They're not looking any further ahead than their next match, but the Newcastle Knights have another mountain to climb if they are to make a consecutive finals appearance this year.
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After 16 rounds, including two byes, the Knights are placed 12th on 16 competition points, following six wins and eight losses.
At the corresponding point last year, Newcastle were placed 14th on 15 competition points, after five wins, a draw and eight losses.
It wasn't until round 18 last year that they commenced their 10-game winning streak with a 66-0 thrashing of the Bulldogs.
That run extended into the second week of the finals, but Newcastle essentially needed eight wins from their last 10 games of the regular season to qualify for the top eight.
even wins and another draw may have also snuck them in. They finished fifth on 35 points, ahead of Cronulla (34), Sydney Roosters and Canberra (32).
Going off last year's ladder, a season when all teams began having three byes following the introduction of the Dolphins as the competition's 17th team, the Knights will likely need another 16 points to go with the 16 they've already secured to reach the eight.
That means winning seven of their remaining 10 games, given they have another bye in round 21.
"We haven't looked at the draw like that yet," outside-back Enari Tuala said.
"We're just taking it week by week, and just trying to get wins along the way."
Last season's run home almost proved no mountain was too high to climb, but the chances of that run of form being repeated are slim, at best.
However, that wasn't the only time under coach Adam O'Brien Newcastle have been in a similar position and they've recovered to make the finals.
In 2021, after 14 games they were 14th with just 10 competition points, after five wins and nine losses. They won eight of their last 10 games to finish seventh, on 26 points, in a year when all teams had one bye.
With games to come next month against sides ahead of them and near the bottom end of the top eight, including Canberra (10th), Manly (11th) and Brisbane (seventh), consecutive losses in coming weeks could put Newcastle in a spot where they'd then need to win all their remaining games.
A loss against last-placed Parramatta at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday, whilst not devastating to their chances, would make the task that little bit more harder.
The positive for Newcastle is if they win this weekend, they'll be three points better off than they were after 17 rounds last year.
Asked if the team was keeping tabs of their the place on the ladder and how many wins they might have to bank to make the finals, edge-forward Kai Pearce-Paul said: "Nah, not really.
"Obviously in the big picture that's something in the back of our minds, but we like to build game by game.
"I guess there will come a point where that'll be a bit more necessary, but now we're just building week by week."
Pearce-Paul has been named to return off the bench against the Eels after missing the loss to Penrith before the bye last weekend with a toe injury.
He comes back into a team featuring fellow Englishman Will Pryce, who is set to make his NRL debut after being picked at five-eighth in place of Jack Cogger.
Cogger has been dropped for the second time this year.
