There has been a lot of talk lately about the NRL playoff system (known as the McIntyre System), and whether or not it is the best system to use.

It can be quite confusing to those who have never seen it before, but once you know about it - it does make sense.

So, we thought we'd explain how it works.

After the 26 rounds of the regular season are finished, we're left with the top eight sides in the competition - who then move on to the finals.

The team with the most points from the regular season are the minor premiers, and therefore head into the finals in first place. For winning the minor premiership, they get to play the lowest placed of the eight sides - which meant this year the Storm had to play the Warriors.

From there, 2nd place plays 7th, 3rd plays 6th, and 4th plays 5th. Very simple.

The top four sides also get the advantage of playing at home.

After all of the the first round of the finals is complete, the two lowest placed losers are gone. In this years finals, the Raiders (6th) and the Dragons (7th) drop out, because the Warriors (8th) beat the first placed Storm.

Are you still with us?

The two highest placed WINNING sides after round one get the second week off, and move straight into the semi-finals. The Sea Eagles (2nd) and the Sharks (3rd) were the highest placed winners after the first round, and so are automatically into the semi-finals. The Storm miss out on the week off because they lost to the Warriors.

So, after the first round we have six teams left, with two of those sides getting the week off (in this case the Sea Eagles and the Sharks) - while the remaining four sides now enter do-or-die playoffs.

Of the four sides PLAYING in round two, the two sides that WON from round one get the advantage of playing at home. So the Broncos (who beat the Roosters in round one) will host the Storm (who lost to the Warriors), while the Warriors (who beat the Storm) will play the Roosters (who lost to the Sea Eagles).

It couldn't be simpler, really.

The Sea Eagles and the Sharks will face the winners from the second round in a traditional semi-final system, where the winners will go onto the Grand Final.

One of the complaints we've heard about the system is that it's unfair that the Storm have to play away from home in the second week, because they're the minor premiers. But there's nothing unfair about it. They lost their playoff game, which means they lose the advantage of playing at home in round two. Why should the Broncos have to travel to Melbourne when they won their game?

The second round should be a classic, with the Storm and the Broncos going head to head at Suncorp, while the Roosters will have to travel to Auckland to take on the Warriors, who were brilliant on Sunday night in their upset win over the Storm.

We're one week closer to the Grand Final - you just gotta love September footy!

This Sunday the Warriors will face their biggest game of the year, when they take on the Minor Premiers, the Melbourne Storm.

The Warriors can't afford to lose this game - if they do, it's all over for 2008.

Beating the Storm in Melbourne is tough - very tough, in fact, and the Warriors will have to play out of their skins to progress to the second round of the finals. But, if there's one team that could cause an upset, it's the Warriors.

They are the one team no one wants to play in the finals - you just don't know which Warrior's side is going to show up. Sure, you could beat them by fifty points, but there's also a good chance the Warriors could blow you off the field.

For the Warriors to win on Sunday, they will have to shut down the Storm's best attacking machine, Billy Slater. Slater has been in the best form of his career, and if it wasn't for a one-game suspension (which cost him three player points) he would have won the Dally M award (which instead went to Manly's Matt Orford).

Slater is a dangerous runner, and can cause problems from anywhere on the field - which is why the Warriors will have to be right up on him at all times.

They'll also have to watch Greg Inglis, who is just as dangerous as Slater on attack.

But with Michael Luck, Simon Mannering and Ian Henderson in our defensive line, we should be able to shut down the Storm's attacking weapons.

The Storm definitely go into the game as red hot favourites, but don't count the Warriors out yet - they'll be wanting to send Wiki and Swann out on a high note, and what better way than by winning the Premiership?

(We know - we're being very optimistic...)

The Warriors have good experience at finals footy, playing in five out of the last eight playoffs - which is a great record, considering that only two other teams have played in more over the past eight years.

There's so much on the line, but they might just be the dark horse of the eight remaining teams...

We're right behind you boys!

The Melbourne Storm have once again claimed the NRL minor premiership, with a 42-4 thrashing of the Rabbitohs last night.

After last week's loss to the Knights, the Storm looked to have blown their chances at the minor premiership, giving the Sea Eagles a shot at the $100k bonus prize.

