Now that the dust has settled on the NRL regular season, only eight teams remain in the 2025 premiership race.
In Week 1, four matchups will take place over the course of the weekend. The action will result in two sides getting an early holiday.
As fans and pundits look ahead to the slate of games, it's easy to pencil the heaviest favourites into the win column.
However, as the old cliché goes: it's a brand new competition once the finals start, and every coach and player will be scheming ways that their side can get the job done.
The Sporting News breaks down the path to victory for each underdog entering this week's games.
All odds per bookmaker Sportsbet.
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Path to victory for every underdog in Week 1 of finals
Canterbury Bulldogs
The Bulldogs make one of the toughest road trips in rugby league as they head to Melbourne to take on the Storm as $2.55 outsiders.
Causing an upset will be no easy feat, but what Cameron Ciraldo's side has in their favour are the injuries that have ravaged Melbourne's spine.
Ryan Papenhuyzen suffered a head knock late in the piece against the Broncos in Round 27 and has since been ruled out of Friday night's clash.
Meanwhile, Jahrome Hughes suffered a fractured forearm during the same game after the halfback had previously been sidelined by a shoulder issue for five weeks.
If the Bulldogs compete with the Storm physically, the combination of Connor Tracey, Matt Burton and Lachlan Galvin could have enough to potentially get them over the line.
New Zealand Warriors
Out of every underdog this week, the Warriors have the steepest hill to climb which is reflected in their $3.36 price tag.
They host a Penrith outfit looking for their fifth premiership on the trot in a win-or-go-home matchup.
The most obvious path to success would be to test the edge of Paul Alamoti who's kept his spot in first grade this week, with Thomas Jenkins missing out on selection.
Alamoti has played 16-games this season, predominantly in the early rounds, before falling out of favour and doing a stint in NSW Cup.
It's unclear at this stage whether or not he will remain on the right wing, or if he will be shifted back to the left to make way for Brian To'o.
Either way, if the Warriors halves make a point of going after the 21-year-old, the lack of reps with the men playing next to him in 2025 could lead to misreads, and as a result, solid returns for the Auckland-based club.
Cronulla Sharks
Despite hosting a Roosters side that has been their worst enemy at certain stages throughout the season, the Sharks find themselves as $2.10 underdogs.
The history of fifth-seed versus eighth-seed Week 1 matchups works in favour of Craig Fitzgibbon's side.
However, Cronulla fans will be looking for more than historical precedent to believe their team can get over the line on Saturday night.
The tactical path to victory will involve using the Roosters' big forward pack against them - before their own rotation of powerhouse middles look to capitalise on the damage that's already been done.
Trent Robinson has opted to shift Victor Radley to the edge so that he can start Spencer Leniu, Lindsay Collins and Naufahu Whyte alongside each other.
Those three names side-by-side present a daunting challenge, but newly appointed captain Blayke Brailey possesses the craftsmanship necessary to exploit them.
If Brailey can change the point of attack, making the Roosters' pack move laterally, whilst also taking his opportunities to turn them around with his boot early in the tackle-count, the Sharks could have them continually carrying the ball out of their own end.
Then once fatigue begins to set in, Fitzgibbon can unleash his four-pronged attack of Oregon Kaufusi, Siosifa Talakai, Thomas Hazelton and Braden Hamlin-Uele off the pine to overwhelm their opposition.
Brisbane Broncos
By sneaking into the top-four in Round 27, the Broncos have earned the dubious privilege of heading down to the nation's capital to play the minor premiers.
The bookmakers are giving punters a $2.20 line on Brisbane, a number they might warm to after watching the attacking brilliance of Michael Maguire's side over the past month.
Most teams that play the Raiders this post-season will rely on their experience to get them over the line. However, the Broncos are the least qualified side left in the race to do so.
Whilst the overall roster is less experienced in finals football, their halfback Ben Hunt has played nearly four times the amount of games in September than both Ethan Strange and Jamal Fogarty combined.
Hunt has been there and done it; if he dials in his game management skills after playing most of the season at hooker, he could be the x-factor that upsets the green machine on Sunday afternoon.