NRL Round 27: Panthers Claim Minor Premiership as Final Round Delivers Drama

Edward Briggs

The regular season has come to an end, and the final round delivered plenty to remember. Penrith secured the minor premiership with a dominant win over the Tigers, while South Sydney produced a statement victory against the Roosters. There were also tight finishes for the Warriors and Dolphins, a farewell victory for Josh Papalii, and a dramatic final win for Melbourne. With the finals now set to begin, here is how the final round unfolded.

Broncos 34-20 Bulldogs

Brisbane finished the season with a convincing 34-20 victory over Canterbury at Accor Stadium, pulling away after the two sides went into halftime locked at 10-10.

The Broncos opened the scoring through Payne Haas before Josiah Karapani added a second, despite Brisbane spending time with Haas in the sin bin. Canterbury eventually found their rhythm, with Lachlan Galvin and Enari Tuala bringing the Bulldogs level before the break.

The Broncos took control almost immediately after halftime. Billy Walters, Ben Hunt and Jordan Riki all crossed before Karapani grabbed his second, giving Brisbane a commanding 34-10 advantage.

Canterbury did manage a late response, with Viliame Kikau and Galvin scoring their second tries, but too many errors prevented the Bulldogs from mounting a serious comeback.

Neither side had finals football to look forward to, but Brisbane at least finished its campaign on a positive note, while Canterbury were left to rue another inconsistent performance.

Dolphins 24-20 Titans

The Dolphins survived a major scare at CBUS Super Stadium, coming from 14-0 down to defeat the Titans 24-20.

Gold Coast looked in control early. Jayden Campbell scored in his 100th game before AJ Brimson stretched the advantage to 14-0 after just 15 minutes.

The Dolphins finally found a way back when Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow crossed during a Titans sin-bin, before Herbie Farnworth added another to reduce the margin to four at halftime.

From there, the visitors took over. Ray Stone scored early in the second half before Tabuai-Fidow crossed for his second, putting the Dolphins in front.

Gold Coast continued to fight and came close on several occasions, but a number of contentious Bunker decisions went against them. Campbell eventually gave the home side hope with a brilliant intercept try from almost 70 metres out.

The Titans then lost Mo Fotuaika to the sin bin after he struck Kurt Donoghoe, but the Dolphins held on to complete the comeback and finish their season with a four-point victory.

Rabbitohs 50-20 Roosters

South Sydney finished the regular season in emphatic fashion, dismantling the Sydney Roosters 50-20 at Allianz Stadium.

The night began with an emotional farewell for Jai Arrow, who was honoured before the game ahead of his 100th and final club appearance. Once the football began, however, Souths were ruthless.

David Fifita, Jayden Sullivan and Alex Johnston had the Rabbitohs 14-0 ahead inside 18 minutes. Daniel Tupou eventually responded for the Roosters, but Campbell Graham’s try sent South Sydney into halftime with a 20-4 lead.

The second half became increasingly chaotic, with several players undergoing head injury assessments and Hayden Barton making his NRL debut for the Roosters.

Souths continued to pile on the points. Euan Aitken, Cody Walker, Adam Elliott, Campbell Graham and Latrell Mitchell all got involved as the Rabbitohs turned the match into a rout.

The Roosters briefly threatened at 24-14, but there was never going to be a full comeback. Brandon Smith added another late before Rex Bassingthwaighte scored his second for the night.

The final margin was 30 points, with Souths completing an outstanding statistical performance that included six line breaks to two, 37 tackle breaks to 11 and an 88 per cent completion rate.

For Arrow, there could hardly have been a better farewell.

Warriors 31-30 Sea Eagles

The Warriors left it incredibly late but edged Manly 31-30 in a thriller at Go Media Stadium.

The Sea Eagles struck first through Reuben Garrick, but the Warriors soon found their rhythm. Taine Tuaupiki was at the centre of everything, scoring twice before Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad extended the lead to 20-12 at halftime.

Nicoll-Klokstad crossed again early in the second half, but Manly refused to disappear. Josh Feledy and Lehi Hopoate brought the scores level at 24-24 before Garrick scored his second to put the visitors ahead.

Tuaupiki then completed his hat-trick, charging through several defenders to level the game once again.

The final stages were frantic. Manly thought Hopoate had scored the winning try, only for the Bunker to rule out the effort for a Tom Trbojevic obstruction. The Warriors then had a try disallowed for a knock-on, while Tanner Stowers-Smith was denied by a triple-movement ruling.

With the scores locked at 30-all, the Warriors forced an error and regained possession through a Captain’s Challenge. Chanel Harris-Tavita then stepped up from 15 metres and calmly kicked the field goal.

Manly’s attempted short restart failed to find touch, allowing the Warriors to close out a remarkable one-point victory in front of 26,206 fans.

