Tip if You Must

There is something quite spooky about how perfect the set up for this weekend is.

The teams in the top four and the finals are pleasing and strangely symmetrical already. There were really six teams in the competition last year and Melbourne and Adelaide had their turn, about to enjoy the fruits in their run at the ACL. The rump of the competition stayed the same if you equate the Knights and the Phoenix.

Four players at the table, all sure of finals games, but all wanting that premiership and ACL prize which is in their grasp right now. All on 31 points. One round remaining.

One from Queensland. Three from New South Wales. Love those odds.

All playing bottom four teams, none of which, by the way, are pushovers and all with good reasons of their own to upset things. But none of these top four thoroughbreds are playing each other.

So all of the four games are critically important. At the end of the round any of the four could be anywhere in the top four.

So who ordered the bloody games? Can the conspirators own up? They are being played in order, from the goal-difference placement from number four to number one. In fact 1 and 2 are playing 5 and 6 (though not respectively), and 3 and 4 are playing 7 and 8 (also not respectively, giving symmetry even to the fault in symmetry).

So each of the teams in a very appropriate order gets to play their hand. If Newcastle even draws it will be the winning hand on the table, which will have to be equaled or bettered by each of the next contenders. No matter what the 'bid' gets up to, even by Newcastle, each of the next teams will have an opportunity to outbid the last, culminating of course in Queensland's opportunity to defeat Adelaide and take all.

The final two games of the round will be played against the runners-up and winners of last years finals respectively. It will be their final competition games before their ACL campaign.

The first two games will be played against two teams - Phoenix and Perth - who are also on equal points and basically competing to avoid the wooden spoon. Pride is not a trifling matter, and to be fair, neither of these teams have been basket cases. Wellington at the bottom has won 5 - one quarter - of its 20 matches. It's not basket-case material.

Really, it's ridiculous. I didn't write the script but I wish I did.

Go on, tip. I think it's great that God doesn't exist but sometimes wish he'd do a much better job of it. To the infinite ineffable, which quite clearly exists, may all the games enthrall and be sublime.