Wayne Bennett looks set to avoid the first wooden spoon of his NRL coaching career thanks to South Sydney's 20-16 defeat of Parramatta at Allianz Stadium.
On return from injury, veteran five-eighth Cody Walker sent Tallis Duncan over for two second-half tries on Saturday night, putting the Rabbitohs on course for a second consecutive win.
Souths were home when the superb Jye Gray stopped Isaiah Iongi metres short of the tryline as his rival fullback looked set to storm over.
Along with his defensive gusto, the diminutive Gray finished with 211 run metres and put Tyrone Munro over for the first try of the night.
With a bye still to come across the final three rounds of the regular season, the Rabbitohs can now only finish last on the NRL ladder if 17th-placed Gold Coast win all of their remaining games.
That appears a highly unlikely proposition for a Titans side that has won only five matches for the year to date and face finals contenders the Warriors and Dolphins in coming weeks.
Even if Gold Coast were to finish the season with their first three-game winning streak since July 2024, multiple other results would have to also go against South Sydney for the Rabbitohs to claim the spoon from here.
Bennett has never won the dreaded prize in 37 previous seasons coaching in the premiership, though did win it once during his earlier stint in the Brisbane Rugby League.
A first last-placed finish appeared a very real possibility as recently as a fortnight ago, with injuries plaguing Souths throughout the coach's first season back at the helm.
But they had enough grit left to deny an improving Eels side.
After the Rabbitohs went to the break down two points, Walker threw a cutout pass for Duncan to touch down, before a flat pass from the five-eighth helped the two Indigenous men combine again in Indigenous Round.
Parramatta winger Zac Lomax bagged a second try in the final 10 minutes to give Souths a scare but the Eels could not capitalise on late chances.
Without favourite co-conspirator Latrell Mitchell (back) by his side, Rabbitohs winger Alex Johnston went scoreless as he continues to hunt the league's all-time try-scoring record.
To overtake Ken Irvine's mark of 212 four-pointers by the end of the season, the veteran must score four tries in the Rabbitohs' last two games.