Hope springs for all eight NRL finalists as sudden death football arrives

It won’t be lost on the Sydney Roosters that winning a premiership from outside the top four is about as likely as cracking a double-yolked egg. An exaggeration, perhaps, but the odds are not good. In the 113 years since 1908, 111 champions finished inside the four – Brisbane claimed the title from fifth in 1993 and the Bulldogs from sixth in 1995.

Still, there’s something brewing in Bondi. The Roosters, who finished sixth on the ladder, are on the longest winning streak of any team entering the finals. The last match they lost was to Penrith at the start of July. The combined scoreline of the eight games since is 298-118. Of course, nothing is guaranteed against a team like South Sydney, who outscored Trent Robinson’s side in the last three quarters of Friday night’s final regular-season round but lost 26-16 anyway after shipping 14 points in the first 20 minutes. Nothing like an elimination-final rematch between old enemies to sort it out.

And therein lies the beauty of finals football. The tail of the tape can only tell you so much when the prospect of sudden death arrives. It does not cater for Joey Manu’s calf tear, Daniel Tupou’s groin and Cameron Murray’s latest concussion. It does not carry provisions for razzle-dazzle and barbs and brain fades. It also does not consider the old adage that statistics are there to be broken and winning streaks halted. The Rabbitohs, too, have eyes on the prize from seventh, and by the time one emerges victorious from Allianz Stadium this Sunday they will already know which of Cronulla or North Queensland await in the semi-finals.

Either one will be tricky. The Sharks have shocked the competition this season under rookie coach Craig Fitzgibbon, who has steered the club to second –