I have the impression that the same idea expressed in an OP or on page 1 or 2 of a thread is more likely to receive merit than if expressed in a comment on page 14. That's just my impression though. I don't know if some statistical savant like DdmrDdmr will have statistics on this.
And I didn't say it's wrong, by the way.
What you said is true but certainly for temporary, in short period of time, a quality post in page x may get unnoticed (that would be altcoin discussion board for sure), however, after a few days, it’s possible that the post will be discovered by someone and get enough merit.
In case, they don’t receive enough merit, help them to get what they deserve-
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5093271.0