The win keeps the Warriors on top of the ladder, although Penrith still had the opportunity to claim the minor premiership against Wests Tigers.

Raiders 50-30 Cowboys

Josh Papalii’s final game ended in victory as Canberra thrashed North Queensland 50-30 in Townsville.

While Papalii’s 342nd and final appearance was the emotional centrepiece, it was Coby Black who stole the show. The debutant scored two tries and kicked nine goals for 26 points, setting a premiership record for the most points scored on debut.

The Raiders raced to an 18-0 lead after Reuben Cotter was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle on Papalii. Xavier Savage and Kaeo Weekes helped Canberra take control before Black crossed for his first try.

The Cowboys eventually responded through Jake Clifford and John Bateman, while Papalii himself crashed over in the 29th minute in a moment that brought back memories of his famous 2019 Grand Final try.

Canberra led 30-12 at halftime and never surrendered control.

Scott Drinkwater and Braidon Burns helped North Queensland add to their tally, but Savage completed a hat-trick and Black continued his extraordinary debut, setting up Ethan Strange before kicking his ninth goal.

Jason Taumalolo scored late for the Cowboys, but Black’s penalty goal brought up the 50 for Canberra.

It was a miserable way for the finals-bound Cowboys to finish the regular season, particularly with their defensive record now the worst among any top-eight finalist in the NRL era. Canberra, meanwhile, will watch September from home despite winning the minor premiership a year ago.

Storm 24-20 Sharks

Melbourne ended a disappointing season on a high, snatching a 24-20 victory over Cronulla at Shark Park in the dying seconds.

The game was chaotic from the beginning. Sharks debutant Michael Gabrael was sin-binned for a high shot on Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown, with the Storm winger eventually leaving the field on a stretcher and being taken to hospital.

Cronulla then lost Ronaldo Mulitalo to the sin bin after he struck Harry Grant, leaving the Sharks temporarily down two men.

Melbourne took advantage, scoring through Hugo Peel and Sua Faalogo to establish a 12-0 lead. Cronulla responded emphatically, however, with Sione Katoa, Riley Jones and Billy Burns all crossing before halftime to give the Sharks an 18-12 advantage.

Alec MacDonald levelled the game for Melbourne in the second half before Niwhai Puru’s penalty goal restored Cronulla’s lead.

But Melbourne kept coming. A smart decision from Faalogo to knock the ball dead eventually helped the Storm regain possession, and after a messy attacking set, Trent Loiero found a way through under the posts.

Nick Meaney converted to complete the 24-20 win.

Cronulla now head into the finals with consecutive losses, although they will welcome key players back for their elimination final against North Queensland.

Dragons 24-22 Eels

St George Illawarra finished a disappointing season on a positive note, edging Parramatta 24-22 in Wollongong.

The Dragons entered the match already destined for the wooden spoon, but there was still plenty to play for as several long-serving players prepared to depart.

Parramatta opened the scoring through Jordan Samrani before Tyrell Sloan responded for the Dragons on his farewell appearance. Josh Addo-Carr restored the Eels’ lead, but Lyhkan King-Togia again played a major role in the Dragons’ attack, creating the chance for Dylan Egan to level the scores.

Dylan Walker then crossed in his farewell game to give Parramatta a 16-10 halftime advantage.

Samrani grabbed his second early in the second half, but the Dragons refused to let the game go. Blake Lawrie and Connor Muhleisen both crossed to bring the home side within striking distance.

Then came the decisive moment. Sloan drilled a two-point field goal from distance to put the Dragons ahead 24-22 with only minutes remaining.

Parramatta could not find an answer, giving St George Illawarra a winning finish to a season that ultimately ended with the first wooden spoon in the joint venture’s history.

Panthers 38-10 Tigers

Penrith secured the minor premiership and the JJ Giltinan Shield with a commanding 38-10 victory over Wests Tigers at CommBank Stadium.

The Panthers were in control from the outset. Brian To’o opened the scoring before Casey McLean crossed from dummy half, and Tom Jenkins then produced a remarkable finish in the corner to make it 16-0.

Jenkins was far from finished. He added another before completing his hat-trick shortly after the half-hour mark, taking his season tally past Alex Johnston’s previous mark and securing the Ken Irvine Medal as the competition’s leading tryscorer.

Penrith led 26-0 at halftime and looked completely in command.

The Tigers finally found some life after the break through Jeral Skelton and Solomone Saukuru, cutting the deficit to 16 points. It was only a brief interruption to Penrith’s dominance.

McLean crossed for his second before completing his own hat-trick, with Nathan Cleary converting both to push the Panthers out to 38-10.

There was little drama in the closing stages as Penrith comfortably saw out the match.

The result completed a superb home-and-away campaign for the Panthers, who finish the regular season at the top of the ladder and now enter the finals as minor premiers.