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The top eight won\u2019t be decided until the very last whistle of the regular season, but it will be the resurgence of Brisbane as an NRL powerhouse that dictates the finals fortunes of several rivals.<\/p>\n
Twenty-four hours before the Roosters and Rabbitohs square off with seasons on the line, an under strength Broncos outfit can sew up the club\u2019s first minor premiership in 23 years with a win over Melbourne.<\/p>\n
Brisbane are already going to be without Adam Reynolds (calf) and Pat Carrigan (foot) for the Storm clash while Kotoni Staggs is likely to join them on the stands through suspension, but a victory on Thursday would put a first-place finish beyond Penrith\u2019s reach.<\/p>\n
Which is where it gets interesting, and brings the ninth-placed Cowboys into play.<\/p>\n
If the Panthers can\u2019t play for a minor premiership, several stars are unlikely to play \u2013 Dylan Edwards, Isaiah Yeo and Liam Martin among them \u2013 and North Queensland are suddenly looking good for an upset out west.<\/p>\n
Along with the Roosters and Rabbitohs on Friday night, it\u2019s sudden-death stakes for the Cowboys either way. And after all that, there\u2019s Ricky Stuart\u2019s Raiders.<\/p>\n
They get to watch the entire round play out before Sunday afternoon\u2019s clash against Cronulla \u2013 with must-win stakes a distinct possibility come that final whistle too. So without further ado, here is every single top-eight scenario in play in round 27.<\/p>\n
Best finish:<\/b> 1st<\/p>\n
Worst finish: <\/b>2nd<\/p>\n
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Reece Walsh and the Broncos have top spot in sight.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n The simplest equation of them all. Win against Melbourne and the J.J. Giltinan Shield is heading to Red Hill. Lose and Penrith still get a crack at keeping it, but the Broncos have still earned a guaranteed home final and second chance once the post-season starts.<\/p>\n Worst finish: <\/b>3rd<\/p>\n Penrith\u2019s peerless points differential has them still in the minor premiership race if Brisbane stumble on Thursday. And even if first place is taken off the table, it would still take a 153-point swing on for and against for the Warriors to sneak ahead of them into the top two.<\/p>\n Worst finish:<\/b> 4th<\/p>\n The Warriors will need a miracle to shift Penrith from a second-place finish. And it would be a proper rugby league upset for them to cough up third spot by going down to the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday. If Melbourne fall a few days earlier, it won\u2019t matter anyway.<\/p>\n Worst finish: <\/b>4th<\/p>\n Home and hosed for the top four. Melbourne do love a trip to Suncorp and have one of the best head-to-head records of any team against Brisbane. Knocking off the front-running Broncos opens up a climb into third place, but this still requires a Warriors loss to finish the year.<\/p>\n Worst finish: <\/strong>6th<\/p>\n Flying into the finals but won\u2019t have much to play for next week. They can\u2019t make the top four and have already sewn up a home final. Even if they lose to the Dragons, the lowest Newcastle will finish is sixth given the Sharks and Raiders play each other. Maybe a week for Adam O\u2019Brien to rest his stars?<\/p>\n Cronulla will be sweating on Nicho Hynes\u2019 availability this week.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n Worst finish: <\/b>Miss finals<\/p>\n Cronulla missing the finals requires Canberra rattling up a cricket score on them, the Cowboys doing the same against Penrith (we\u2019re talking 50-point margins) and the Rabbitohs downing the Roosters. An unlikely Knights loss to the Red V would keep fifth spot in play for Cronulla. Their healthy points differential keeps them in good stead even if they lose to the Raiders and are likely hanging onto seventh spot in that scenario.<\/p>\n Worst finish: <\/b>Miss finals<\/p>\n Canberra\u2019s finals spot will be sealed if the Cowboys can\u2019t beat the Panthers. But the pressure ramps up if North Queensland prevail; the Raiders will need at least a draw against Cronulla to make the eight due to their poor points differential. In the unlikely event the Dragons beat the Knights, they can still finish as high as fifth with a win over the Sharks.<\/p>\n Worst finish:<\/b> Miss finals<\/p>\n The most tumultuous week of Jason Demetriou\u2019s coaching career now swings into sudden-death stakes.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Kate Geraghty<\/cite><\/p>\n The equation is simple: win and you\u2019re basically in, lose and it\u2019s season over. No matter what happens in any other match, South Sydney almost certainly scrapes through with victory against the Roosters. The only way they can be eliminated, even with a win over their arch rival, is if the Cowboys beat the Panthers with a winning margin which is 37 points or more greater than the Rabbitohs\u2019 margin over the Roosters and the Raiders get at least a draw against the Sharks.<\/p>\n Worst finish:<\/b> Miss finals<\/p>\n Has there ever been a coach sweating on an opposition team sheet as much as Todd Payten? Regardless, the Cowboys must beat Penrith in their own backyard to stay alive. If they do, they\u2019ll be guaranteed a top-eight spot as long as one of the following happens: the Roosters beat the Rabbitohs or Cronulla beat Canberra.<\/p>\n Worst finish:<\/b> Miss finals<\/p>\n Who would have thought the Roosters could even be in this conversation six weeks ago? But here we are. They need a win over the Rabbitohs on Friday night; otherwise it\u2019s all over. Even then, they still need one of the following: Panthers to beat the Cowboys or Sharks to beat the Raiders.<\/p>\n Stream the NRL Premiership 2023 live and free on <\/b>9Now<\/b>. <\/b><\/p>\n Sports news, results and expert commentary. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n2. Panthers (40, +315)<\/b><\/h3>\n
Best finish:<\/b> 1st<\/p>\n3. Warriors (38, +148)<\/b><\/h3>\n
Best finish:<\/b> 2nd<\/p>\n4. Storm (36, +158)<\/b><\/h3>\n
Best finish:<\/b> 3rd<\/p>\n5. Knights (33, +155)<\/b><\/h3>\n
Best finish:<\/b> 5th<\/p>\n6. Sharks (32, +104)<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Best finish:<\/b> 5th<\/p>\n7. Raiders (32, -119)<\/b><\/h3>\n
Best finish:<\/b> 5th<\/p>\n8. Rabbitohs (30, +73)<\/b><\/h3>\n
Best finish: <\/b>7th<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
9. Cowboys (30, +36)<\/b><\/h3>\n
Best finish:<\/b> 7th<\/p>\n10. Roosters (30, -38)<\/b><\/h3>\n
Best finish: <\/b>7th<\/p>\nMost Viewed in Sport<\/h2>\n
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