With two rounds of the Telstra Premiership regular season to go, it's technically possible for either the Warriors or Broncos to finish with the minor premiership or miss the top eight altogether.
There are still plenty of questions to be answered at the end of one of the closest NRL seasons in memory, with eight teams a mathematical chance of finishing the regular season on top.
It's also possible for all eight sides to finish level on 32 competition points.
While the finishing order is still to be determined, the make-up of the finals contenders is more certain. The top six now guaranteed to play finals football and the Wests Tigers the only side currently outside the eight that is still a chance of sneaking in.
Brisbane did their chances of holding onto a playoff berth a world of good by beating South Sydney on Thursday night, with the Warriors now in the most precarious position of the top half of the table with matches against Penrith and Canberra to come.
Both those matches will be played in Auckland but neither will be easy wins – the Panthers are finals-bound and will be desperate to bounce back from a shock loss to Newcastle while the Raiders are fresh from knocking the Sydney Roosters off the top of the table. The Warriors' home record is only the 11th best in the league this season, with five wins and five losses.
The Broncos have a slight edge over the Warriors on for-and-against and will finish their season with a home clash against the struggling Sea Eagles after this week's blockbuster against the Roosters.
Both the Warriors and Broncos can lock up a finals spot by winning either of their remaining games. Even if one of those sides lose both their games, the ninth-placed Tigers will need to beat the Sea Eagles and Rabbitohs and overturn a poor points differential (-44) to grab eighth spot.
Meanwhile, at the foot of the ladder, the 15th-placed Eels will visit the 16th-placed Cowboys on Friday night, with a wooden spoon potentially up for grabs in what will be Johnathan Thurston's final home game for North Queensland.
