All the speculation over who will play fullback this weekend can now end, with Wade McKinnon getting the nod over Lance Hohia after serving his three game suspension.

McKinnon was found guilty of spitting at a touch judge in the Warriors Round 25 clash with the Panthers, and became only the second player in the NRL to be suspended for spitting.

But, thanks to the fantastic performances by the Warriors over the past three weeks, McKinnon gets a chance to redeem himself against the Sea Eagles this weekend. His return couldn't come at a better time for the Warriors, as they head into the preliminary final - with the winner going to the Grand Final in two weeks.

McKinnon's support play is among the best in the NRL, and could make the difference between the two sides - although the Sea Eagles have a pretty handy fullback in Brett Stewart, who is a try scoring machine.

Hohia has done a standout job filling in for McKinnon, but filling in is really all he can do. He'll make a big impact off the bench, where he can cover a number of positions, and get himself involved on attack a lot more.

Manly will certainly put up a tough challenge, and will definitely go into the clash as odds-on favourites to win. They can't afford to take the Warriors lightly, though, or they'll meet the same fate as the Storm and the Roosters.

Unfortunately for the Storm, they could head into their preliminary final against the Sharks without captain Cameron Smith, who has been cited for a dangerous grapple-tackle on Sam Thaiday. He'll get two weeks off if he takes an early guilty plea, and could face even longer on the sidelines if he challenges the charge.

We think the NRL judiciary need to crack down on players who continue to make these unnecessary grapple-tackles, which are ruining the game. The Storm are renowned for their grappling, and it needs to stop - it's rugby league, not wrestling.

The best way to stamp it out of the game is to come down hard on the repeat offenders, and in this case it's Smith. It doesn't matter that they're only one win away from the final - if they continue to use the grapple-tackle, then they can do so without Smith.

Jeremy Smith is also likely to miss this weekend for using the dangerous 'chicken wing' tackle during the same tackle on Sam Thaiday. Obviously, the Storm aren't getting the message.

The Sharks certainly won't mind if they don't have to worry about Cameron Smith, but it still won't be an easy task. They'll have their hands full, and with the likes of Inglis, Slater and Falou, the Storm still look good for the win.

Warriors fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as our Top Eight dreams are still alive - although just barely.

The 42-20 win over the Panthers moves us into ninth place, but with only one round to go we'll need a few things to go our way next week - including a win over the Eels. The Warriors, now, will be counting the cost of their two losses to the Rabbitohs, and last week's poor performance against the Dragons.

The Knight's upset win over the Storm certainly didn't help our cause, and we'd be sitting in eighth place if the Storm had won. Never mind - we'll just have to make it the hard way.

For the Warriors to make the Eight, we really need the Bulldogs to beat the Raiders (which is a long shot), and the Broncos have to beat the Knights in Newcastle. If the Knights win, it's all over for 2008.

C'mon Broncos, do us a favour...

The Warriors will travel to Parramatta for their last game, and with our away record this year, we're clearly not going into the game as favourites.

We may also have to pay without Wade McKinnon, who could face a suspension after mouthing off at the ref. Wade has always been outspoken, but he may pay the price this time - the NRL don't look kindly on players who show dissent towards the officials.

If he is unavailable, Lance Hohia will slot back into fullback, which isn't the worst thing that could happen.

This weekend will be an exhilarating weekend of rugby league action, with so much riding on the performances of others.

One thing's for sure - it's going to be tense.