Top four virtually locked as Wahs, Sharks in fight to avoid Panthers — NRL finals scenarios LIVE

The last round of the NRL season has arrived with 10 teams mathematically in the hunt for finals action heading into the weekend.

It began with the Broncos virtually clinching a top-four spot and sending the Sharks and Warriors in a fight to avoid playing the Panthers.

Meanwhile the Dolphins are desperately hoping for help from the Rabbitohs, who could spoil the Roosters’ season on Friday night.

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Scroll down to see the current predicted Week 1 NRL finals fixture and the finals scenarios for all 10 contenders.

All times AEST.

CURRENT NRL LADDER (after Thursday night)

1. Raiders (44 pts, +186)

2. Storm (40 pts, +212)

3. Bulldogs (38 pts, +138)

4. Broncos (36 pts, +172)

5. Sharks (34 pts, +91)

6. Warriors (34 pts, +22)

7. Panthers (31 pts, +87)

8. Roosters (30 pts, +102)

9. Dolphins (28 pts, +87)

10. Sea Eagles (28 pts, +20)

ROUND 27 GAMES

Broncos def Storm 30-14 at Suncorp Stadium

Sea Eagles vs Warriors, Friday 6pm at 4 Pines Park

Roosters vs Rabbitohs, Friday 8pm at Allianz Stadium

Dragons vs Panthers, Saturday 3pm at WIN Stadium

Titans vs Tigers, Saturday 5:30pm at Cbus Super Stadium

Bulldogs vs Sharks, Saturday 7:35pm at Accor Stadium

Dolphins vs Raiders, Sunday 2pm at Kayo Stadium

Eels vs Knights, Sunday 4pm at CommBank Stadium

Bye: Cowboys

CURRENT PREDICTED WEEK 1 FINALS

First Qualifying Final: Raiders (1st) vs Broncos (4th)

Likely played night of Saturday September 13 at GIO Stadium

First Elimination Final: Sharks (5th) vs Roosters (8th)

Likely played afternoon of Sunday September 14 at Shark Park

Second Elimination Final: Warriors (6th) vs Panthers (7th)

Likely played evening of Saturday September 13 at Go Media Stadium

Second Qualifying Final: Storm (2nd) vs Bulldogs (3rd)

Likely played night of Friday September 12 at AAMI Park

FINALS SCENARIOS FOR THE REMAINING CONTENDERS

1. Canberra Raiders (44 pts, +186)

To play: Dolphins at Kayo Stadium, Sunday 2pm

Win or lose: Finish 1st

The Raiders are guaranteed two home finals and the minor premiership. They’ll almost certainly host Brisbane in their qualifying final.

2. Melbourne Storm (40 pts, +212)

lost to Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, 14-30

Finish 2nd

There’s no realistic scenario where the Bulldogs catch them, so the Storm will host the Dogs in a qualifying final.

3. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (38 pts, +138)

To play: Sharks at Accor Stadium, Saturday 7:50pm

Win or lose: Finish 3rd

Technically the Bulldogs could move into second with an absolutely massive win, but realistically they’re heading to Melbourne for a qualifying final, likely on Friday night.

4. Brisbane Broncos (36 pts, +172)

def Storm at Suncorp Stadium, 30-14

Finish 4th

Unless the Sharks win by roughly a million points on Saturday night, the Broncos will head to Canberra for a qualifying final.

5. Cronulla Sharks (34 pts, +91)

To play: Bulldogs at Accor Stadium, Saturday 7:50pm

Win: Finish 5th

Lose: Finish 5th if Warriors lose, 6th if Warriors win

Unless the Sharks win by 82+ points, they cannot make the top four, and are simply fighting to avoid a likely date with the Panthers in week one of the finals.

6. New Zealand Warriors (34 pts, +22)

To play: Sea Eagles at 4 Pines Park, Friday 6pm

Win: Finish 5th if Sharks lose, 6th if Sharks win

Lose: Finish 6th

The Warriors’ poor points differential effectively counts as another loss in the standings, meaning they needed the Broncos to lose on Thursday night. They didn’t, so now the Warriors need to win and see the Sharks lose if they’re to avoid 6th spot and a likely date wth Penrith.

7. Penrith Panthers (31 pts, +87)

To play: Dragons at WIN Stadium, Saturday 3pm

Win: Finish 7th

Lose: Finish 7th if Roosters lose, 8th if Roosters win

Taking care of business against the Dragons will lock the Panthers into 7th, sending them into an elimination final against either the Warriors or Sharks. With a loss they could fall into 8th but either way they’d play an elimination final against one of those teams, so the only impact would be on the rest of their finals bracket and who they could play in the semi and preliminary finals.

8. Sydney Roosters (30 pts, +102)

To play: Rabbitohs at Allianz Stadium, Friday 8pm

Win: Finish 7th if Panthers lose, 8th if Panthers win

Lose: Finish 8th if Dolphins lose, miss finals if Dolphins win (by enough)

The Roosters simply must defeat the Rabbitohs to ensure themselves a finals place and a comfortable weekend. A victory will book them an elimination final against one of the Sharks or Warriors. But if they lose on Friday night they’ll be nervously waiting until Sunday, when the Dolphins will have the chance to leapfrog them with a big enough win over the resting Raiders.

9. Dolphins (28 pts, +87)

To play: Raiders at Kayo Stadium, Sunday 2pm

Win: Finish 8th if Roosters lose (by enough), otherwise miss finals

Lose: Miss finals

First, the Dolphins need the Roosters to lose to the Rabbitohs on Friday night. If that happens they’ll know exactly how much they need to beat the resting Raiders by on Sunday afternoon. The points differential gap is not that substantial so it’s plausible they’ll be making their maiden finals appearance – which would come in an elimination final against the Sharks or Warriors – but it all rests on the Rabbitohs for now.

10. Manly Sea Eagles (28 pts, +20)

To play: Warriors at 4 Pines Park, Friday 6pm

Win: Finish 8th if Roosters and Dolphins lose (by a huge amount), otherwise miss finals

Lose: Miss finals

They would need to smash the Warriors by 40-odd points while the Roosters get demolished by 40-odd points to have any chance of making it. So we’re putting them here because it’s mathematically possible, but… no.