NRL

Across an 80 minutes in which they had to overcome the second-half sin-binning of captain James Tedesco and the loss of backline stars Joseph Manu and Joseph-Aukuso Suaali'i to injuries, the Roosters charged down two field goals in the dying minutes which would likely have sent the game to golden point, after Walker had put them in front with a clutch drop goal. 

Making it all the more impressive, Walker was playing through an ankle injury which earlier in the game had him in visible discomfort. 

With James Fisher-Harris laying the line for superstar Nathan Cleary to take control of proceedings, the Panthers had the match well in hand when they led 20-0 at half-time.

Penrith struck the first blow in the fifth minute when Cleary went to the line and found prop Moses Leota who sent a perfectly timed long pass out to Brian To'o for his 18th try of the season. Cleary converted for a 6-0 lead.

The Tricolours simultaneously kept their own season alive and ended the premiership hopes of arch-rivals the Rabbitohs last week with a 26-12 win, and heading into Finals Week One only the Knights are riding a better run of form than Trent Robinson’s men.

Cronulla too have enjoyed a strong final month to the regular season, winning four of their last six, and will be battle-hardened after emerging 24-6 winners over the Raiders in a match which for the opening hour had the intensity of finals football.

The Panthers could scarcely have been more impressive in their Round 27 demolition of the Cowboys and they head into the finals series brimming with confidence and self-belief.

The absence of five-eighth Jarome Luai had the potential to throw the premiers off kilter but as they have done for the past four seasons they seamlessly slotted in a replacement player in Jack Cogger and barely skipped a beat.

Trailing 20-0 with seven minutes remaining at Suncorp Stadium, the Storm had Papenhuyzen taken from the field on a medicab after he came reeling out of a tackle in agony.

With Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan providing the muscle and Reece Walsh the magic, the Broncos snapped a 14-game losing run against the Storm to earn themselves a week off.

Early mistakes by Nick Meaney and Eli Katoa put the Storm under serious heat and the Broncos capitalised through Kotoni Staggs, who left four defenders in his wake on a powerful charge to the tryline. 

While the Storm got up for a 32-22 victory last Thursday at Suncorp Stadium, for a win which lifted them past the Warriors into third spot, that can’t be used too much as a yardstick given both sides will look vastly different as they welcome back the stars they opted to rest in Round 27.

The game will be Brisbane’s first finals appearance since 2018, while for the Storm it’s a case of business as usual as they prepare to play in the post season for the 13th year in a row and do so as a top-four side for the seventh time in the past eight seasons.

The turnaround has been remarkable for Adam O'Brien's men, who sat 14th after Round 19 and looked anything but premiership contenders.

The Dragons have shown some promising signs in recent weeks but will still finish the season in second-last position, equalling their worst ever finish as a joint venture in 2019.

Having pushed the Storm and Warriors over the past fortnight, the Dragons go into Saturday's game confident of giving their home fans a ray of hope at the end of a tough season.

While North Queensland aren’t totally in control of their own destiny, it all starts with having to win on Saturday night to give themselves a chance of playing beyond the regular season. 

If they can beat Penrith and the Rabbitohs lose to the Roosters then North Queensland are probably through, while they could still make it if the Rabbitohs win and Raiders lose to the Sharks. 

While the Kiwi side can’t move any higher than their current standing in third, a loss against the Dolphins coupled with a Storm win over the Broncos would see them drop to fourth, so they still have plenty to play for on Saturday.

After holding a team to under 12 points for the first time since Round 20 last Friday against the Dragons, Andrew Webster will be hoping his side have rediscovered their hard edge defensively, as they seek to secure a club record-equaling eighth win in a row.

Trent Robinson's side now face a nervous wait with the Cowboys and Sharks upcoming matches set to determine their finals fate. 

Jason Demetriou's men were in the arm-wrestle for majority of the match however an early reshuffle exposed too many cracks in their defence and attack as South Sydney drew the curtain on a disappointing end to their 2023 season.

Seven minutes into the match the Roosters struck the first blow when Alex Johnston fumbled a Walker cross field kick and stand-in centre Corey Allan pounced on the ball in goal. Joseph Suaalii's conversion was wide.