The Race to 7th and 8th: Who Makes It?

Knights (20 points, -139 points difference)

Final Four: Sharks, Bulldogs, Titans, Broncos

Of all the teams showcased, Newcastle appear to be in the box seat to make finals football in 2021.

No one should underestimate the importance of their win over the Canberra Raiders in round 20. The influence of Kalyn Ponga on that game is timely on finals eve.

The Sharks and Titans will be no walkover. In their favour will be that they’ve beaten Cronulla the last three times. However, back-to-back losses to the Titans (6-36 and 16-42) will play on their minds.

They are relatively good on the injury front now that Mitchell Pearce has returned.

Newcastle need to chip away at the points difference against the Broncos and Bulldogs to assure they are not going to miss out on points differential.