The Bears' fate was taken out of their own hands with a 4-1 loss to Edgeworth Eagles at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday.

The first part of the equation is a win at home on Sunday in their final round encounter against Lake Macquarie.

With all games scheduled to start at 2.30pm on Sunday, Bears fans will be keeping one eye on the action at Rockwell Automation Park and the other on results from matches between Lambton Jaffas and Edgeworth and Broadmeadow and Charlestown.

The best case scenario for the Bears will be for them to win and draws in the other two encounters which would give them fourth spot at the expense of Broadmeadow and Lambton.

Last Saturday, Edgeworth put in a clinical performance despite unavailable players to dent Weston's finals chances and continue applying pressure to Maitland in the premiership race.

Early on, the Bears looked the more likely to taste first blood with probing passes into the box - Jason Tjien-Fooh and Cooper Buswell linked up for one of their more threatening efforts - but it was the hosts who managed to take the ascendency with the first goal of the game.

A dipping free-kick from in-form midfielder Aden Gardner skimmed its way past Bears' keeper Scott Carter and from there the Eagles began to take control and looked to seal the result with a second goal early in the second half.

A brilliant searching run from Will Bower through the penalty area was initially dispatched well by Carter but the follow up saw Adam Cawley smash it into the empty net to score his third of the year.

Weston continued to fight though and found a way back into the contest through their young winger Regan Lundy who latched himself onto a pinpoint through ball from Buswell and snuck it into the goal with the help of the upright.

Edgeworth found a third goal courtesy of Josh Rose directly from a corner kick, swirling it over everyone and into the side net and the game was all sealed up when Gardner found a second with minutes to go.