NRL Thursday AS IT HAPPENED: Eels finish season on a high with victory over Panthers

Two more games tomorrow night - the Warriors and Dragons first, followed by the Dolphins and Cowboys.

Yours truly will be back then.

Bye for now!

It's impossible for Parramatta to play finals, but that won't stop them from crossing fingers, toes, any extremity cross-able.

The Eels were sensational against Penrith, playing with freedom not seen for the past several weeks. Clint Gutherson said that was a game plan.

"We wanted to go back to being us having fun. We made the week fun," he told Brad Fittler on Nine's coverage.

"We saw we needed a bit of miracle to happen (and) we still have our fingers and toes crossed - you never know what can happen.

"It's just disappointing. We know we can play like this. Just haven't done enough this year."

Gutherson said the knee injury that saw him hobble from the field early was something he had been dealing with throughout the season.

"It's popped in and out one too many times this year. Critta (Stephen Crichton) just got me a bit late there. Just clicked it the wrong way, got really tight and stiff and couldn't move.

"A bit disappointing - I would have loved to finish the season running out there with the boys, Really ripping in.

"But we got the win which we wanted to come here for and finished the season on bit of high."

Maika Sivo scored his fourth for the night on the 70 minute mark, and both Liam Martin and Tom Jenkins scored late consellation tries for the Panthers.

That's Parra's season done, but it's a huge victory over the Panthers - 32-18.

A bad night all round for the Panthers - the Broncos can now put themselves on top of the ladder outright.

Clint Gutherson has had another knock to that knee and he can barely walk.

But for some reason he hasn't come off the field.

Anyway, off a short kickoff, the Cleary gets the ball batted back to him and he virtually walked through the Eels line to score his first for the night, and just the Panthers' second.

He kicks the conversion too.

Gutherson has now come from the field, and surely that's his season done.

"He loves the game, loves being in a team," Brad Fittler said of Gutherson on the sideline for Nine.

"He doesn't want to let anyone down. He was still going to go do the kick-off, but realised halfway down (and) put his hand up and said, 'I think my night's over'."

In commentary for Nine, Billy Slater and Andrew Johns are debating whether or not Ivan Cleary should bring Nathan from the field to protect him.

The Panthers don't look as though they're going to win this one, and they've already lost one of their star halves, potentially for the season.

Johns said he should do it. Billy agreed.

"It would be a smart move, but it wouldn't be a good look," he said.

We've settled in to a bit of an arm wrestle in the middle on the hour mark.

The Panthers have had their chances - they've forced a couple of dropouts, but the Eels defence has been sensational to this point.

Still 20 minutes to go.

There's some luck in it, but the Eels are in again, and Clint Gutherson has scored his second of the night.

He was hobbling earlier in the night, but somehow he's still up and about and leading from the front for the Eels.

He then converts his own try and that's a 24-point lead!

We're underway again at the foot of the Blue Mountains, where the Panthers will have to climb one to get back in this clash.

That was Penrith's worst first half in terms of conceded points all season.

Well what a bonkers half of football that was, and it could have huge premiership implications in the Panthers chase for the three-peat.

After Luai was ruled out, Clint Gutherson made it an 18-point lead when he cross for his first of the night.

He looked to have suffered a knee injury himself earlier in the half, but showed no signs of it there.

A big second half coming up.