Could it be changed so that clicking on the entry in the Latest Posts panel takes one to the last page of the thread where the latest posting is actually displayed?
At present the link takes one to the first page of the thread meaning that when there is more than one page of replies it is then necessary to click on Last to get to that latest post.
Anyone wanting to read the thread from the start would be able to go back to the first page, but don't most people want to get to the latest entries in a thread?
You could still do that the first time you go to the thread by clicking on page 1; do you really like having to click on Last every subsequent visit to the thread?