At the start of the season Gundagai and Young shaped as the teams to beat and it's still the case come July.

They've lost one game between them so far, but Temora aren't far off the pace either.

Who else qualifies for finals is set to come right down to the wire with only three points separating four clubs battling for the two remaining finals positions.

With little between so many of the clubs, luck with injuries and simply turning up with the right attitude on the day is going to go a long way to deciding so many club's futures this season.

Position: Fourth (three wins, one draw)

Pre-season prediction: Fourth

Player they can't afford to lose: Jon Huggett - Albury will be sweating that Huggett's knee issue from the weekend isn't too bad as the multiple club best and fairest winner is generally the driving force of the side. With his strong work rate, leadership and how much trouble he gives the opposition

What the coach says: (Robbie Byatt) We've had a lot of combination changes and now I've got my team cemented in for the rest of the year I think we can only go up from here. We are going to keep building each week but from the start of the year until now we've improved a lot and I think we will just keep getting better as well.

What we say: Albury built up over the pre-season but struggled at the start of the season. It looks like they are finally working their way into a much better groove but their ability to consistently play good football against the top teams is what needs to really improve. And they might not quite be there yet.

Prediction: Fifth

Position: Seventh (two wins)

Pre-season prediction: Sixth

Player they can't afford to lose: James Hay - a real leader in the team with his strong work ethic and impact through the middle. The direction he gives the side can't be underestimated and with plenty of young or new talent in the side has been the constant the club needs so far this season.

What the co-coach says: (James Hay) I think we've just got too many errors in us at the moment. I don't think we are playing bad football but just need to learn how to defend our errors a bit better and not give so many away. We've still got a pretty strong squad, reserve grade is playing some good football, so if we have to make some changes going into the back half of the season to get some wins I think we will look at doing that.

What we say: The only way was up for Brothers and that's definitely been the case. However there is still a long way to go. Brothers have been close but not close enough over the last month and while it's a positive for their future, and can be a real learning experience, it might not be enough for this season.

Prediction: Seventh

Position: First (six wins, one draw)

Pre-season prediction: Premiers

Player they can't afford to lose: Latrell Siegwalt - with doubts over the futures of both Nathan Rose and James Luff the Tigers can't afford to be without another of their big names. Siegwalt has stepped into the big void left by Dane O'Hehir with aplomb, providing Gundagai with plenty of options or simply scores himself.

What the coach says: (Luke Berkrey) We're happy with where we are sitting but see lots of room for improvement. I'm excited with where this team might end up.

What we say: Have pretty much taken all before them this season, with the exception of a draw with Albury. Things started off strong for the Tigers but they need to get on top of their injury list with some big names still on the sidelines. Both Nathan Rose and James Luff are expected back sooner rather than later but their long-term prospects aren't as positive and they leave a void in the side. Still very much one of the teams to beat but could be vulnerable with not as much depth as usual.

Prediction: Runners-up

Position: Sixth (two wins)

Pre-season prediction: Seventh

Player they can't afford to lose: Jake Mascini - to put it simply when Mascini fires Kangaroos fire. The last fortnight couldn't be more telling of that either with the star centre involved in everything to help Kangaroos down Brothers but then barely had the ball as they were held scoreless by Tumut. His ability to spark something out of nothing will be a key if Kangaroos are going to make a late surge.

What the coach says: (James Smart) We're still growing and we will keep growing. The desire to work hard for one another is there and we're playing for one another so I can't ask for too much more.

What we say: Another team who have had one eye on the future after undergoing plenty of change over the pre-season. There have been some very good signs from Kangaroos throughout the year but they've struggled to back it up the following week. If they can find some more consistency the talent is there but it could be a bridge too far at this stage.

Prediction: Sixth

Position: Last (no wins)

Pre-season prediction: Last

Player they can't afford to lose: Kyle McCarthy - after some big names left the club over the off-season McCarthy was left to pick up the pieces. He's been the creative spark for the vast majority of Southcity's tries this season and his direction is crucial for this year's side to grow. The scoreline Albury put on them when he wasn't there only reinforces the influence he's got on the team this season.

What the coach says: (Kyle McCarthy) There's plenty of talented players but we do a lot of rookie errors. The inexperienced stuff that we do can be a positive so we just need to keep at it and hopefully do some recruiting.

What we say: It always shaped as a tough season for Southcity and that's exactly how it unfolded. The domino effect on losing player after player was always going to make it tough to recover from. While they are there in patches, consistency is a big issue for the young team. There is still some quality there so they can't be underestimated but plenty of work needs to be done to turn the Bulls into a much more competitive side.

Prediction: Last

Position: Third (six wins, two losses)

Pre-season prediction: Fourth

Player they can't afford to lose: Josh McCrone - while there are three other Dragons near the top of the Weissel Medal leaderboard, it's McCrone who has been the linchpin of their success so far. The reinvigorated Dragons attack all swings through their halfback and his leadership is invaluable in a young side looking to step into the unknown in the back half of the season.

What the coach says: (Josh McCrone) The fact we haven't lost at home, we've won every game at home, and the only teams we've lost to are the two best teams in the comp in my opinion and we've played them both away so there's plenty to take out of both games. We've shown we can score points and now we've just got to stop their points.

What we say: Started with a bang but have struggled as the draw swung around to take on the better teams. The Dragons have been the big improvers, and you can't question the smaller side's commitment, but injuries haven't been kind to them and it was the one thing they couldn't afford. It will be great to have the proud club back into finals but they still might be missing a couple of ingredients to really make a charge for the title.

Prediction: Fourth

Position: Fourth (three wins)

Pre-season prediction: Third

Player they can't afford to lose: Lachlan Bristow - Is the creative spark in the middle of the side. It's been a tough start to the season injury wise for the Blues but Bristow's involvement in everything they do has been a real positive. His ability to take advantage of a regrouping forward pack should really help the Blues in the race towards finals.

What the co-coach says: (Lachlan Bristow) We haven't had as many wins as we would have liked but now that we've played every team I don't think there was one team that we couldn't beat. It's been a frustrating year in terms of injuries and player availability but I'm confident our full strength team can match it with any team. We just need a bit of luck rolling forward then we can get everyone on the paddock to push for a finals spot and even bigger things.

What we say: Tumut always looked like they were going to come back to the pack and it showed with their worst start since they last missed finals in 2018. However things seem to be heading in the right direction and with a couple of bigger bodies returning to the fold since the start of the season they could be the side to get under a few radars towards the business end.

Prediction: Third

Position: Second (six wins, one loss)

Pre-season prediction: Second

Player they can't afford to lose: Mitch Cornish - The reigning Weissel Medallist really pulling the strings for the 'Pickers. While younger brother Nick has arguably had the better season so far, the direction, kicking game and calmness he brings just adds so much to the side.

What the coach says: (Nick Cornish) I'm happy with where we are at. We've done nearly everything I've wanted to, ticked nearly all the boxes and we're still building on from that. We've only had the one bad game against Gundi, and had a bad half against Tumut but got away with that.

What we say: Their premiership drought could finally come to an end. It's been over three decades but this shapes as their best chance at it yet. However the side can rest on their laurels with their only slip up coming out of the blue in context of the game against Gundagai and their season as a whole. It is something they can't afford to do when the pressure really comes on.

Prediction: Premiers