The NRL may need to change its finals series structure for the first time under the current format, potentially starting with an elimination match.
League officials are currently addressing the finals schedule, with the top two, top four, and top eight teams already determined.
The main outstanding issue is deciding who among South Sydney and Newcastle secures a home final, with the Rabbitohs needing a victory this week.
If Souths triumph over their rivals, the Sydney Roosters, on Friday night, they would be fine with the NRL hosting their home final at either Accor Stadium or Allianz.
Meanwhile, Cronulla is determined to play their home final at Shark Park, despite the NRL controlling venue decisions.
More significant challenges for the NRL involve scheduling the matches.
While Penrith is set to host a qualifying final, they cannot start the playoffs on the following Friday as they play their final-round game this Sunday.
The Warriors will also host a qualifying final, but time zone differences mean they can only be scheduled for either the Saturday or Sunday match in week one.
One of the elimination finals is likely to occur on Friday night, with the other expected to be the late game on Saturday.
The NRL will then need to arrange the schedule for the second and third weeks of finals, aiming for matches on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons.
Adding complexity, the Warriors have the right to host a match in either week two or three but cannot do so on Friday nights due to time zone constraints.
If feasible, playing the Warriors' second home final on a Sunday would avoid a five-day turnaround.
Alternatively, they could host a Saturday night match in New Zealand, which would be an afternoon game in Australia.
The NRL considers various factors when planning finals, including managing turnarounds, broadcaster preferences, and club requests.
Last year, the Warriors hosted a week-one finals match on a Saturday evening in Auckland.
Before that, they had only one other home finals match in New Zealand since 2009, which was held on a Saturday evening in week two of 2023.
Additionally, the Warriors held a home final on a Friday night in 2008, but the broadcast by Nine was delayed by one hour, which wouldn't work today.
The NRL can take some reassurance that they no longer use the McIntyre system, which limited flexibility in scheduling week-one fixtures.