The penultimate round of rugby league is upon us and the action just keeps getting better.
A couple of sides remain in serious danger of losing their grip on finals action while a pair of battles for crucial top four spots highlight the round.
Suncorp Stadium, Thursday Night
The round kicks off in bumper fashion as the Broncos look to all but lock in second spot with a win over an Eels side who beat them just four weeks ago.
Parramatta's loss of Bevan French will hurt however Will Smith at the back is an adequate replacement for a side looking to jump into the top four at the right time of the season. The Eels' halves pairing of Corey Norman and Mitchell Moses have been in sublime form over the past six weeks and will be looking to prove themselves against one of the competitions benchmarks.
The Eels were a +242 for metres in their last match up with the Broncos and have a fresh Frank Pritchard on the bench just waiting to get at the Brisbane front line.
Meanwhile, the Broncos have their eyes on two home finals in the finals series and will look to improve on their 9-2 home record to sew that up. Anthony Milford is a man on a mission at the moment and will take some stopping, leading a side who averaging over 36 points per game since their defeat to the Eels.
The Broncos are clear favourites for this game and deserve to be as the Eels have been less convincing over the last two weeks and while a strong 7-4 away record will give them a chance, but we don't think it'll be enough.
Broncos by 8.
GIO Stadium, Friday Night
The Raiders need everything to go their way if they're to push their way into September after going down in the final 10 minutes against the Panthers last week and come up against a Knights side still full of confidence despite the scoreboard showing a sorry sight last week against the Storm.
The Knights were a much better side than the scoreboard indicated, however, Brock Lamb's injury will hurt them in attack this week. Sione Mata'utia and Luke Yates are also out of the side that has won three out of their last four matches however young gun Jack Cogger comes into the halves to play his first game.
The Raiders back five are firing, led by Nick Cotric with the young winger having scored 13 tries in his last 13 matches. This side is full of talent and despite their season all but over, they can ensure the Knights claim the wooden spoon with a win this weekend.
Canberra has conceded 20+ points in their last 10 match ups with the Knights however even if they do that again this weekend, we'll back them to score more.
Raiders by 10.
Campbelltown Stadium, Friday Night
Both sides are desperate for a win however for completely differing reasons as the Cowboys look to cling on to their spot in the top eight while the Tigers hope to avoid the wooden spoon with a win in Campbelltown.
The Cowboys' injury toll has been discussed at length lately, however, Antonio Winterstein's return will help ease that slightly as they look to build on their second half performance last week which saw them out-muscle the Sharks. Jason Taumalolo is quite simply a human wrecking ball and will need to carry his side across the line in these final two weeks if they're to feature in finals football.
The Tigers' stars know the end is near and they're playing like it. They're desperate yet free-flowing, making for some entertaining football to be played. Luke Brooks has also escalated his game in recent weeks, showing that when he takes command of the side next season, they may be alright. They gave the Roosters an almighty scare last week and will look to replicate that dose with a little bit extra this Friday night.
We're giving the Tigers a real shot to come up with the points this weekend in a result that will leave the Cowboys clinging on to their finals hopes in the final round.
Tigers by 4.
Cbus Super Stadium, Saturday Afternoon
The Bulldogs produced one of their best performances of the season last weekend, toppling their highly-fancied opponents in Manly to inch up to 12th on the ladder. This weekend, a Titans side stands in their way of another win with Jarryd Hayne back on deck for the battling Gold Coast club.
Max King also returns for the Titans who will be hoping the season ends as soon as possible as they look to put a nightmare 2017 behind them.
They will start as favourites despite the Bulldogs putting in their best offensive display of 2017 with Will Hopoate starring at the back with three try assists. They executed well last week, something that has been a problem all season long, however, a few early points will cease the early push from a Titans side looking to bounce back after Neil Henry's sacking.
With the ledger between these two sides sitting at 7-7 from their 14 meetings, we'll back the Dogs to make it two from two and claim a slight edge in their head to head battle.
Bulldogs by 4.
AAMI Park, Saturday Night
Can you imagine getting dropped after scoring a hat trick and producing two try assists in a 32-point win? Unfortunately, that's happened for Storm young gun Brodie Croft, who will return back to reserve grade with Cooper Cronk (and Tohu Harris) returning to the side this weekend.
Nevertheless, the Storm keeps on rolling and will look to roll over the Rabbitohs who produced a strong second half last week to run over the Warriors.
The Bunnies lose a little bit of star power this week with try-scoring machine Alex Johnston ruled out for the season although Sam Burgess returns with Bryson Goodwin shifting to fullback.
Three wins in a row for South Sydney will have their confidence at a 2017-high as they're averaging 30 pointers per game during this win streak, however, Melbourne has the stingiest defence in the league and will be looking to fine-tune that as finals football nears.
Melbourne are firm favourites and their wingers will only look to close the gap on Johnston for most tries this season in the comfortable win.
Storm by 14.
South Cross Group Stadium, Saturday Night
The game of the round takes place in the Shire on Saturday night as the battle for the top four continues to heat up.
Should the Broncos beat the Eels on Thursday night, the Sharks can all but seal a top four spot, however, a loss will keep them well in the mix for an elimination final in week one.
Premiership hopes dwindle once teams slip outside the top four and the Raiders are no guarantee of that spot either. A loss to the Storm coupled with a narrow win over the Tigers has left Sydney with a little bit of concern as the finals draw near.
Neither side have any changes from last week and after a rusty performance last week against the Cowboys, you can bet Shane Flanagan will have his side primed to chalk up just their sixth win at home this season.
Luke Keary and Mitchell Pearce continue to steer the Roosters through the season however it's their big boys that will need to be on song this weekend to combat the star power in Cronulla's front line.
The Sharks are slight favourites however this remains a tough one to pick.
Roosters by 2.
Mt Smart Stadium, Sunday Afternoon
A number of big names return to the Warriors side as they look to put a dent in Manly's finals charge.
Shaun Johnson and Ben Matulino are joined by Isaiah Papalii on the list of ins as they look to expose Manly's below average defence and see them drop out of the top eight.
Manly will look to use the same 17 that conceded 30 points to a side that hadn't scored 30 points in all of 2017. Consecutive losses to the Bulldogs and Tigers have flipped Manly's finals charge on its head, something that needs to change, beginning on Sunday across the ditch.
Manly's big men have been solid performers right throughout however it's their playmakers and back line that are having trouble executing inside the opposition 20.
The Sea Eagles started the Warriors seven game losing streak and while Warriors will look to get a bit of revenge on the side that started their slide, it's hard to see a Manly side that has been up and down all season drop to three losses on a trot to three sides well below them.
Sea Eagles by 6.
Pepper Stadium, Sunday Afternoon
The Panthers climb up the ladder just keeps on keeping on in the latter part of 2017 and a win this week could see them jump into the top four should results fall their way.
The Dragons, meanwhile, be without Euan Aitken as they look to break Penrith's winning streak to jump back into the top eight.
These two sides haven't played since round one when the Dragons shocked everyone with a 42-10 result and while they're more or less in different veins of form at the moment - with the Dragons losing five of seven - anything is possible in the world of rugby league.
The Dragons' tough task will be made marginally easier with Matt Moylan tweaking his hamstring again last week and will miss out though Peter Wallace returns for Penrith in a game that sees them installed as clear favourites.
If the Panthers are to put their dismal start behind them once and for all, they'll comfortably account for a Dragons side and all but end their season.
Panthers by 12.