Their chances weren't helped by the Sea Eagles win over the Panthers on Saturday night, which meant the Storm had to win by a margin of 26 points to claim first place.

Fortunately for them, the woeful Bunnies put up no challenge - and the Storm were easily able to surpass the 26 point mark.

They will now head into round one of the playoffs against the Warriors, who beat the Eels to secure the final spot in the playoffs - who ended the Knights 2008 season by doing so.

The Warriors will need to play the game of their lives if they want to beat the Storm, but if there's one side in the playoffs that can cause a few upsets, it's definitely the Warriors. In saying that, though - they could very well find themselves on the wrong side of a fired up Storm unit.

But, that's the beauty of the Warriors - you never quite know what you're gonna get.

The Sea Eagles will be disappointed not to win the minor premiership, but at this stage of the year all that really matters is that you're in the Top 8. They'll take on the St. George/Illawara Dragons in a battle between 2nd and 7th.

What a comeback it's been for the Dragons, who were really struggling at the beginning of the year. And, whilst their chances of beating the Sea Eagles are pretty slim - stranger things have happened.

The Sharks finished the year in 3rd place, which gives them a home game against the Canberra Raiders - the surprise team in this year's competition.

The Raiders are playing fantastic footy, and pose a real threat to the other seven sides. They'll need to work on their defence, which has been lacking at times this year, but there is a real chance of an upset in this game.

The Roosters have finally returned to the NRL playoffs after a few years in the wilderness, but their form of late has been average at best - and it doesn't help that they face the Broncos, who will be looking to finish the year with one last Grand Final win under the guidance of Wayne Bennett.

With the lowest placed losers dropping out from the first round of action, it's hard to see the Warriors and Dragons progressing to the second round. Both teams will have to be at their best to knock off the Storm and Sea Eagles, but the fact that they're there means they have a chance - and that's all that matters at this stage.

We've waited 26 rounds, sports fans, and now the real excitement begins. September footy is here!

The Warriors have always been their own worst enemy, and on Sunday they showed us why.

The Dragons are never easy to beat, and the Warrior's history at Wollongong is terrible at best, but with wins over the Storm, Broncos and Sharks in recent weeks, they should have been able to slay the Dragons.

Instead, the Warriors got handed a 34-6 thrashing, which has seen them drop out of the Top eight - although they sit on 26 points, which is the same amount as the Knights, who are in eighth spot.

They will need to beat both the Panthers (home) and the Eels (away) if they want to play finals footy - they can't afford to drop either game, especially with the Eels, Knights, Tigers and Panthers all still in the hunt for the eighth spot.

The Warriors have what it takes to make the eight, but still struggle to win away from home - which could count against them this year.

It's a very serious problem for the club, and unless they can find a way to win in Australia, they'll always struggle to compete for the Premiership.

There's no reason why they can't win on the road - about half of our players are from Australia, and have played a lot of footy for Australian clubs. There really shouldn't be any excuses.

This week we face the wounded Panthers, who we should beat - although the Panthers have been our bogey side for the past few seasons. They're also coming off some heavy defeats, and will be looking to stop the rot and get their season back on track.

The fact that we're at home this week, though, gives us a lot more confidence.

But with only two games to go, the stakes are incredibly high for the Warriors. Win, and move on to the finals. Lose, and it's all over.

No pressure, boys.

The Warriors have kept their season hopes alive, with another hard fought win on Saturday night.

The Broncos came to town looking to move into the top four, but found a Warriors side desperate to keep their good form going - and in the end, the Warriors managed to scrape through with a 16-12 win.

The Broncos arrived in Auckland without Justin Hodges, Sam Thaiday, Toni Carroll and David Stagg, but with the likes of Darren Lockyer, Karmichael Hunt and Peter Wallace on the field, they'll be disappointed not to come away with the win.

The Warriors, on the other hand, welcomed backed Wade McKinnon - who managed to play eighty minutes, and score a try on his long awaited return. Wade ran for over 150m in an impressive performance, and will only get better over the next few weeks.

Michael Witt also had an impressive return to first grade, and although his usually reliable goal kicking was off target, he tackled well and gave the Warriors good field position with his general kicking.

