The 2022 NRL finals series is officially upon us, with eight teams looking to etch their name in the history books and lift the Provan-Summons Trophy in four weeks time.
The first week of the finals will see two blockbuster top-four clashes, with plenty of spice behind each of them.
For the other four sides - Roosters, Parramatta, Knights and Titans - it's sudden-death time, and they'll have to leave it all out there and progress to week two.
As with every matchup, there are certain areas and match-ups where the game will be won or lost, and the finals will be no different.
Sporting News has broken down the key battle in each clash in week one of the NRL finals below.
MELBOURNE STORM VS MANLY SEA EAGLES
KEY BATTLE: Jason Saab/Reuben Garrick vs George Jennings/Isaac Lumelume
Reuben Garrick and Jason Saab have been two of the best wingers all season, and on Friday night they'll have an easier assignment than expected with Josh Addo-Carr sidelined with a hamstring injury.
The pair have combined for 44 tries this season, which in part comes off the back of the elite form Tom Trbojevic has produced.
And while Trbojevic will be the man that Melbourne will be looking to shut down, they need to be wary of the men outside him.
If the Storm's outside backs over-commit in an attempt to stop Tommy Turbo, he can just as easily throw a cut-out pass to Saab or Garrick, or he can remain a decoy on a set play. Don't forget the quality halves at Manly's disposal, who can also create points for their outside men.
Saab's height will also likely come into play. He will have a 14cm advantage over Jennings, while there's a 12cm gap in height between him and Lumelume.
Usually, the sidelined Addo-Carr would be the one marking Saab, so it will be interesting to see if the inexperienced Lumelume will play on that side, or whether Bellamy will give the more experienced but shorter-statured Jennings the tough task of marking the 199cm freak.
It's also the defensive side of things where Melbourne may struggle out wide compared to Manly.
For the large majority of the season, Garrick and Brad Parker have been paired on one side, with Saab and Morgan Harper on the other. That amount of time together builds trust in defence and they've been able to nail their defensive systems.
Unfortunately for the Storm, they won't have that luxury with Addo-Carr sidelined and Jennings also missing plenty of games through injury. They won't have that same defensive cohesion out wide, and with so many attacking threats in the Manly lineup, that could prove costly.
If anyone is going to be able to get things clicking for Melbourne in a short space of time though, it's their legendary coach Craig Bellamy.
SYDNEY ROOSTERS VS GOLD COAST TITANS
KEY BATTLE: Both side's benches
This is an interesting battle for a number of reasons, and the way that Trent Robinson and Justin Holbrook have selected their respective team's benches could make or break the sudden-death clash.
For the Roosters, they've gone with a pure halfback in Sam Walker, two genuine middle-forwards in Isaac Liu and Fletcher Baker, and a versatile forward in Egan Butcher who can play edge or middle.
The way that Robinson injects Walker will be crucial, especially if the game is close, while the three forwards they have selected are all different and can offer different things.
Liu is a veteran and quiet achiever who can play big minutes, while Baker is a raw talent with a bigger body and can punch out big numbers in a short amount of time.
However, we believe it will be Butcher who proves integral, with the young forward proving in recent weeks that he can play big minutes and maintain his impact on both sides of the ball.
For the Titans, their bench is very interesting, especially with David Fifita included there and Kevin Proctor and Beau Fermor starting in the second-row.
Fifita is going to be brought on as an impact player midway or late in the first half, and probably remain on the field for the rest of the game.
Erin Clark will likely give the more experienced Mitch Rein a breather on either side of half-time, but could also play as a middle-forward with a bit more speed around the ruck.
Jaimin Jolliffe will be expected to come and work hard for at least 30-40 minutes, while Sam Lisone will play much smaller minutes. The latter is a huge man but will be used purely as an impact player to give their starting middles a rest.
