NRL: Tight squeeze to snare spot

Isaac Luke and the Bunnies are pushing for a finals berth. Photo / Getty Images

The top four teams are enjoying the warmth at the top of the NRL ladder but the real heat is being felt by eight clubs separated by just two points in the race to join them in the Promised Land of finals football.

Some contenders have momentum (Eels, Wests Tigers, Rabbitohs) in the top eight race, while others have been in freefall (Knights, Broncos).

But it takes only one game, one injury, one tackle or errant pass, to turn things around. With things so tight, points differential becomes crucial. There will be casualties, heroes and villains - and compelling viewing.

Panthers

25 points, +7

Remaining fixtures: Broncos (A), Rabbitohs (H), Eels (A), Knights (A).

The Panthers have been consistently inconsistent all season. They won four in a row in the middle of the year but have one of the more difficult assignments with all four remaining games against fellow top-eight contenders, three of them away. In centre Michael Jennings (16 tries in 15 games, 18 line breaks, 73 tackle breaks) they have a player capable of virtually winning a game on his own.

Prediction: 6th

Sea Eagles

24 points, +50

Remaining fixtures:Storm (A), Sharks (H), Titans (H).

Who on earth knows what Manly will do for the rest of the season? The defending champions had a disastrous start to the season on the field (lost their first four) and off (Brett Stewart, Anthony Watmough et al) before becoming the irresistible force we all expected them to be (won six of seven). But they hit another road block with unexpected defeats to both the Wests Tigers and Rabbitohs in the last fortnight. Tipsters would be foolish to write them off ... or bet the house on them. Stewart's imminent return from injury could prove vital.

Prediction: 5th

Cowboys

24 points, +80

Remaining fixtures: Knights (A), Broncos (H), Roosters (A).

The Cowboys are another side who highlight the topsy-turvy nature of the NRL under the salary cap. They followed a start of four losses in five games with six wins in seven. Now they have lost four of their last five. They still have every chance to make the eight, largely because of the brilliance of halfback Johnathan Thurston and a draw that sees them take on three teams struggling for form in their three remaining games. They probably need to win two of them.

Prediction: 7th

Wests Tigers

24 points, +27

Remaining fixtures: Sharks (A), Eels (H), Titans (A), Bulldogs (H).

Tim Sheens' side were in danger of dropping out of contention for the top eight. Somehow they managed to pull themselves up by a fingernail and are the form team of the competition, with five wins in their last five starts. The draw has been kind to them and they face the hapless Sharks today. Their real test comes in the last three weeks but there's something strangely 2005 about their momentum.

Prediction: 8th

Knights

24 points, -20

Remaining fixtures:Storm (H), Cowboys (H), Raiders (A), Panthers (H).

Brian Smith's revolution seemed to be paying dividends after two seasons at the helm as the Knights flirted with the top four. Smith, though, announced he was deserting the ship to join the Roosters and it has gone badly off course with three consecutive losses. Although they have matchwinners in Kurt Gidley and Jarrod Mullen, it's hard to see them arrest their freefall even though Smith yesterday announced his immediate resignation.

Prediction: 11th

Broncos

24 points, -117

Remaining fixtures: Panthers (H), Dragons (A), Cowboys (A), Raiders (H).

For 17 years, the Broncos have been a fixture in the finals. That was before Wayne Bennett decided to check out the Wollongong real estate and took the local footy team to the top of the NRL. They won six of their first seven to set the pace but seven losses in eight games before last weekend's 30-10 win over the Sharks put them in serious danger. Defensively, Brisbane have been frail, leaking 307 points in eight games (38 points a game), including a recent 56-0 hiding in Canberra. They have the incomparable Darren Lockyer as well as two home games but the run could soon be over.

Prediction: 12th

Rabbitohs

23 points, +10

Remaining fixtures: Panthers (A), Dragons (H), Sharks (A).

The Bunnies love a bit of drama. After all, they're part-owned by one of the biggest drama queens of them all in Russell Crowe. Souths made a theatrical entrance into playoffs contention on the back of four wins in five games - and that after five consecutive losses that had the feel of a season's obituary about it. But they lost their way with a 22-14 loss to the Titans on Friday night and realistically need to win all of their remaining matches to have any chance of making the eight. That looks slim, given their difficult run-in and the loss of skipper Roy Asotasi (knee).

Prediction: 9th

Eels

23 points, -46

Remaining fixtures: Wests Tigers (A), Panthers (H), Dragons (A).

At one stage, the Eels were battling it out with the Roosters and Sharks for the unwanted kitchen implement. Four wins on the bounce before last night's match against the Warriors meant they were getting hotter. Those wins were against good sides - Storm and Bulldogs - and they also posted a 40-8 demolition of the Knights. Their inferior points differential makes life tougher. They face a couple of other top-eight contenders before rounding off their regular season against the likely minor premiers.

Prediction: 10th