The matches that will decide top two, top four and eighth spot

Dragons coach Shane Flanagan believes the final eight won't be confirmed until after the last round as wins by the Knights, Raiders and Broncos ensured a five-way race for eighth spot.

The Dragons sit in eighth spot on 28 points, two points ahead of the Broncos, Dolphins, Knights and Raiders, and can extend their lead by beating fourth-placed Cronulla at WIN Stadium on Sunday.

However, the Sharks also have plenty at stake and are eying a top two finish after Penrith's 22-18 loss to Canberra on Saturday, while knowing that the Bulldogs can snatch their top four spot if they lose.

In one of the tightest finishes to an NRL season, only the Storm know their finals fate after securing the minor premiership with a 48-6 defeat of the Dolphins on Saturday.

The Panthers, Roosters, Sharks, Bulldogs, Cowboys and Sea Eagles are all guaranteed to feature in the play-offs but where they finish in the final eight will depend on results on Sunday and the last two rounds.

Behind them sit the Dragons, Broncos, Dolphins, Knights and Raiders, who are battling for the one remaining spot and each play at least one of the other four teams in the last two rounds.

While the Dragons sit two points clear, they have one of the worst for-and-against (-92) so may need to win all of their remaining games.

Race for eighth

• Dragons (28, -92): Sharks (h), Eels (a), Raiders (a)
• Broncos (26, +2): Dolphins (a), Storm (h)
• Dolphins (26, -27): Broncos (h), Knights (a)
• Knights (26, -70): Titans (h), Dolphins (h)
• Raiders (26, -131): Roosters (a), Dragons (h) 

"They're all important, aren't they," Flanagan said. "We saw that the Broncos kept their hopes alive, and that depends on us, I suppose. It's great that there's a lot of different things that can still happen."

Fight for the top four

While the Storm have wrapped up the minor premiership and a guaranteed home final in the first weekend of the play-offs, the battle for second place is wide open after Penrith's loss in Canberra.

The Panthers, Roosters, Sharks and Bulldogs all have their sights set on second spot, while the Cowboys and Sea Eagles can still finish in the top four.

• Panthers (36, +158): Rabbitohs (h), Titans (h)
• Roosters (34, +243): Titans (h), Raiders (h), Rabbitohs (a)
• Sharks (34, +176): Dragons (a), Warriors (h), Sea Eagles (a)
• Bulldogs (34, +146): Sea Eagles (h), Cowboys (h)
• Cowboys (32, +43): Storm (h), Bulldogs (a)
• Sea Eagles (31, +121): Bulldogs (a), Sharks (h)

"The top four is still not done, the top eight is still not done, and there's some sides just out of the eight that have got some hope, so I'm sure the administration side of the game would be loving what they're seeing at the moment," Flanagan said.

"It will probably be the last round before we know exactly what the makeup of the eight is."