The only chance of the Warriors finishing sixth would be if the Broncos lost to the Sea Eagles on Sunday and the Sharks were defeated by the Bulldogs by 60 points.
If the Broncos beat the Sea Eagles and the Sharks don't get thrashed, the Warriors are in line to play the Dragons away next weekend, but if the Broncos lose, Stephen Kearney's team will travel to Penrith.
Roosters walk over Eels to claim minor premiership
The Sydney Roosters have won the minor premiership in Australia's National Rugby League, clinching first place with a 44-10 win over Parramatta on SaturdayParramatta was consigned to last.
The Roosters came into the match needing to win by 27 points to edge defending champion Melbourne on points differential.
Melbourne's hopes of winning the minor premiership for the second straight season were dashed when it was beaten by Penrith 22-16.
The Roosters, Melbourne and Souths finished the regular season tied on 34 championship points but the Roosters clinched their win with a points differential of 181 to Melbourne's 173 and Souths' 145.
Cronulla will join those three teams on 34 points — filling out the top four — if they can beat the Bulldogs on Sunday but would need to win by a margin of more than 97 points to claim first place.
The Roosters' win over Parramatta was the final indication of a topsy-turvy season in the NRL.At the start of the season the teams were almost equally favored to win the premiership.
But while the Roosters prospered, winning 16 of their regular-season games, the star-studded Eels foundered, winning only six matches to finish at the bottom of the ladder, two points behind troubled Manly.
The Roosters were on target to achieve their 27-point winning margin when they led 14-0 after 28 minutes.
Parramatta showed a spark of resistance when it cut the lead to 14-6 at halftime and to 20-10 after eight minutes of the second half.
But the Roosters eased away with three second-half tries to Latrell Mitchell and a double on either side of halftime by Blake Ferguson.
The win gave coach Trent Robinson his fourth minor premiership in six years at the Roosters on the night he became the club's longest-serving coach in his 155th match in charge.
"It's not an easy thing to win — it's 24 rounds," Robinson said. "It's a tough competition, one of the toughest, physical sports in the world. To finish on top after 24 rounds is a quality moment for the club."
The season was one of the closest in NRL history with only four points separating the top eight teams which will contest the playoffs. Penrith, St. George Illawarra, the New Zealand Warriors, and Brisbane fill out the top eight for the playoffs which begin next weekend.
Meanwhile, Johnathan Thurston — regarded as one of the greatest league players of all time — played his last match for North Queensland, retiring after 14 seasons.
Cooper makes NRL history as Thurston departs
Johnathan Thurston departed NRL a victor with a solid performance over the Titans to send the Cowboys out of a horror season on a high.
Gavin Cooper made it nine scoring games in a row on Saturday after going over for a try late in the second half. The towering back rower cleaned up an excellent cross kick from Johnathan Thurston and muscled his way through the last defender to plonk the ball down over the line. Cooper's nine tries in nine weeks set a new NRL record for most consecutive tries by a player.
Thurston closed out his sensational NRL career with the last tackle of the game before thanking the game for the opportunity it gave him.
"It's been a pleasure, I'm happy (to have played) and I'm thankful for everything the game has given me in my career," Thurston said.
"I'm in a privileged position to play this game week in, week out for 17 years. I know my place in the community and I'm trying to make a difference and the world a better place.
When asked what the favourite moment from his career was, the Cowboys great left nobody surprised.
"It's hard to go past the 2015 grand final and being a part for the first Cowboys premiership," he said.
Thurston was greeted by long-time representative teammate Cameron Smith as he ran on for his final game.
The future immortal wiped a tear from his eye as he ran onto the field with his daughter before meeting Storm captain and long-time friend Smith.
It was an emotional start to the game with a huge atmosphere welcoming the retiring superstar.
