, two of the four lowest ranked teams are eliminated in the first round, while the top two determine which match they will play in the second round. Under this system the top two teams receive a double chance, as does the winner of match B.
This adaptation of the first McIntyre System corrected for the anomaly that, in the first week, the team who finished 4th would have a more difficult opponent than the team who finished 5th, and was hence more likely to be eliminated, despite finishing higher. This was achieved by adding flexibility to the second round draw, so that the two elimination final winners were re-ranked to determine which played the winner of the qualifying final and which played the loser.
However, both McIntyre final six systems had another weakness: the loser of the Qualifying Final (which is the most difficult game of the first round), ended up facing elimination in the First-Semi Final, while the higher-ranked Elimination Final winner (who has had the easiest game of the first round) has a double chance in the Second-Semi Final.
The McIntyre final eight bears little in common with the other McIntyre Systems. At no stage does it follow the Page-McIntyre structure, and at no stage after the first week does any team retain a double chance. The system allows any combination of the eight finalists to feature in the Grand Final except for 1v7 and 2v8.. It gives 18,75% to 1st and 2nd, 15,625% to 3rd, 12,5% to 4th and 5th, 9,375% to 6th and 6,25% to 7th and 8th
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
system that gives an advantage to teams or competitors qualifying higher. The systems were developed by Ken McIntyre
Kenneth McIntyre
Kenneth Gordon McIntyre OBE was an Australian lawyer, historian and mathematician who is perhaps best known for his controversial book The Secret Discovery of Australia - Portuguese ventures 200 years before Captain Cook....
, a Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n lawyer and lecturer in English, for the Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
in 1931.
In the VFL/AFL
The first McIntyre System, the Page-McIntyre system, also known as the McIntyre Final Four System, was adopted by the VFL in 1931, after using a wide range of playoff systemsEarly VFL Final systems
Throughout its history, the Victorian Football League has used a system of finals after playing a regular season to determine the winner of the premiership....
since its foundation in 1897.
The system immediately preceding the Page-McIntyre system was the "amended Argus system" that had operated from 1902 to 1930, which in turn was preceded by the "original Argus system" introduced in 1901.
McIntyre also devised the McIntyre Final Five System for the VFL for 1972, the McIntyre Final Six System for 1991, which was revised for 1992, and the McIntyre Final Eight System
McIntyre Final Eight System
The McIntyre Final Eight System was devised by Ken McIntyre in addition to the McIntyre Four, Five and Six systems. It is a playoff system of the top 8 finishers in a competition to determine which two teams will play in the Grand Final. The teams play each other over three weeks, with two teams...
for the 1994 season. The AFL grew dissatisfied with some of the outcomes the Final Eight system might allow and so replaced it with another final eight system
AFL finals system
The current AFL finals system was devised by the Australian Football League in 2000 as its end-of-season championship playoff tournament. It is a revision of the McIntyre Final Eight System, used by the AFL from 1994 to 1999, designed to address several perceived issues with that system...
in 2000.
Other Competitions
McIntyre finals systems are used prominently throughout Australia. Most Australian rules football leagues, from professional down to suburban, use a McIntyre finals system. The New South Wales Rugby League/National Rugby LeagueNational Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
has used the McIntyre Final Four and Final Five at different times throughout its history, and has used the McIntyre Final Eight System since 1999. The Page-McIntyre system is also used in the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
(soccer), the ANZ Championships (netball), the Australian Baseball League
Australian Baseball League
The Australian Baseball League was a baseball league, established in 1987 and disbanded in 1999.-Formation:Before the formation of the Australian Baseball League, the Claxton Shield, established in , was Australia's premier baseball tournament...
and Women's National Basketball League
Women's National Basketball League
The Women's National Basketball League is the pre-eminent women's professional basketball league in Australia. It currently is composed of ten teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Basketball League...
.
Under the name Page playoff system
Page playoff system
The Page playoff system is a playoff format used primarily in softball and curling at the championship level. Teams are seeded using a round-robin tournament and the top four play a mix of a single-elimination and double-elimination tournament to determine the winner...
, the McIntyre Final Four is commonly used in softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
and curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
events, especially in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The system was also used in the Rugby League National League Three
Rugby League National Leagues
The Championship, known as Co-operative Championship due to sponsorship by The Co-operative Group, is a professional rugby league competition based in the United Kingdom. It is currently contested by ten teams from England. It acts as Europe's second-tier competition below the Super League, and has...
in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
for the 2004 season.
Page-McIntyre system
| Round | Match | Name | Team 1 | Team 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 1st Semi Final | Rank 3 | v | Rank 4 |
| |B | 2nd Semi Final | Rank 1 | v | Rank 2 | |
| 2 | C | Preliminary Final | Loser B | v | Winner A |
| 3 | D | Grand Final | Winner B | v | Winner C |
In the first round of the Page-McIntyre system the highest two ranked teams play each other, with the winner going straight through to the grand final and the loser going through to the next round. The lowest two ranked teams play to avoid being eliminated and to go through to the next round. The winner of the second round match gets through to the grand final. In this system, the top two teams are able to lose a match and still qualify for the Grand Final, this is referred to as a 'double chance'.
Assuming that each team has an even chance of winning each match, the probability of one of the highest two ranked teams winning the competition is 37.5% compared to 12.5% for one of the other two teams.
