The six agains are a perfect invention by the NRL, enabling the refs to manipulate the run of play.
Just a thought on the reason that teams at the bottom of the table get screwed. I think maybe it’s because of the gambling industry’s influence on the outcome. They are sponsors of the game, and they pay advertising $$$ to broadcasters, so they hold a lot of sway. When the weak teams play the favourites the odds against them winning are big and so the payouts for an upset will be big.
Maybe there is just too much money involved and gambling companies shouldn’t be allowed to have any direct involvement in the game nor should they be allowed to advertise during games.