Kickoff is always reminded of that fact when the preliminary final weekend approaches because prelims are the hardest games to win.

There are exceptions of course, but they're typically brutal and have a habit of exposing even the tiniest of cracks, in psyche, in belief, that were previously hidden.

There's quite obviously more at stake on grand final day, but it's not difficult to enjoy a week-long celebration leading in. It's not the hard nervous slog that directly precedes a prelim.

As such, the penultimate week of the season always tosses up interesting story lines. This year the most intriguing surrounds the four coaches.

They're all premiership winners, rare in itself, but all are within reach of truly legacy-defining victories - and each in their own way.

Craig Bellamy's record speaks for itself - but then again it doesn't. Almost universally acknowledged as the best coach of this era, his record has that seemingly immovable asterisk next to it.

It's through no fault of his own which must inevitably sting. It's fantasy, but it's not hard to understand why he and his players consider themselves the 2007 and 2009 premiers.

He has two more legitimate titles on top of that. A title this year however, would no doubt be his finest. Of the now mythical 'big three' only Cameron Smith remains. To win without Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater would be truly legacy-defining.

Trent Robinson is looking to become the first coach of the NRL era to win back to back titles. He won a premiership in his first year as coach. It's not true to suggest anyone could've won with that roster - but rarely do rookie coaches are as blessed.

Last season he had the best roster in the competition. He still had to win with it - the early signs weren't great - but the way they gathered steam was something else.

He has the best roster at his disposal again this season, but the fact consecutive titles have not been achieved in almost two decades speaks to the immensity of the achievement should he get there.

Ricky Stuart presents the most interesting case. Unlike the other three coaches, he's the only one who's had his coaching ability seriously questioned.

Like Robinson he won a premiership in his first year and, much like Robinson, dealt with suggestions he had a rails run. He lost the next two grand finals and missed the finals the following two years.

Stints at Cronulla and Parramatta were underwhelming - the latter flat-out disastrous - and his move to Canberra, rightly or wrongly, had a 'jobs for the boys' look about it.

The Raiders missed the finals in four of his first five years. Falling at the prelim stage in 2016 saw old assertions that the intensity of his methods weren't conducive to long-term success to resurface.

This season he's produced an answer to virtually all those questions. This is unquestionably a roster he has built and shaped, playing a style it's evolved to on his watch. A premiership would only make it more emphatic.

Of course, that leaves Wayne Bennett. Suggesting the 2019 title would be his best is a tougher case to make given he's claimed the ultimate prize on seven previous occasions.

His first five came at the helm of a roster that was without doubt the best in the competition. It was the same story in 2010 with the Dragons.

It's not a knock, getting such star-studded sides to click is an art in itself that few truly master. The 2006 title was his finest achievement, taking a side inferior to several others all the way to the crown.

This year would take the cake though. Whatever your thoughts on how he handled his departure from Brisbane, he arrived at Souths with little time to spare.

He didn't have the several years he had in Brisbane, not even the one season he had at the Dragons. He took over a talented roster, but one hardwired with the ways and methods of two predecessors that are his polar opposite.

He's had the cattle, but getting Souths to the title this year would see him move from master in the art of man-management to virtuoso. Even more exciting is the fact all four look to be within equal reach of it.

They can't all win but - as fans - we all do.