The Penrith Panthers have booked their place in the 2026 NRL preliminary finals after a gripping 19-12 victory over the Sydney Roosters at CommBank Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with a Nathan Cleary field goal and a late Brian To'o try ultimately separating two evenly matched sides in one of the matches of the season.
The result means Penrith — who will host a preliminary final for a seventh consecutive year — now await the winner of next week's Warriors versus Knights clash. The Roosters, meanwhile, face a sudden-death elimination semi-final against Cronulla at Allianz Stadium, with the winner of that match set to travel to Brisbane to face the Dolphins.
A Tense, Error-Riddled Finish Decided by Cleary's Boot
With the scores locked at 12-12 heading into the final quarter, the match appeared destined to be settled by a field goal — and so it proved. Nathan Cleary slotted a one-pointer in the 72nd minute to hand Penrith a slender 13-12 lead, capitalising on a seven-tackle set after a Cherry-Evans clearing kick bounced dead by the narrowest of margins.
The lead was almost immediately under threat when a Moses Leota error handed the Roosters possession in a dangerous position. Daly Cherry-Evans, one of the competition's best clutch performers, stepped up for a levelling field goal attempt from point-blank range — only to shank it badly to the right, leaving the scores unchanged.
The closing minutes were littered with handling errors from both sides. Robert Toia dropped the ball cold just 12 metres from the Penrith line in a costly moment for the Roosters, while Siua Wong, Isaah Yeo, Thomas Jenkins and Lindsay Collins all had their own handling lapses during a frantic error-filled stretch. Collins, in particular, lost the ball with the Roosters camped just 10 metres from Penrith's line — a let-off that proved enormously costly.
To'o's Intercept Try Ends the Contest
Any lingering Roosters hope was extinguished in the 77th minute when a Hugo Savala pass intended for James Tedesco hit the turf and was scooped up by Panthers winger Brian To'o. The veteran ran 30 metres untouched to score and effectively end the contest.
With Cleary carrying an apparent foot or leg niggle, it was Dylan Edwards who stepped up to take the conversion, pushing the margin out to 19-12 with only two minutes remaining. The Panthers recovered the ensuing short kick-off through Martin and held on comfortably from there.
Cleary's Sin-Bin and the Roosters' Missed Opportunity
The match had been finely balanced long before the field goal drama. The first half saw four tries shared between the two sides, producing a 12-12 scoreline at the break. A pivotal moment came when Nathan Cleary — widely regarded as one of the game's best halfbacks and a standout performer in the 2026 State of Origin series — was sent to the sin bin, leaving Penrith to defend a man down for ten minutes.
The Roosters, already without injured halfback Sam Walker, were unable to capitalise on the numerical advantage. Hugo Savala threatened to score during that period, splitting through the Penrith defence with an impressive surge, but referee Gerard Sutton ruled no try after ruling that Savala's ball-carrying arm had touched the ground before he grounded it — a decision backed up on review, with Isaiah Papali'i also credited with a tackle on Savala's leg.
Cleary returned from the bin to a side still level at 12-12, and from that point on his influence was decisive. His ability to read field position and deliver under pressure — qualities he has demonstrated repeatedly including in high-stakes representative football — proved the difference as lesser options dissolved around him.
What's Next for Both Clubs
The Panthers' progression to a seventh consecutive preliminary final is a remarkable achievement and underlines the club's sustained dominance of the competition's latter stages. However, a cloud hangs over their campaign — Nathan Cleary's sin-bin incident will be reviewed by the judiciary, and a potential suspension for the preliminary final would be a significant blow to Penrith's title ambitions.
His foot or leg complaint, which saw Dylan Edwards take kicking duties for the conversion late in the game, is also a concern heading into what shapes as another blockbuster finals fortnight.
For the Roosters, it was a performance that showed character and genuine quality despite missing their first-choice halfback. They can take confidence into next weekend's clash against Cronulla, knowing they pushed one of the competition's great teams to the wire. The winner of that elimination semi-final will face the Dolphins in Brisbane, adding an extra away-game hurdle to navigate.
Elsewhere in the finals this weekend, the Newcastle Knights defeated the New Zealand Warriors 20-10 on Friday night, while the Cronulla Sharks accounted for the North Queensland Cowboys 26-16 on Saturday and the Dolphins beat the Warriors 26-16 on the same night.