Ben Matulino and Witt scored the other two trys for the Warriors, while Ben Hannant and Denan Kemp scored for the Broncos.

It was great to get a look at Kemp, and to see what he'll bring to the Warriors next year. He's an exciting young player with a gift for hunting out the try line, and he certainly has the potential to make a great Warrior in the years to come.

The Warriors have to face the Sharks next week, which will be even tougher. The Sharks are sitting in the top four, and are a real chance of winning the Premiership this year.

It's do or die for the Warriors, but if they can continue their form from Auckland, there's no reason they can't beat the Sharks.

With the Warriors already picking up wins against the Storm and Broncos over the last few weeks, they have another chance to pick up top scalp.

We can't wait.

Great news for Warriors fans - Wade McKinnon is making his long awaited return after sitting out most of the season with a knee injury.

McKinnon was the Warriors best buy last year, and also proved to be our best attacking weapon.

His return has come at a crucial stage in the season, with the Warriors on the verge of making the top eight. While their loss to the Rabbitohs didn't help their cause, they can still make the playoffs - but they really can't afford to drop another game.

Lance Hohia has done an outstanding job filling in for McKinnon at fullback, but with McKinnon fit and ready to play, you just can't leave him on the sidelines. Hohia drops to the bench, where he can cover the halves, hooker and fullback.

Also returning to first grade is Michael Witt, who has been playing with the Auckland Vulcans for the past few weeks. Witt will play at halfback, which means Grant Rovelli drops out of the side.

This week the Warriors take on the Brisbane Broncos at Mt Smart, and if recent clashes between the two sides are anything to go by, then this one should be a classic.

This will be the first time that new Warrior Brent Tate will face off against his old club - he'll be looking to show his old team mates a thing or two.

It's also an opportunity for Warriors fans to check out Denan Kemp, who will be joining the club next year. The other Warriors signing, Joel Moon, will travel with the Broncos as the eighteenth man.

Aidan Kirk is ruled out of the game due to the injury he suffered against Souths. Kirk has been in fine form since making his debut earlier in the year, but with big Manu Vatuvei back, the Warriors are fielding a near full-strength side.

Malo Solamona will come back into the side in place of Kirk.

The Warriors are currently sitting in 12th position, but can leap into the top eight with a win this Saturday.

Go, lads!

With State of Origin done and dusted for another year, we can now focus on the last nine weeks of the 2008 NRL regular season. There's still a lot of league to be played, and still plenty of teams that can make the top eight.

But for us, the most important thing is that Warriors are still in the hunt. Only just, though, and their run to the finals is not going to be easy - five of their last nine are against top eight sides.

They will need to win six or seven of their nine if they are to stand any real chance of playing in this years final series, and the way they've been playing lately it's hard to see it happening.

What they do have in their favour is five home games, which they'll need to win - although the Storm, Broncos and Sharks make up three of them, and they will be tough to beat, even at home.

Their other opponents are the Cowboys (h), Bulldogs (a), Rabbitohs (a), Dragons (a), Panthers (h) and the Eels (a).

Really, it's this weekend that will show us if we can make the top eight, with the Cowboys coming to town. The Cowboys have been by far the worst team this year, and currently sit dead last on the ladder. If the Warriors can't manage to pick up a win against them, then we can forget about making the eight this year.

It really is do or die from here on out...

It will be great to have Steve Price and Brent Tate back from Origin duty, and hopefully they can bring some of the success they had with Queensland back to the Warriors.

The top eight isn't out of the question. In fact, we're only sitting three points behind the Panthers, who are in eighth place. But the boys will have to start playing consistent footy if they want to be there come September.

The other team to watch in the buildup to the finals is the resurgent Rabbitohs (yes, we said 'watch the bunnies'), who last night beat the Bulldogs 34-30 in extra time. After struggling all year, they are finally playing to their potential - and it's been since beating the Warriors (sigh...) in round thirteen. They have now put together four wins in a row and, just like the Warriors, the top eight isn't out of the question - although they'll need a bit of luck to go their way.

So sit back and prepare yourselves for the run home, sports fans - it certainly promises to be an entertaining finish to what has already been a great year of league.