South Sydney are bound for September after wrapping up a top-eight spot in a dramatic 20-10 win over North Queensland, with Coen Hess sin-binned late following a head clash with Campbell Graham.
After a dour opening 65 minutes, the match burst into life in the dying stages on Saturday when the Cowboys mounted a late comeback.
The result leaves North Queensland's hopes of a home final in disarray, dropping down to third with a week to play and all but certain to have to travel for week one of the finals.
The Cowboys could also face time without Hess if he is charged over the head clash with Graham.
Down 14-6 for the majority of the second half, the Cowboys only got back in the match via a tremendous solo try from Kyle Feldt.
They then threatened to take the lead when Taane Milne spilled a Chad Townsend bomb, only for the Rabbitohs winger to recover with an intercept in the next set.
On the next play, Hess rushed out of the line and clashed heads with Graham, in scenes reminiscent of the Dale Finucane incident against Penrith last month.
Finucane had warned at the time that his three-match ban set a dangerous precedent, but Cowboys coach Todd Payten claimed on Saturday night the hits were not comparable.
"Campbell Graham didn't come off for a HIA, so I'm not sure if he got hit in the head or not," Payten said.
"That's the part I am confused about.
"You can't compare that to Dale Finucane's ... There is a question whether Hessy hit his head or not. So poles apart in my opinion."
Feldt also found himself in the sin-bin for a professional foul, stifling any chance of a Cowboys recovery and allowing for a late Tom Burgess try.
It leaves Canberra and Brisbane fighting it out for the final spot in the eight, with Souths now safe in seventh.
The result also means Friday night's Allianz Stadium opener between the Rabbitohs and the Sydney Roosters has little riding on it, other than determining a Sydney venue for their elimination final appointments.
But the Rabbitohs will know they must be better after losing Damien Cook for their final two games to COVID-19.
Jason Demetriou's men were far from pretty in attack and played too much sideways early while Latrell Mitchell also had one of his quietest games since his return from a hamstring injury.
Keaon Koloamatangi straightened the Rabbitohs up for their first try, before Cameron Murray went to the line and helped Mitchell put Alex Johnston over for a four-pointer in an eighth straight match just before the break.
It helped set up a 14-6 lead, that remained until the late madness.
"It was an anxious week. We knew what was at stake," Demetriou said.
"Getting there (to the finals) is the hardest part off the back of the start we had."
The implications for North Queensland are also significant.
Second on the ladder since round 18, they have now dropped to third and are behind Cronulla with a week to play.
They'll most likely stay there, unless they beat Penrith on Friday and the Sharks are shocked by lowly-ranked Newcastle next Sunday.
That in itself will come as a hammer blow to the Cowboys, who had been hoping to finish second and staying in Townsville until the grand final.
Now, they'll almost certainly have to come to Sydney in the first week of the finals, before returning home for one finals match rather than two.
Australian Associated Press
