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The turnaround has been remarkable for Adam O'Brien's men, who sat 14th after Round 19 and looked anything but premiership contenders.

The Dragons have shown some promising signs in recent weeks but will still finish the season in second-last position, equalling their worst ever finish as a joint venture in 2019.

Having pushed the Storm and Warriors over the past fortnight, the Dragons go into Saturday's game confident of giving their home fans a ray of hope at the end of a tough season.

While North Queensland aren’t totally in control of their own destiny, it all starts with having to win on Saturday night to give themselves a chance of playing beyond the regular season. 

If they can beat Penrith and the Rabbitohs lose to the Roosters then North Queensland are probably through, while they could still make it if the Rabbitohs win and Raiders lose to the Sharks. 

While the Kiwi side can’t move any higher than their current standing in third, a loss against the Dolphins coupled with a Storm win over the Broncos would see them drop to fourth, so they still have plenty to play for on Saturday.

After holding a team to under 12 points for the first time since Round 20 last Friday against the Dragons, Andrew Webster will be hoping his side have rediscovered their hard edge defensively, as they seek to secure a club record-equaling eighth win in a row.

Trent Robinson's side now face a nervous wait with the Cowboys and Sharks upcoming matches set to determine their finals fate. 

Jason Demetriou's men were in the arm-wrestle for majority of the match however an early reshuffle exposed too many cracks in their defence and attack as South Sydney drew the curtain on a disappointing end to their 2023 season.

Seven minutes into the match the Roosters struck the first blow when Alex Johnston fumbled a Walker cross field kick and stand-in centre Corey Allan pounced on the ball in goal. Joseph Suaalii's conversion was wide.

Despite a disappointing end to the season, having fallen out of finals contention, Anthony Seibold's side gave their home fans something to cheer about in the final round with young guns Tolutau Koula and Haumole Olakau'atu running riot and making a big statement for the 2024 season.

Trbojevic made it a milestone match to remember when he went over in the 57th minute for his first try since Round 22 last season, thanks to star halfback Daly Cherry-Evans. 

The two foundation clubs head into Round 27 in a three-way tie with the Cowboys on 30 competition points, but with contrasting points differentials that may prove crucial in the end. 

A win alone should be enough to see the Rabbitohs through to the finals for the sixth year in a row, thanks to a 37-point differential advantage over the Cowboys, but it's more complex for the Tricolours.

Fan-favourite Jake Trbojevic will notch his 200th game for both the club and in the NRL in a major motivator for the home side while there's still an unlikely chance the Wests Tigers can claw their way off the bottom of the ladder with a big win. 

It's been a disappointing season for both clubs with some high expectation at the start of the season but injuries and suspensions have cruelled their journeys, along with a rollercoaster of inconsistent performances.

In what could end up being a preview of what awaits in week one of the post-season – with the two clubs every chance of meeting again next week – the Storm had to come from behind on three separate occasions at Suncorp Stadium and had too much class in the end. 

With both sides opting to rest the majority of their frontline stars, Papenhuyzen had a huge impact at fullback, running for 135 metres, scoring a try and setting one up, in addition to kicking four from six off the tee. 

Brisbane is on track for their first minor premiership in 23 years with victory over the Storm guaranteeing top spot on the Telstra Premiership ladder after the Panthers surrendered a game against Parramatta last week. 

Melbourne locked in a top four spot thanks to Newcastle's defeat of the Sharks with Craig Bellamy's side a chance of leapfrogging the Warriors if they're able to topple the Broncos and hope the Dolphins beat the New Zealand side.

Needing to win their final two games and hope other results go their way, Todd Payten's men took care of the first part of the equation with a polished six-try display in front of 33,449 fans in Brisbane.

The Cowboys grabbed the first try of the night in the 11th minute when Dolphins fullback Jamayne Isaako spilled a bomb and the ball came down to Tom Dearden who spun it wide for Zac Laybutt to race away and score.

Four minutes later the Cowboys had a second when Kyle Feldt crossed for the 128th try of his career to close within two of Matt Bowen's club record of 130.