Penrith Panthers

The Penrith star revealed the news in a press conference in Darling Harbour after the Panthers reportedly waived the 10-day cooling off period.

Luai described the call to leave the Panthers as “probably the toughest decision of my career and probably life so far.”

Trailing by 16 points after an Ezra Mam hat-trick had put the Broncos on track for their first title in 17 years, Cleary took the game by the scruff of the neck to ensure the Panthers would emulate the Eels of 1981-82-83 with a three-peat.

Cleary put Moses Leota over for a try with 17 minutes to play and then came up with a 40-20 before scoring the final try in the 77th minute to leave the Broncos shellshocked and the Panthers faithful in raptures.

Penrith were in devastating touch as they advanced to their fourth-straight grand final with a commanding 38-4 victory over the Storm, which is the biggest preliminary final winning margin achieved in the NRL era.

On the back of an 87 percent completion rate, the Panthers were able to flex their considerable attacking muscle, with Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Dylan Edwards all having a big influence on the match.

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.

With their season all but over, Parramatta finished on a high with a 32-18 triumph in the derby clash before a sold out BlueBet Stadium crowd but Penrith were left with more to worry about than a rare loss.

The Panthers now need to beat the Cowboys next weekend and rely on the Broncos losing to Canberra or Melbourne to claim a third minor premiership in four years but of more concern is how long Luai will be sidelined.

The NSW and Samoa playmaker watched the final 53 minutes from the bench after reportedly dislocating his left shoulder trying to ground the ball for a try.

The Eels' September hopes were snuffed out in Friday night's loss to the Roosters, leaving them in 11th place with an 11-12 record.

The ladder-leading Panthers, meanwhile, overcame the absence of Brian To'o, Scott Sorensen and Mitch Kenny to roll past the Titans for their 17th win of the season.

If the premiers can down the Eels on Thursday they will likely secure their third minor premiership in four years, potentially giving coach Ivan Cleary the luxury of being able to rest players from the Round 27 clash with the Cowboys should he choose.

The Panthers looked under threat midway through the second half when the Titans ran in two tries to narrow a 22-6 half-time deficit before premiership-winning stars Nathan Cleary, Dylan Edwards and Stephen Crichton took control.

A double to Edwards and try assists through Cleary and Crichton fended off any thought the Titans would come back and win after Alofiana Khan-Pereira and David Fifita crossed after half-time. 

A golden chance to join the top eight went begging last week for Manly when they fell to the Roosters 26-16, despite dominating the possession count and playing against a side who were a man down for the final 18 minutes.

While they remain just one point back from the eighth-placed Rabbitohs heading into Round 24, they will almost definitely need to win one, if not both, of their next two games against the ladder-leading Panthers and third-ranked Warriors to remain a chance of playing beyond the regular season.

After the Broncos' win over the Roosters on Thursday night they went to the top for 48 hours but the defending champs flexed their muscle at BlueBet Stadium to put themselves in poll position for a third minor premiership in four years.

Five minutes into the game the Panthers took the lead when a Nathan Cleary grubber rebounded to Scott Sorensen who found Jarome Luai and the five-eighth plunged over to score.

Penrith celebrated the return of Nathan Cleary with a comfortable 44-18 victory over the Bulldogs in Round 21 but across town in the Sutherland Shire was where the Sharks' season was put on the ropes by the Sea Eagles.

After winning three-straight and being well-placed for a top four finish last month, back-to-back losses has suddenly put Craig Fitzgibbon's side in a delicate spot on the ladder with rival clubs looking to leapfrog them.