For one team, just four weeks stand between them and the Provan-Summons trophy.
The NRL finals have arrived, and so too have the biggest games of the season. There is some mouth-watering first week action. The Manly Sea Eagles vs Melbourne Storm? Yes please. The Penrith Panthers and South Sydney Rabbitohs again? Oh yes.
Those two games could tell us who is going to the grand final before we get past Week 1, given only the North Queensland Cowboys have played in Week 2 of the finals and made the grand final in the last four seasons.
And how about those elimination games? They could be anything. The Titans took the Roosters all the way in a 35-34 thriller last time, while the Eels form line could mean anything.
It might be tough to mount an argument for the teams in the bottom four of the top eight to win the premiership, but we'll give it a crack anyway.
Here is why your team can and can't win the premiership.
Parramatta Eels
Why they can win the premiership
The kicking game of Parramatta is something to behold. It played a big part in their surprise Round 24 victory over the Melbourne Storm, and while their form had fallen off a cliff heading into that game, they have rescued things just in time to make a charge at the finals.
They still aren't in the best position, having to come from outside the top four, but they are the most likely of those teams facing elimination in Week 1 to surprise.
Mitchell Moses leading the kicking game has seen Parramatta make more kicks, and kick for more metres than any other side this year, with Moses forcing plenty of drop outs and the team assisting a stack of tries through that side of the game.
That doesn't always work against the top sides, but if you can ensure they are always working it out of the corner or under pressure from a strong chase, then games, especially in today's fast-paced era of league, can switch around very quickly.
Why they can't win the premiership
This is pretty straightforward - the Eels are flat-track bullies. They love playing at home, and not so much away from home. And they fall away in big games.
We have seen it in the last two years when they were trounced each time in the second weekend of the finals.
But we have also seen it throughout the course of the season. Take away the Round 24 win over the Storm and they have lost seven out of nine games against teams in the top six this year.
More worryingly, that is all of their last seven, and a run of six straight between a Round 9 win over the Roosters and the Round 24 victory.
They can't beat the best sides consistently, and it gets worse in big games. That is not a recipe for a premiership.
