Why didn't they fly Sydney - New York... as any long haul pilot "worth their salt" knows that that's the harder sector!
East is least, West is best!
As a general rule, maybe so, but I'll take the morning departure out of Melbourne for a 6:30am arrival in LAX over the return with a 10:30pm departure for a 7:30am arrival, any time you like.
I generally feel a bit weary into LAX but considerably more roooooo-ted at the end of the return trip, especially if I've been up the front for 4 hours or more before we start shooting the ILS.
That's why an extra F/O at the expense of a S/O on anything longer should be the minimum crew complement.