![The Raiders are in a battle with the Knights and Rabbitohs for finals spots. The Raiders are in a battle with the Knights and Rabbitohs for finals spots.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j2iwCiKfwhVWJky39Vsdpt/47a43c5e-e1b5-4650-b5d1-b8be4774d38d.png/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Where there's life there's hope. And the Canberra Raiders haven't given up hope of making the top four.
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That's despite their heavy loss to the Melbourne Storm on the weekend putting a near-fatal dent in those hopes.
For them to be a realistic chance of sneaking into the top four - and earn a double chance in the play-offs - they'd need to win all three of their remaining games and hope results went their way.
That would mean either the fourth-placed Storm only winning one of their remaining three games - against the St George Illawarra Dragons (a), Gold Coast (h) and Brisbane (a).
The only one of those three they'd be favoured to lose would be against the Broncos - until you look at Melbourne's record against them.
They've won their past 13 games against the Broncos as part of a winning streak that dates back to 2017.
![Raiders second-rower Hudson Young said they perform well when their backs were against the wall. Picture by Keegan Carroll Raiders second-rower Hudson Young said they perform well when their backs were against the wall. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/reqbnGrLXyZFax2TwSi3Na/b2eff26b-760e-408c-a3de-f3e64b163b94.jpg/r0_250_4882_3006_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The other option would be for the third-placed New Zealand Warriors to lose all three of their remaining games - against Manly (h), the Dragons (h) and the Redcliffe Dolphins (a).
It would be a big upset if they lost one of those games, let alone all three.
But that hasn't stopped the Green Machine from planning to fill their end of the bargain - starting with the Canterbury Bulldogs at Canberra Stadium on Sunday.
After that, they'd also need to beat the Broncos (h), who they knocked off 20-14 in Brisbane in round six, and Cronulla (a) in the final round.
The Raiders would definitely back themselves against the Sharks, having beaten them in their past nine encounters.
But the tight nature of the NRL ladder - just four points separates Cronulla in fifth and the 11th-placed Sydney Roosters - meant if they lost all three they'd likely miss out on the eight.
Even if they only win one of those they could also still miss out.
Raiders second-rower Hudson Young said that tightness meant more pressure.
"It's been like that all year. It's been really tight from second all the way to 10th all year," he said.
"Nothing changes for us, but obviously there's a little bit more pressure to make the finals. It's something we want to do.
"We still have hopes of making the top four if we win the next three. That's something we've spoken about and something we really want to achieve."
The big five
Mathematically, everyone down to the 12th-placed Manly could still sneak into the eight.
But, barring some big upsets, everyone below the North Queensland Cowboys will struggle.
![The Raiders could finish anywhere between fifth and 12th. Picture by Keegan Carroll The Raiders could finish anywhere between fifth and 12th. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/reqbnGrLXyZFax2TwSi3Na/459cb798-be58-44df-ad26-b87558b66e0a.jpg/r0_226_4415_2718_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
That left five massive games over the next three weeks set to define the bottom half of the top eight.
Interestingly, all three of the Sharks' remaining fixtures feature - starting with the Cowboys Thursday night and finishing with hosting the Green Machine in round 27.
Their clash with Newcastle next week's also shaping as a finals-defining contest.
The Knights' game against South Sydney on Sunday will also have massive ramifications.
Young felt the Raiders performed when their backs were against the wall.
"I think we're sixth at the moment, but we need to win on the weekend and we know that," he said.
"We always go well when it's like that. We want to come back here and put a good performance in in front of our fans and we'll be looking to do that."
Finals position
While the Raiders have their sights set higher, winning their remaining three games would more likely result in them finishing fifth.
That's their best outcome, which would also earn them a home elimination final at Canberra Stadium - allowing them to give co-captain Jarrod Croker one more game in front of the Raiders fans before he retires at season's end.
Three losses and the Raiders could finish as low as 12th, while a win over the Bulldogs on Sunday could be enough to sneak into the eight.
A further win over either Brisbane or the Sharks would all-but guarantee them of finals footy.
Raiders halfback Jamal Fogarty said that finals goal was driving them against Canterbury.
"We've got a great opportunity to keep ourselves within the eight and we've got a lot to play for so there's no reason why we shouldn't turn up on Sunday," Fogarty said.
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Wary of Dog bite
Fogarty was wary of the Bulldogs.
That's despite the Raiders winning their past seven encounters with the Canterbury club.
The Bulldogs' finals chances were over, but they come to Canberra under no pressure and nothing to play for but pride.
It was similar when Wests Tigers came to Canberra two weeks ago, with the Green Machine only just edging the win.
Canterbury welcome back ex-Raider Ryan Sutton (neck), who the Bulldogs have told can explore his options - despite only being one year into a three-year deal.
"They've got nothing to lose, playing for a bit of pride there so they're going to throw the ball around," Fogarty said.
"We've got to make sure that we're doing things together, not trying to fix stuff on our own - because then it's just going to turn to chaos.
"The main this for us is doing it together because they're going to come down here wanting to play footy."
NRL ROUND 25
Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Canterbury Bulldogs at Canberra Stadium, 4.05pm.
Raiders squad: 1. Jordan Rapana, 2. Albert Hopoate, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Matt Timoko, 5. Nick Cotric, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papali'i, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Corey Horsburgh. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Emre Guler, 16. James Schiller, 17. Ata Mariota. Reserves: 18. Trey Mooney, 19. Matt Frawley. 20. Ethan Strange. 21. Brad Morkos. 22. Adrian Trevilyan.
Bulldogs: 1. Jake Averillo, 2. Blake Wilson, 3. Jacob Kiraz, 4. Braidon Burns, 5. Josh Addo-Carr, 6. Matt Burton, 7. Toby Sexton, 8. Max King, 9. Reed Mahoney, 10. Liam Knight, 11. Viliame Kikau, 12. Corey Waddell, 13. Ryan Sutton. Interchange: 14. Kyle Flanagan, 15. Luke Thompson, 16. Raymond Faitala-Mariner, 17. Tevita Pangai Junior. Reserves: 19. Harrison Edwards, 20. Kurtis Morrin, 21. Jayden Okunbor, 22. Hayze Perham, 23. Reece Hoffman.
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