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.

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5. St George Illawarra Dragons

The Dragons may be the most debatable team on this list, but there is no question that if things go pear-shaped, they will be in contention to finish at the bottom of the table.

The Red V, under the somewhat unproven coaching of Anthony Griffin have made a very odd recruitment run over the off-season.

A number of experienced forwards who appear to be over the hill - George Burgess and Aaron Woods as the headline acts - as well as the signing of Moses Mbye, Jack Gosiewski, Moses Suli and Francis Molo.

Only Molo may excite Dragons fans given his Origin pedigree, as well as the size and strength he will bring to the Dragons' forward pack in 2022.

But with a stack of young guns - led by Jayden Sullivan and Tyrell Sloan - there is genuine excitement if they click.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 01: In this handout image provided by NRL Photos Tyrell Sloan of the Dragons scores a try during the round 20 NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Browne Park, on August 01, 2021, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by NRL Photos via Getty Images )

The question remains though around their starting 17, whether Griffin can coach, and whether the forwards will be able to lay the platform for the kids to do their thing.

The Dragons seem like a team who will score 24 points a game and still lose by 20, with the pieces they have acquired unlikely to help fix defensive issues from the last 12 months.

An intriguing team, and an argument could be made for the Dragons finishing anywhere between seventh and last.

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