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The Warriors are the only bottom-eight side in the race to play NRL finals in 2020 after Manly's big loss to Melbourne.

The race to make the NRL finals has been narrowed down to three teams after Manly's 30-6 loss to Melbourne.

The Sea Eagles are now six points out of the top eight behind Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra, who also suffered season-defining losses in round 16.

But after a shock 36-6 victory over Newcastle, the Warriors will now battle it out for the final two spots in the top eight over the next month with the Knights and Cronulla

The Warriors sit four points behind the Sharks in ninth and will face Parramatta on Sunday in a game Todd Payten says could make or break their season.

Crucially, they will then play Cronulla in round 18.

"It's possible (to make finals) but we play a Parramatta team who are going to be desperate, they are physical, they're big, I reckon that will be our biggest test coming up this week," Payten said.

"We haven't had a conversation (about playing finals) although it's probably going to start in the media.

"We're pretty inexperienced (in dealing with hype) and it's my job to keep a lid on it but in the same sentence our group enjoys freedom, and if I come down on them and try to rein them in it can hurt their footy.

"At the moment I'm letting them go and will run with what we're doing, see where it takes us."

A stunning win over the Knights was the fourth in five games for the gutsy side, who refuse to use a myriad of available excuses.

Instead, they have found form at the back end of the season, reigniting talk they could pull off a semi-finals berth.

Cronulla scored a big win over North Queensland but with the Warriors snipping at their heels they cannot afford to drop another game in the coming weeks.

The next fortnight will sort out the final two spots on the table with the Sharks set to play the Knights on Friday, who sit one point ahead of them on the ladder.

A win over the Knights would put them ahead before they face the Warriors the following week.

Meanwhile, South Sydney will struggle to keep their season on track after fullback Latrell Mitchell suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in their 38-0 win over the Eels.

They will face a red-hot Melbourne side on Friday fresh from thrashing the Sea Eagles on Sunday afternoon.

Penrith inched closer to the minor premiership with their 11th straight win, with Storm still three competition points behind on the ladder.