YESTERDAY'S Eels-Broncos clash at Parramatta Stadium was really a nothing game.

The 68-22 victory for the Eels did nothing to prepare them for their semi-final campaign. For the Broncos, the game virtually ended their 2007 season.

The quality of football was poor. That may sound like a ridiculous statement but I don't think either coach will be too happy with what their team produced.

Ninety points in 80 minutes of football by two teams supposedly preparing for the finals is not my idea of quality.

There were 17 tries scored in this game with the vast majority of them coming as a result of very poor defence rather than great attack.

The thing that kept the crowd entertained was the fact the home side scored 13 of those tries and some of their brilliant young backs got to display their wonderful athletic talents in the process.

Jarryd Hayne, Krisnan Inu, Timana Tahu, Ben Smith and Eric Grothe represent a strong, fast and skilful back line that is the envy of most NRL teams.

It should be remembered, though, that their try-scoring feast in the second half was against a Broncos team badly depleted by injury and uncharacteristically down on spirit and effort.

By the end of the game, Broncos coach Wayne Bennett had to move players such as Greg Eastwood to the wing and Michael Ennis to the centres just to fill the full quota of 13 players on the field.

The Broncos showed little fight when the game was beyond their reach. I've never seen that from them before. They pride themselves on their consistent intensity and effort. To a man I'm sure they will be terribly disappointed with their performance.

Of the two teams, the Eels have the best chance of doing something positive in September. They have managed to qualify in fifth position.

They had lost their past three games coming into yesterday's final round and whilst they'll say a win on the scoreboard will give them a badly needed confidence boost, I suggest they're having themselves on if they believe they're back to their best form. They face the unenviable task of not only backing up four days later for their Friday night semi-final; but they have to travel all the way to Auckland, to do it.

The Broncos are only making up the numbers and will be nothing but cannon fodder for the Melbourne Storm next Sunday. The Broncos have made the top eight with 11 wins and 13 losses, winning one of their past five.

I've been impressed with the courage they've shown over the past couple of months as they have battled a horrific injury toll, however, many of the teams finishing behind them on the table should hang their heads in shame that the cut off for the play-offs was so low and they still couldn't get there.

This leads me to question the quality of this year's finals contenders.

For instance:

■ South Sydney has finished seventh having scored the least points and least number of tries of any other team in the competition.

■ The Roosters finished just one point out of the eight, having not competed for the first 17 rounds of the premiership and at one stage looking like certain wooden spooners.

■ The Cronulla Sharks having just won four of their past 14 matches finished just one win out of the eight.

■ Newcastle finished four points out of the eight, despite winning just one of their last eight as a horrific injury toll prevailed.

■ The Cowboys finished a clear third despite conceding a whopping 618 points during the regular season (only Newcastle and Canberra conceded more points).

■ Wests Tigers missed the top eight on for-and-against despite winning just two of their last eight matches.

■ The Bulldogs, Broncos and South Sydney all got belted in the last round, despite the fact a win for any of those teams would have helped them into a more prominent position within the top eight.

For mine Melbourne and Manly have been so far above the rest of the teams in this competition it will be a travesty of justice if they are not there on grand final day to fight it out for the title.

Surely even the football gods must realise that's only fair.