The penultimate round of the regular season has arrived, with clubs either preparing for an assault on the finals or getting ready for the holidays.
Canterbury and Penrith kick off proceedings on Thursday night, with the Panthers fielding a second-string side that will entice many with the line.
A double-header will then commence across the ditch when New Zealand take on Parramatta before a blockbuster awaits between Melbourne and the Sydney Roosters.
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The ladder-leading Canberra Raiders are in action first on Saturday afternoon against the Wests Tigers, while Manly are still incredibly in with a shot of qualifying for the finals when they face off against St George Illawarra.
A derby between North Queensland and Brisbane caps off a Saturday night that promises bucketloads of points.
And the tries are sure to keep on coming during Sunday, when Adam O’Brien and Des Hasler take charge of their sides for one of the last times as their respective clubs seek to avoid the wooden spoon.
The Sporting News delivers its predictions and best bets for select Round 26 matches in the NRL below — all odds per bookmaker Sportsbet.
Warriors vs. Eels prediction, tip, best bet
The Warriors could move a step closer to securing a top-four finish when they welcome the Eels to Go Media Stadium.
Andrew Webster's side have been in patchy form across their past five matches, winning just twice during this run.
However, it is worth noting that these have arrived in back-to-back victories, somewhat shaking off the wobbles.
They have won five and lost four of their fixtures at their home ground so far this season, with Canberra, Penrith, Gold Coast and the Dolphins emerging with the two competition points in Auckland.
Meanwhile, Parra stunned the Roosters last week with a comprehensive 30-10 victory, although they are a very different proposition on the road.
Jason Ryles' outfit has won just three times away from home and one of those wins came in Round 7 against the Tigers, when they were pitched as the visitors to CommBank Stadium.
In their win over the Chooks, the Eels successfully ventured left in the first half as Josh Addo-Carr crossed for a second double in his past three matches.
The winger will bring up his 200th NRL appearance in NZ and will be looking to celebrate his milestone with a customary try or two after scoring in four of his last five games.
And to whet the Foxx's appetite even more, he has a stellar record against the Warriors after scoring at least once in each of his last six meetings with them.
Prediction: Warriors by 6
Best bet: Josh Addo-Carr anytime tryscorer ($2.12)
Cowboys vs. Broncos prediction, tip, best bet
North Queensland pulled it out of the fire last week as they staged a stirring late comeback to beat the Tigers and end their finals chances.
This week, the Cowboys will be looking to bring an end to Brisbane's hopes of a top-four finish when the two rivals square off in Townsville.
The Broncos put Newcastle to the sword in Round 25 as Reece Walsh enjoyed the freedom of the Hunter on the way to the 46-12 result.
Besides their loss to Melbourne, which saw Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds depart midway through the first stanza due to hamstring injuries, Michael Maguire's side has been impressive in attack lately.
They posted 60 points against South Sydney, 38 against the Phins and the aforementioned 46 against the Knights.
The Cowboys may offer plenty in attack as well, but their leaky defence has been a well-known issue throughout the season.
The last time these two sides met, the Broncos eased to a 26-16 win all the way back during the opening month of the season.
Both sides conceded tries through the middle on that night, as Payne Haas crossed for the Broncos and Griffin Neame touched down for the Cowboys.
North QLD have conceded 11 tries to props so far this campaign, while the Broncos' big men have crossed for 10 four-pointers.
This makes it an intriguing area of attack for the visitors, with Ben Talty particularly of interest during what is likely to be a shoot-out.
Prediction: Broncos by 12
Best bet: Over 50.5+ points ($1.90)
Sharks vs. Knights prediction, tip, best bet
The curtain will be brought down on Adam O'Brien's tenure in Newcastle at the end of the season after the coach and club mutually agreed to part ways.
The Knights are on a seven-game losing streak and are going dangerously close to picking up the wooden spoon.
After losing to Canberra by four points at the start of this losing sequence, they then also went down to the Warriors by five points in another hard-fought affair.
However, their last four defeats have seen the wheels come off in defence as they have leaked a combined 176 points.
The Cowboys are the only team in the past month who haven't been able to notch at least 40 points against them, and even then, Todd Payten's troops ended up with 38.
All signs point to another heavy loss on Sunday afternoon against Cronulla, who are still harbouring hopes of a top-four finish.
KL Iro is back from a long injury layoff and will look to pick up where he left off after he scored in all nine of his appearances to start the season.
The centre will square off against James Schiller, who forms part of a right-edge defence that has struggled to contain the opposition all year.
Prediction: Sharks by 18 points
Best bet: Cronulla Sharks to win / KL Iro anytime tryscorer / Ronaldo Mulitalo anytime tryscorer ($3.25)