'Each game is important' as NRL finals race heats up

The next month will be pivotal to the fortunes of the 11 realistic finals contenders, especially given a handful of clashes between sides fighting it out for the bottom spots in the top eight.

At the conclusion of round 21, only five competition points separated fifth from 10th place in a famously close regular season that is down to its final six weeks.

Canberra, Canterbury, Melbourne and the Warriors appear likely to hold onto their top-four spots, but that isn't guaranteed.

The Warriors' loss to Gold Coast would have rung alarm bells in Auckland, especially given fifth-placed Penrith's hot form, while the Storm are preparing to lose halfback Jahrome Hughes to injury until the finals.

But the most hotly contested battle of all appears to be for eighth spot.

The Dolphins (eighth), Manly (ninth) and the Sydney Roosters (10th) are seemingly fighting it out ahead of 11th-placed North Queensland, who need a minor miracle to reach the finals.

The dogfight between the Roosters, Dolphins and Sea Eagles is made all the more intriguing for the fact they all face each other across the next month.

The Sea Eagles host the Roosters on Saturday night before the Roosters head north to face the Dolphins next weekend.

On August 23, Manly host the Dolphins for what could be the most telling fixture of the month, given those two sides are currently a game and points differential clear of the Roosters. 

"We understand that each game is really important and valuable for us," said Sea Eagles captain Cherry-Evans.

"(But) if we're looking at the ladder and trying to calculate, 'If we win this, and if we lose that', we're going to lose focus on what's really important for us right now."

Cherry-Evans felt the Sea Eagles needed only to pay attention to next week and learning their lessons from Sunday's 42-4 thrashing at the hands of Canterbury.

"They were squeaky clean today," he said.

"As the season comes towards an end, there's six games left, and when you're sitting where we are on the table, there's no doubt about it, they're all important. 

"But we really do just have to focus on the next game."

RUN HOME FOR NRL FINALS CONTENDERS

1. CANBERRA (36 points, +158) - St George Illawarra (away), Manly (home), bye, Penrith (a), Wests Tigers (h), Dolphins (a).

2 CANTERBURY (34 points, +136) - Wests Tigers (a), Warriors (h), Sydney Roosters (a), Melbourne (a), Penrith (h), Cronulla (h).

3. MELBOURNE (32 points, +222) - Parramatta (a), Brisbane (h), Penrith (a), Canterbury (h), Sydney Roosters (h), Brisbane (a).

4. WARRIORS (30 points, +88) - Dolphins (h), Canterbury (a), St George Illawarra (h), Gold Coast (a), Parramatta (h), Manly (a).

5. PENRITH (27 points, +79) - Gold Coast (a), Newcastle (a), Melbourne (h), Canberra (h), Canterbury (a), St George Illawarra (a).

6. BRISBANE (26 points, +78) - South Sydney (h), Melbourne (a), Dolphins (h), Newcastle (a), North Queensland (a), Melbourne (h).

7. CRONULLA (26 points, +23) - North Queensland (h), St George Illawarra (a), Gold Coast (h), bye, Newcastle (h), Canterbury (a).

8. DOLPHINS (24 points, +169) - Warriors (a), Sydney Roosters (h), Brisbane (a), Manly (a), Gold Coast (h), Canberra (h).

9. MANLY (24 points, +22) - Sydney Roosters (h), Canberra (a), Wests Tigers (a), Dolphins (h), St George Illawarra (a), Warriors (h).

10. SYDNEY ROOSTERS (22 points, +4) - Manly (a), Dolphins (a), Canterbury (h), Parramatta (a), Melbourne (a), South Sydney (h).

11. NORTH QUEENSLAND (19 points, -157) - Cronulla (a), Parramatta (a), Newcastle (h), Wests Tigers (a), Brisbane (h), bye.

Australian Associated Press