McIntyre final five system
| Round | Match | Name | Team 1 | Team 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Elimination Final | Rank 4 | v | Rank 5 |
| |B | Qualifying Final | Rank 2 | v | Rank 3 | |
| 2 | C | 1st Semi Final | Loser B | v | Winner A |
| |D | 2nd Semi Final | Rank 1 | v | Winner B | |
| 3 | E | Preliminary Final | Loser D | v | Winner C |
| 4 | F | Grand Final | Winner D | v | Winner E |
From the second round the McIntyre final five system is the same as the Page-McIntyre system, however, in the first round the lowest two ranked teams play to eliminate one team and the second and third ranked teams determine which match they will play in the second round. The highest ranked team has a bye to the second round.
In this case, if all teams have an even chance of winning each match, the highest ranked team has a 37.5% chance, ranks two and three have a 25% chance and the lowest two ranked teams have a 6.25% chance of winning the competition.
First McIntyre final six system
| Round | Match | Name | Team 1 | Team 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 1st Elimination Final | Rank 5 | v | Rank 6 |
| |B | 2nd Elimination Final | Rank 3 | v | Rank 4 | |
| |C | Qualifying Final | Rank 1 | v | Rank 2 | |
| 2 | D | 1st Semi Final | Loser C | v | Winner A |
| |E | 2nd Semi Final | Winner C | v | Winner B | |
| 3 | F | Preliminary Final | Loser E | v | Winner D |
| 4 | G | Grand Final | Winner E | v | Winner F |
The first McIntyre final six system was also the same as the Page-McIntyre system from the second round. In this case, two of the four lowest ranked teams are eliminated in the first round, while the top two determine which match they will play in the second round. Under this system the top two teams receive a double chance, as does the winner of match B.
Second McIntyre final six system
| Round | Match | Name | Team 1 | Team 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 1st Elimination Final | Rank 4 | v | Rank 5 |
| |B | 2nd Elimination Final | Rank 3 | v | Rank 6 | |
| |C | Qualifying Final | Rank 1 | v | Rank 2 | |
| 2 | D | 1st Semi Final | Loser C | v | Lower ranked winner from A, B |
| |E | 2nd Semi Final | Winner C | v | Higher ranked winner from A, B | |
| 3 | F | Preliminary Final | Loser E | v | Winner D |
| 4 | G | Grand Final | Winner E | v | Winner F |
This adaptation of the first McIntyre System corrected for the anomaly that, in the first week, the team who finished 4th would have a more difficult opponent than the team who finished 5th, and was hence more likely to be eliminated, despite finishing higher. This was achieved by adding flexibility to the second round draw, so that the two elimination final winners were re-ranked to determine which played the winner of the qualifying final and which played the loser.
However, both McIntyre final six systems had another weakness: the loser of the Qualifying Final (which is the most difficult game of the first round), ended up facing elimination in the First-Semi Final, while the higher-ranked Elimination Final winner (who has had the easiest game of the first round) has a double chance in the Second-Semi Final.
McIntyre final eight system
| Round | Match | Name | Team 1 | Team 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 1st Qualifying Final | Rank 4 | v | Rank 5 |
| 1 | B | 2nd Qualifying Final | Rank 3 | v | Rank 6 |
| 1 | C | 3rd Qualifying Final | Rank 2 | v | Rank 7 |
| 1 | D | 4th Qualifying Final | Rank 1 | v | Rank 8 |
| 2 | E | 2nd Semi Final | 4th highest ranked winner from A, B, C, D | v | 2nd highest ranked loser from A, B, C, D |
| |F | 1st Semi Final | 3rd highest ranked winner from A, B, C, D | v | 1st highest ranked loser from A, B, C, D | |
| 3 | G | 2nd Preliminary Final | 2nd highest ranked winner from A, B, C, D | v | Winner F |
| |H | 1st Preliminary Final | 1st highest ranked winner from A, B, C, D | v | Winner E | |
| 4 | I | Grand Final | Winner G | v | Winner H |
The McIntyre final eight bears little in common with the other McIntyre Systems. At no stage does it follow the Page-McIntyre structure, and at no stage after the first week does any team retain a double chance. The system allows any combination of the eight finalists to feature in the Grand Final except for 1v7 and 2v8.. It gives 18,75% to 1st and 2nd, 15,625% to 3rd, 12,5% to 4th and 5th, 9,375% to 6th and 6,25% to 7th and 8th
See also
- Early VFL Final systemsEarly VFL Final systemsThroughout its history, the Victorian Football League has used a system of finals after playing a regular season to determine the winner of the premiership....
- Top five play-offsTop five play-offsA play-off structure involving the top five teams was used to determine the winners of the Super League competition in British rugby league from 1998 until 2001. A top six play-off system was then introduced...
- Top six play-offsTop six play-offsAfter a top five play-off system was used, a play-off structure involving the top six teams was used to determine the winners of the Super League competition in British rugby league from 2002 through 2008....
- McIntyre Final Eight SystemMcIntyre Final Eight SystemThe McIntyre Final Eight System was devised by Ken McIntyre in addition to the McIntyre Four, Five and Six systems. It is a playoff system of the top 8 finishers in a competition to determine which two teams will play in the Grand Final. The teams play each other over three weeks, with two teams...
External links
- Grand Finals at the MCG Contains a brief summary of the finals systems used in the VFL/AFL