If they want to include top 8, but reward teams finishing higher up the table, why not:
Week 1:
5 v 8
6 v 7
Week 2:
Winners of week 1 away to 3 & 4
Week 3:
Winners of week 2 away to 1 & 2
Winners go to Final .....
All games are knockout; no second chances, but the higher you finish, the longer rest/home advantage.
......or is that too simple for RFL
Oh, and I went last night (and will probably give next weeks farce a miss before the return with Saints) and felt like Wire were just trying out moves at 90% without finishing them off, probably to avoid injury before the knockout rounds - and as usual, that backfired - just ask Carvell & Waterhouse!..... Wire's performance was only one step up from what Catalan did at Wigan on Friday, where they looked like a kid who'd been dragged to a family party when they'd rather be back home with their mates!