Roy Masters examined the preliminary final in the Sydney Morning Herald this week, highlighting its uniquely severe pressure.
Players and coaches know one error could end their season only days before the premiership decider.
That tension helps make this the NRL season's most compelling week, and the final round featuring multiple NRL matches.
Preliminary finals are often more stressful than grand finals, according to the writer's experience as a coach.
Fear of failure may explain why elimination at this stage feels worse than losing the final itself.
The teams are usually among the competition's strongest, making winners difficult to predict.
Depending on the draw, this can also be the toughest match on a team's path to the title.
Consequently, highly capable sides can disappear before reaching the premiership decider.
Victory provides entry to the biggest match of the year, while defeat leaves nothing else to play for.
It is a sporting state of limbo: one win from a premiership opportunity, yet one loss from an empty season.
A grand-final defeat at least means reaching the biggest stage and having that chance.
The same pressure exists across major team sports, including the AFL and NFL.
In each case, the preliminary final functions as the decisive gateway: win, and the season continues; lose, and it ends.