Rich
The 983.38 in the last column is the Final score .. the 4th round is clearly 935.75, and being the highest of rounds 3 & 4 is the one that is added to Round 1's 1031.00 (highest of Rounds 1 & 2) for a total of 1966.75 ... then averaged to the Final Score of 983.38.
This system has it's downsides, but it results in Final Scores that are relevant to a single perfect flight of 1310. Personally, I believe it provides a better idea of each flier's success (or otherwise) in meeting the pattern's requirements rather than comparing one individual's score to another. The actual ranking of the competitors for the event as a whole doesn't change, of course, regardless of however the Final Score is calculated.
After so many years of viewing the event as "who" scored higher that "who", in the sense of personal competition between fliers, perhaps it seems strange to revert to as it should be - "who" conformed closest to that elusive perfect flight - "who" did best when competing against the Book's Pattern. That is the ultimate goal for every flier, and the Results are better when reflecting that element of competition.
What may be discerned from the complete scores is the variance in wind conditions through each of the 4 days of competition - meaning who drew the short straw and had to fly later in the day when the wind strengthened. Brian did exceptionally well on Day 4 in quite strong winds, considering he (once again) forgot the triangles. Had he had better fortune in the flight order draw (and a better memory? - the potential for a maximum 140 points), he certainly would have been in the top 3. Had the judges averaged 7 (out of 10) for those missed triangles, that would have been an additional 98 points to his 935.75. Who is to say what might have been. There is never any escape from the "luck" elements in any and all competitions.
That said, Paul Turner's 12th Australian Nationals win was well deserved. Paul has that happy knack of being able to connect his lines and fly very competitive patterns with virtually no practice whatsoever. Let's call it experience. I wasn't there myself, so am deliberately making no comment to standards of judging.