Round 27 tips: 'Incredible' backstory to decisive playoff for last spot in the finals
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Andrew Johns and Brad Fittler can't remember a time when the final regular season round had so much hinging on it.
From second place and the home final that comes with it, to the battles for fifth, sixth and seventh and the Knights v Dolphins game that will determine who finishes eighth, almost every game of the round has something at stake.
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Appearing on Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth's Tips, Johns was crossing his legs and arms as he spoke in hope about the Knights chances of spoiling Wayne Bennett's Dolphins fairytale in Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett left a bitter taste in Newcastle. Getty
Both Johns and Fittler tipped the Knights but expected it to go down to the wire.
"The storylines are incredible," Fittler said, referring in part to Wayne Bennett's return to a city that doesn't have a lot of love for him due to his messy exit at the end of the Nathan Tinkler era.
Bennett took the Knights to their last preliminary final appearance in 2013 before leaving at the end of 2014 after the collapse of Tinkler's business empire.
There has been a growing narrative since that Bennett left the Knights high and dry, with an ageing roster and a salary cap that was bent out of shape, forcing the club to plumb the depths under Rick Stone and Nathan Brown before finally making the playoffs again under Adam O'Brien last season.
The Knights qualified fifth for finals last year but injuries caught up with them and they were belted in the second week of the finals by the Warriors, 40-10, six days after winning a sapping elimination thriller over the Raiders, 30-28.
Kalyn Ponga in in hot form and is key to Newcastle's chances. Getty
The Dolphins, meanwhile, looked a strong chance of playing finals halfway through last season in what would have been a history making first year in the NRL but Bennett was unable to conjure the unthinkable with his side collapsing in the second half of the season.
This season has followed a similar pattern, although the collapse has come later, with injuries and the Origin period unkind to a Dolphins side that was sitting in the top four for long stretches.
The fact that their capitulation has come later this year is what has left them still with a chance of snatching eighth in the last game of the season, with Bennett coming to town to have his say on a clash that could pour misery once more on a fan base that struggles to hide its disdain for the man they once adored.
While that match - the 4pm Sunday game live and free on Nine - has the experts purring, several other key spots will be determined first, with the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon hosting the Cowboys in a match that will determine fifth place and a crucial home elimination final.
In the 6pm game on Friday the Wests Tigers host the Eels in a game dubbed 'spoonbowl' given the loser will take home the wooden spoon.
On Saturday night at 7.30pm, a win for the Panthers against the struggling Titans will seal second spot and a home qualifying final, while a loss would open the door for the Roosters and Sharks to take it from them if they can win their clashes.
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Brandon Smith is assisted from the field by Roosters trainers. Getty
The Roosters play the Rabbitohs at 7.55pm on Friday night in a rivalry clash stripped of many of the top talent from both sides due to injury and suspension, with the Bunnies playing for pride and Trent Robinson's wounded outfit still hopeful of a second place finish.
Meanwhile, the 2pm Sunday game gives Manly a chance to leap the loser of the Bulldogs v Cowboys clash into sixth, giving them a home elimination final at 4Pines Park, while the Sharks are an outside chance of still being able to leap either the Roosters, Panthers or both into second or third, avoiding a week one road trip to Melbourne for their qualifying final.
Scroll below for the current leaderboard and Round 27 tips by all Nine's expert tipsters!
Nine's NRL tipping leaderboard. Nine
Andrew Johns: Storm, Eels, Roosters, Raiders, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Knights
Brad Fittler: Storm, Eels, Roosters, Dragons, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sharks, Knights
Wally Lewis: Storm, Eels, Roosters, Dragons, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Dolphins
Allana Ferguson: Storm, Tigers, Roosters, Raiders, Bulldogs, Panthers Sharks, Knights
Darren Lockyer: Broncos, Tigers, Roosters, Raiders, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Knights
Ruan Sims: Storm, Tigers, Rabbitohs, Dragons, Bulldogs, Titans, Sharks, Dolphins
Paul Gallen: Storm, Eels, Roosters, Raiders, Cowboys, Panthers, Sharks, Knights
Mat Thompson: Storm, Tigers, Roosters, Dragons, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Dolphins
Peter Psaltis: Storm, Tigers, Roosters, Raiders, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Knights
David Middleton: Storm, Tigers, Roosters, Raiders, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Knights
Michael Chammas: Storm, Eels, Roosters, Dragons, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sharks, Knights
The Mole: Storm, Eels, Roosters, Raiders, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Dolphins
Ben Glover: Storm, Eels, Roosters, Dragons, Bulldogs, Panthers, Sea Eagles, Knights
