We are lucky. Very lucky. Lucky because a major sporting competition such as the NRL is very competitive and it's right on our doorstep. This season there is a bit of a log jam in the middle of the table with many teams both in and out of the eight have a chance. A chance to either destroy all their hard work, or a chance to slip in to the eight and make a run for a title. Once you've finished reading this, you'll have a fair idea of whohas a chance and who doesn't.

We'll start with the Bulldogs who are 5th on 24 points. The Doggies are capable of destroying any team but can also fall victim to a team in a rich vein of form. They will play the Dragons, Titans, Raiders, Rabbitohs, Panthers and Broncos so they should be able to get at the very least, three wins. The Dogs will scare many teams with their different style where the forwards do a lot of play making with short passing but still have the ability to rumble through teams and set up sweeping plays for their edges. They will look impressive leading in to the playoffs but can't see them getting much further as they will come up against teams who will nullify their style, like Melbourne did last year.

Next up are the Sharks who are also on 24 points but sit in 6th. They will play the Warriors, Knights, Dragons, Roosters, Cowboys and Raiders. This is a pretty tough run home with the Warriors in fine form, the Knights playing some very tough footy and the Roosters running as hot favourites. Then you have games that could simply go either way with the Dragons, Cowboys and Raiders offering a variety of challenges. Throw in the on going ASADA investigation and it's a recipe for disaster. Realistically I think that a few teams will overtake the Sharkies, but they could slip in to 8th spot.

If you are lucky enough to call Canberra your home, it could be a good year for sports fans with the Brumbies in the Super 15 final and the Raiders doing pretty well. This will all change though as the Raiders could drop out of finals contention. They are in 7th spot with 24 points but have the toughest run in. They will face the Storm, Roosters, Bulldogs, Manly, Warriors and the Sharks which is going to be very tough. To be honest I can't see them getting out of this with too many positives, it could only be worse if they had to play the Rabbitohs as well. Expect them to drop a couple of spots, possibly even out of the top 8

I think the Knights could find themselves in a similar situation as the Raiders. They have battled away all year and have had some very high, highs and some pretty deep lows but could find themselves clawing their way in to the top 8. They are currently in 8th spot with 22 points and will face the Broncos, Sharks, Storm, Cowboys, Broncos and Eels. They could win all these games but I doubt they will as they have shown this year some the great ability at being consistently inconsistent. Having to play the Broncos twice won't help as they Bronc's will be desperate to try salvage their season and regain some respectability. I'd say they finish 8th.

The Warriors currently sit on 22 points in 9th place which is a pretty hand position to be in given the state of the middle cluster. What is even better for Warriors fans is their remaining games. They will play Sharks, Manly, Panthers, Titans, Raiders and the Dragons. If they loose against the Sharks and Manly, they are still in a position where they have four games which they should win remaining. Expect them to get some big time revenge against the Panthers who thrashed them earlier in the year. With the form they are in, the Warriors could very easily find themselves as high as 5th but expect them to finish up 6th of 7th as the majority of their games are against teams that are below them.

The Panthers are 2 points behind the Warriors on 20 and sit in 10th spot. Unlike the Warriors who face lower ranked teams in their remaining games, the Panthers will come across some very strong teams – Roosters, Cowboys, Warriros, Broncos, Bulldogs and Manly. A case could be made that the Panthers will not win any more games as they teams they are coming up against are either in the top 4 or are teams with better rosters who will be desperate to win as many games as they can (Cowboys, Warriors, Broncos and Bulldogs). While the Panthers have had a very good year considering where they sit in their long term plan, they wont be able to put the icing on the cake.

The Titans are very similar to the Panthers as they are on 20 points and have a pretty tough run in to the finals. Unlike the Panthers, I think the Titans possess an ability to upset some of the bigger teams with a lot more experience and much more strike power. They will need to stay away from injuries and the loss of Albert Kelly for a few weeks will hurt. They could go either way, but I'm picking that they will slide a few places down the ladder, loosing tight games.

Back 2 points are the Broncos who sit in 12th on 18 points. A charge in to the top 8 will be very difficult for a team who has under achieved greatly to some extent but have also lacked any attacking leadership or potency. The way they have performed as well as their upcoming opposition makes life very difficult. They will face the Knights twice which will be a huge challenge along with tricky games against the Dragons and Panthers. Their final game against the Bulldogs will be nearly impossible to win unless they are in a position where they desperately need to win and the Bulldogs are cruising, which I doubt will happen. The Eels are the best chance for the Broncos to get a win but could possibly be their only 2 points from their last 2 games.

Life is pretty tough up in Townsville at the moment. With a fantastic roster, the Cowboys have done reasonably average this season resulting in the sacking of coach Neil Henry. They sit in 13th, 6 points behind the Knights and will be hoping for a miracle. Their only option is to win every game or close to it, which could be done. If they beat the Rabbitohs this week, they could gain a heap of momentum and very quickly become a team to watch. This is a very real possibility as after the Rabbitohs they play the Panthers, Titans, Knights, Sharks and Tigers… all teams they can easily dispose of if they want to. Unfortunately for them they are in a position where any losses could be a major problem and if they loose a game their season could be over, which is a high pressure scenario to be in. Keep an eye on them though, it might all click in to place you never know.

My top eight;

Rabbitohs

Roosters

Sea Eagles

Storm

Bulldogs

Sharks

Warriors

Knights