The Cronulla Sharks will face their most challenging task yet this week as they travel to the nation's capital to take on the minor premiers, Canberra Raiders.
Entering the Saturday night clash as underdogs, the Sharks are no strangers to advancing to the third week of the NRL finals series, having done so in 2024 after breaking their finals curse.
However, once again, they will need to rely heavily on the halves pairing of Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes.
In a do-or-die match, the Raiders will throw everything at them after a golden-point loss to the Brisbane Broncos and will have the crowd in their favour, as well as being accustomed to the cold weather conditions.
But Cronulla shouldn't be underestimated, especially after defeating the Sydney Roosters in a hard-fought battle in the Shire last Saturday.
With their back-line in full flight, Addin Fonua-Blake and Blayke Brailey leading the forward pack and their interchange delivering a much-needed X-factor off the bench, the only question mark that surrounds them is the combination of Hynes and Trindall.
Playing less than 40 matches with each other, the duo have shown glimpses of brilliance in the halves but sometimes struggle to find the right pass or get their attacking going.
"I think there were maybe 30 games or something before the season kicked off this year that we actually played together, and it may have looked like from afar that we played a lot of footy together, but in hindsight, we haven't," Hynes said on his combination with his five-eighth.
"He was out for a long period, and I was out for a long period, but it's been really good to connect this year.
"We haven't got it right every week and maybe some games have shown that, but we've always gone back to train and we work hard, do the video, and I feel like over the last eight weeks [we've] probably connected the most we have."
So, can the duo lead the Sharks to victory?
A former Dally M Medal winner, Hynes is one of the best players in the competition on his day and can turn a match around in minutes.
However, ever since representing New South Wales, he has lacked confidence, which previously saw him regarded as one of the best halfbacks in the NRL.
If he can find his form on the weekend, the Raiders will be no match for him, and they could be 80 minutes away from their first grand final since 2016.
Meanwhile, Trindall needs to take his game to a higher level and run the ball even more than he usually does.
If the Raiders' defence continually pressures his halves partner, Trindall ought to take control just like he did against the Roosters, which saw him provide two try assists to Ronaldo Mulitalo.
"Connection off the field is really important, and getting to know each other on a deeper level, and we are really connected off the field," Hynes said.
"Our playing styles are probably a little bit different, so going into this time together, it's just about working it out and how he wants to play (and) how I want to take control.
"He has a great kicking game, and I've let him enjoy the kicking this year, and he's done a really good job.
"It's just about complementing each other's gameplay, and I think we're starting to do that more."
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“Our playing styles are probably a little bit different, so going into this time together, it’s just about working it out and how he wants to play (and) how I want to take control.”
Hmmm. Bit late to be still working out how they are going to play together.
I suspect if their pack is on the front foot and gives them room to manouevre then they’ll be OK, but if the Raiders pack has the Sharks forwards going backwards then they will struggle badly.