'Thought there was a forward pass': Warriors haunted by dubious call as Penrith surge into semi finals

A resilient win over the Warriors has extended Penrith's run in the finals series as the reigning champions continue to hunt their fifth consecutive premiership.

It hasn't been the easiest of runs in the competition this season, but the Panthers did enough in the second half to secure the 24-8 victory at Go Media Stadium.

Two late tries for Casey McLean and Brian To'o sealed the result at 24-8, with the Warriors the first to be eliminated in the 2025 finals series in front of a home crowd.

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Just four points separated the two teams at half time but just as league great Billy Slater expected, all eyes turned to the magical playmaking skills of Nathan Cleary.

"He has a really clear plan ... watch them suffocate the Warriors in the field position battle and possession game. It will all come down to Nathan," he said on Nine.

"He will control things now, he is playing chess."

An early penalty due to a high shot by Isaiah Papali'i was not the ideal start to the final 40 for the Panthers, but the crowd in Auckland was quickly silenced by a Panthers try.

Brad Schneider was the man to pounce, although Andrew Johns feared the hooker had appeared to perform a double movement in doing so.

The try was not overturned by the match officials, prompting boos from the crowd.

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Just six minutes later the crowd's spirits lifted as Leka Halasima muscled over the line to narrow the margin to four, but his effort was quickly followed by a try for McLean.

A shallow kick took an awkward bounce and landed in the hands of Luke Garner, who started a chain of quickfire passes that ended with McLean diving over.

However, there were some question marks over Garner's original offload.

"I thought there was a forward pass from Garner to Talagi, but they can't rule on that in the Bunker," Billy Slater said on Nine.

Things went from bad to worse for the Warriors when hooker Wayde Egan and halfback Tanah Boyd were both forced from the field for head injury assessments.

With time running out, the Warriors shifted the ball to the right - but Halasima spilled and it allowed To'o to scoop it up and run 60 metres to score.

At It was a brave effort from the wounded Wahs, who started the game in physical fashion.

James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota were the first to be involved in a bit of push-and-shove, but no punches were thrown by either player.

However, Leota's actions did result in yet another penalty being awarded to the hosts, with Tanah Boyd opting to take the two from in front of the posts.

Minutes later another scuffle broke out between the two teams and referee Grant Atkins issued a formal warning to captains Isaah Yeo and Fisher-Harris.

"I haven't seen the Warriors this physical for a long time, they are ripping in," Johns said.

Despite the solid start, Cleary put the visitors ahead with a nice pass to Isaiah Papali'i, who crashed over defenders from close range for a narrow half-time lead.

"What an incredible pass by the champion halfback," Mat Thompson said on Nine.

A battle against the Canterbury Bulldogs now looms for the Panthers, which will take place at Accor Stadium on Saturday September 20.