I reckon that there is enough of a difference between 1st and 2nd let alone 1st and 4th.Milton66 wrote:Apart from maybe having to play Geelong twice in the finals, if there's no interstate team in the top 4, does it really matter where you finish - 1st or 4th?
Come 1st and quite simply you play the fourth best team in the comp rather than the 3rd best. As it stands now that would be playing Brissie in Melbourne which IMHO is better than the Doggies at a neutral venue. Also don't write off all interstaters yet. I reckon 13 wins could get you top 4 as there is a huge gap between the top 2 and the remainder (13 got the Saints there last year). Brissie will win most games at home and Sydney and Port will proably win more at home than lose so if they pinch a few away it is possible. Especially that Brissie is on 6 wins already and have 6 to play at the Gabba.
Finish 4th and you play the benchmark - lose - win in the second week then play the second best team after they've had a week off. A la last year...