NZ Warriors have been confirmed for a 6pm kickoff (NZ time) at BlueBet Stadium in their NRL playoffs opener against Penrith Panthers next Saturday.
After finishing fourth on the competition ladder, the Auckland-based side will take on the defending champions and minor premiers for direct passage into the preliminary finals on September 22/23.
The losers of that clash will host a semi-final in the second week of playoffs.
Brisbane Broncos will host Melbourne Storm in the other top-four clash on Friday (9:50pm), while Cronulla Sharks host Sydney Roosters on Saturday (9:50pm) and Newcastle Knights host Canberra Raiders on Sunday (6:05pm).
"The final positions in the top eight came down to the last match," said NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo. "That is testament to the competitiveness of the premiership, and the extraordinary football the players and clubs have produced all season.
"More than 3.7 million people attended NRL games this season - that's the highest total in NRL history. The average crowd for the regular season ended 20 percent higher than last season.
"More than 128 million people have watched our games this season, making rugby league the most-watched sport in the country on television by overall numbers."
The playoff draw will meet with the approval of Warriors coach Andrew Webster.
"The seven-day turnaround would be better, but the six-day doesn't matter," he said, after his team's loss to the Dolphins on Saturday. "We're ready to go, we're excited.
"We don't complain, we haven't complained all year. What we're given, we're given and we'll win no matter what - we've got to be positive about it, not negative."
Join Newshub at 6pm Saturday for live updates of the Warriors v Panthers NRL playoff clash
