The NRL season is just a month away, and while plenty of focus tends to be on the teams at the top of the ladder, with success and glory awaiting, there is also the question of which teams will end up fighting for the wooden spoon.

It’s a “prize” no team wants to be receiving at the end of the year, but one a team will ultimately end up with.

It’s also a spot on the ladder which is going to see different teams in the battle as the 2022 season comes to life.

The Canterbury Bulldogs were the team at the bottom of the ladder when it was all said and done at the end of 2021, but their mass recruitment drive will leave heads rolling if they end up in the same spot at the same time this year.

The Brisbane Broncos were last before that, but improved in 2021 and welcome grand final duo Adam Reynolds and Kurt Capewell for the 2022 season which has pundits wondering whether they will fight for the top eight, not whether they could finish at the bottom once again.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 16: Adam Reynolds of the Rabbitohs passes during the round 23 NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium on August 16, 2018 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

2019 saw the Gold Coast Titans pick up the spoon, and after making the finals in 2021, they won’t be anywhere near it this time around.

Here are the five stragglers who are a chance of finishing at the bottom of the 2022 NRL table, and who would need something of a miracle to make the finals.

4. New Zealand Warriors

The Warriors will be better prepared for the 2022 season - that much is absolutely for certain.

Nathan Brown and his players now know they will spend most, if not all, of the season in Australia, allowing them to settle and become accustomed to using Redcliffe as a home base.

The same questions persist over the squad though, and the loss of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck will not help to throw the doubters off their back.

Reece Walsh is one of the most talented players in the game, but their halves have plenty of questions - can Shaun Johnson stay fit? Can Ashley Taylor get to his best? Will Taylor even play ahead of Chanel Harris-Tavita?

NRL Rd 15 - Knights v Warriors
NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 19: Reece Walsh of the Warriors warms up during the round 15 NRL match between the Newcastle Knights and the New Zealand Warriors at McDonald Jones Stadium, on June 19, 2021, in Newcastle, Australia. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)

And what about the forwards? Tohu Harris and who else?

Harris is injured for up to half the season, while Addin Fonua-Blake and Matt Lodge pave a solid grounding, but, like the remainder of the team, were inconsistent in 2021.

The Warriors could make the top eight, but they could also finish at the bottom of the table, that there is no doubt about.