Looking at the way he has selected his side, Holbrook is probably going to need huge minutes out of Moeaki Fotuaika, Jarrod Wallace and Tino Fa'asuamelaui on Saturday evening.
PENRITH PANTHERS VS SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
KEY BATTLE: Nathan Cleary vs Blake Taaffe
It's the battle that everyone is talking about - the best halfback in the game up against the five-game NRL rookie who is filling in for superstar fullback, Latrell Mitchell.
On paper this is an absolute mismatch, with Taaffe having a couple of tough moments in kick defusals against the Dragons in round 25, opening the door for plenty of attention.
Cleary has arguably the best bomb in the competition, and whether it be a torpedo, floater or any other variation, he consistently causes major headaches for some of the best No.1s in the competition.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Rabbitohs veteran Benji Marshall was full of praise for the Penrith and NSW Blues superstar.
“He’s a great kicker of the football, Nathan. He got us a few times last time so obviously we need to try and change that," he said.
"But It’s not just the back three that need to control that, obviously we need to get kick pressure on, we need guys trying to limit that by keeping them from coming out of their half.
"Everyone’s got a job to do on last tackle with them."
On top of the towering bombs that will be coming the Rabbitohs rookie's way, Penrith's short kicking game is also going to be an issue for Taaffe to handle.
Still in the infancy of his NRL career, the 21-year-old local junior doesn't have the positional play that some other fullbacks have just yet, and both Cleary and Jarome Luai are going to be smart enough to exploit that.
Cleary and Luai have forced a combined 38 line dropouts this year, the most of any halves combination in the NRL, and the inexperienced combination of Taaffe and winger Jaxson Paulo could be in for a tough 80 minutes on Saturday.
Taaffe is taking it all in his stride though, remaining focused on the task at hand and isn't putting any extra emphasis on the massive challenge that is defusing Cleary's kicks.
“I’ve been playing fullback my whole life. If he kicks bombs, I’m sure he will, but if he does, I’m ready for the challenge," he said.
“I haven’t changed anything, catching bombs at the end of a session is part of my ritual as a fullback so I’m not trying to base my game on catching bombs or do that, it’s just part of my job."
Bet same game multis on all NRL games with the heaps fast BlueBet app.
PARRAMATTA EELS VS NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
KEY BATTLE: Mitchell Pearce/Jake Clifford vs Clint Gutherson/Blake Ferguson
The key to any big game often comes down to either side's kicking game, and that will be on show come Sunday afternoon.
Newcastle's halves combination of Jake Clifford and Mitchell Pearce have two of the best long kicking games in the competition, and will need to be at their best against a couple of quality outside backs from the Eels.
Clint Gutherson is arguably the best positional fullback in the game today, while veteran winger Blake Ferguson remains one of the best kick returners in rugby league.
Pearce told the media in the lead-up to the game just how important the kicking game from himself and Clifford will be against those two players in particular.
“Kicking game in big games is the main thing everyone talks about. It’s the way you build pressure, it’s a big part of winning big games," he said.
"We’ve got two decent kickers we would like to think in our team, and they’ve got some really good kickers. Mitch Moses kicks the ball longer than nearly anyone and his short kicking game is great.
"That part of the game will definitely be vital once again."
Clifford's short kicking game is far superior to Pearce's, forcing 17 line dropouts during the season to the veteran's four, so expect to see him take on that responsibilty and Pearce do a lot more of the kicking from inside his own half.
Clifford also has a towering bomb rivalled only by Nathan Cleary, so if they are in a mid-field position he may take the reins there as well. Pearce's running game is also a factor, so we're expecting Clifford to control a lot of the kicking game.
If they can kick early, find the grass and turn the likes of Gutherson and Ferguson around, Newcastle will be every chance of taking it down to the wire against Parramatta.
If the Knights' kicking game isn't on song, Gutherson in particular will exploit that, and along with Ferguson, the pair will lay a strong platform for their side to gain the upper-hand in the battle for field position.
