The Raiders are relying on both the St George-Illawarra Dragons and the Penrith Panthers to stumble in the last five rounds of the NRL season.

Manly sits just ahead in a logjam for the last two spots in the finals and the Raiders need to win every game just to stay in the race.

But the reality is the Raiders need other teams to choke if they want to end of 14-year drought of failing to making the finals in back to back seasons.

Can they make it? We've broken down the run home for the eighth-place contenders and who Raiders fans should support to keep the faint finals hope alive.

WHO SHOULD RAIDERS FANS SUPPORT?

This one is simple. Canberra fans should be barracking for anyone playing against the Panthers or the Dragons.

The Raiders (20 points) are four points behind the Panthers and Dragons and every result for the rest of the season will have a major impact on ladder spots.

Twelve wins has been the magic number for finals spots in previous years. But the tightness of the competition could see that rise to 13 this season.

The Panthers and Dragons will clash in round 25, but the Raiders' fate may have already been sealed by then.

The Raiders cannot afford for the Panthers or the Dragons to win more than two of their last five games.

If the Dragons and Panthers win three each and the Raiders win five, the eight-placed winner will come down to for and against.

THE RAIDERS' RUN

The Raiders' strike power still makes teams nervous and a win against Cronulla at Shark Park on Saturday night will have the Dragons and Panthers looking over their shoulders.

Canberra has a tough run in the last five games of the regular season, starting with the Sharks.

They play the Warriors in New Zealand, the Panthers and Knights at home and the Storm in Melbourne.

But a six-game winning streak before the finals would certainly put other teams on notice.

The Raiders can only reach a maximum of 30 points on the ladder, and even then it might not be enough.

"Just the situation we're in, everyone's more revved up than normally. We know how important every game is now for the rest of the year," said Raiders hooker Josh Hodgson.

"We really have to put in our best performance each week otherwise we could miss out on the eight. Just that factor alone is going to pick everybody up."

Missing out on the play-offs would be a disaster after finishing second on the ladder last year.

An inability to win the close games has hampered the Raiders this year, winning just two of nine games decided by a converted try or less.

MANLY, DRAGONS AND PANTHERS

Manly's season has come to a crashing halt and another loss against the Roosters on Sunday could bring the Sea Eagles' back to the pack.

They appear the most likely to secure a finals berth, but the Dragons, Panthers and Raiders are unpredictable.

Manly should beat the Wests Tigers next week and Canberra fans will be hoping they beat the Panthers at Brookvale in round 26.

After a promising start to the season, the Dragons have only won two of their past seven games.

They're on shaky ground, especially after Friday's loss to the Rabbitohs, but have the best run home of the three teams above the Raiders.

The Saints should beat Gold Coast and Canterbury, but their form wobbles could see them struggle in the closing rounds.

Raiders fans will find themselves jumping on and off the Panthers' bandwagon over the next few rounds, but only temporarily if they want the Green Machine to play finals.

THE LAST FIVE ROUNDS

7th: Manly (26 points): Roosters (H), Tigers (A), Bulldogs (A), Warriors (A), Panthers (H).

8th: Dragons (24 points): Titans (H), Broncos (A), Panthers (A), Bulldogs (H).

9th: Panthers (24 points): Tigers (H), Cowboys (H), Raiders (A), Dragons (H), Sea Eagles (A).

10th: Raiders (20 points): Sharks (A), Warriors (A), Panthers (H), Knights (H), Storm (A).

THE KEY GAMES

Round 24: Raiders v Panthers at Canberra Stadium.

Round 25: Panthers v Dragons at Penrith.

Round 26: Sea Eagles v Panthers at Brookvale and Dragons v Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium.

LADDER AS IT STANDS

1. Storm 34, +160

2. Roosters 32, +83

3. Sharks 30, +93

4. Eels 30 +12

5. Broncos 28, +84

6. Cowboys 28, +62

7. Manly 26, +23

8. Dragons 24, +73

9. Panthers 24, +37

10. Raiders 20, +35