Zac Lomax has vowed to empty the tank and fight for a finals return before his St George Illawarra exit, despite analysis showing the enormity of the task facing the Dragons.
With State of Origin complete and seven rounds left before finals, 14 teams remain in contention for this year's top eight.
Melbourne and Penrith are all but guaranteed to finish in the finals, while Gold Coast, Parramatta and Wests Tigers are effectively out of contention.
That leaves 12 teams squabbling over the final six places, with third and fourth-placed Cronulla and Sydney Roosters still only one win clear of the chasing pack.
An AAP analysis of every team's run home shows Penrith, Cronulla and the Roosters have the easiest finish of all teams, based on the average ladder position of remaining opponents.
The news is not so good for Canberra, who have the toughest finish of any team in that 12-way battle, followed by South Sydney and the Dragons.
But regardless the ninth-placed Dragons are adamant they will not be deterred by their tough draw, with games against Penrith and Melbourne in the next fortnight.
"It's a good time of year to be getting these tough games," captain Ben Hunt said.
"To come up against the really good sides at the top of the ladder to see where you're at and gauge whether you still have a bit of improvement still to do.
"It's going to be a good measure for us the next two weeks to really see where we're at."
St George Illawarra's finals drought extends back to 2018, and is the third-longest in the competition after Wests Tigers and Canterbury.
It means NSW Origin star Lomax has not played finals since his rookie season, a streak he wants to end before his off-season move to Parramatta.
"We're throwing all our eggs in that basket. We just want to empty the tank the most we can," Lomax said.
"We're in a pretty good position at the moment to be able to look and play finals.
"It's been a while since we've played finals here at the Dragons ... That's why you play. You play to play finals.
"There have been a lot of us boys who have gone without finals for a number of years now, and that is our focus."
