The Red V had a keen eye on the Eugowra vs. Canowindra match as another Tigers loss would give the Rhinos a clear path to first place.

As it turned out, Brad McMillan's Golden Eagles handed Kev Grimshaw's troops a 16-8 defeat, paving the way for Manildra.

"It's a good achievement for the club," Petrie said.

"It's a sign that we've been a pretty consistent team all year."

Manildra sustained just one loss throughout the winter, an 18-10 road defeat at the hands of a fit and firing Trundle Boomers.

Even though Petrie respects the Golden Eagles' ability, he still considers the result somewhat of a boil-over.

"They're [Eugowra] a good team, and they're 10 times better at home," he said.

"I thought it was going to be close, but I still thought Canowindra might win. It's definitely an upset."

With the top seed clinched, the Rhinos will now enjoy a week off in the first round of the finals, something that shapes as a good and bad outcome.

"I've relieved we can get a rest and help the guys recover from a few niggles," he said.

"But, we haven't had many games under our belt recently so I'm a bit worried about the match fitness."

With next week's training sessions now cancelled, Petrie put the word out in the Rhinos' group chat.

"I've asked them to do some fitness," he said.

"Hopefully some of them can dust off the joggers and go for a run. They don't have a pub to go to."

With Eugowra amid a purple patch, and Canowindra somewhat slumping, Petrie thinks the title race is truly a five-horse race.

"Every side's dangerous," he said.

"I still Canowindra on their day is the team to beat... even though they lost these last two games.

"Molong's found form, and Trundle will bring some blokes back for the finals."

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