Yep. And a final 8 keeps the "season" alive for more teams longer, which in turn supports the draft and the priority pick.
If I remember correctly, Adelaide is the only team to win a premiership from outside the top 4, and that was during the years when they had the pointless finals series where 1v8, 2v7 etc in the first week.
Finals should be a reward for excellence, not a reward for mediocrity. It is possible that teams can make the finals with 11 wins. Thats not excellence.
I've always thought it should be a final 5 and nothing else, but that wont happen.
Bookmarks