Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm kicked off the NRL's preliminary finals action on Friday night, with the reigning premiers demolishing their rivals to advance to a fourth-straight decider in an impressive performance.
The Broncos then responded by battering the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday night at a sold-out Suncorp Stadium to book their spot in the grand final against Penrith.
The Sporting News will have all the live updates, highlights, analysis and talking points from Week 3 of the NRL finals below.
Broncos beat Warriors to book grand final spot as Reece Walsh lights up Suncorp
Brisbane have ruthlessly put this year's feel-good story to the sword with the Broncos prevailing 42-12 in a pulsating prelim against the Warriors.
Kevin Walters’ men will now head down to Sydney tasked with putting an end to Penrith’s hopes of a three-peat when the Broncos face the Panthers in a mouth-watering grand final.
The Warriors, who finished in 15th spot on the ladder last year, got to within 80 minutes of featuring in the decider under the stewardship of rookie coach Andrew Webster.
Although their fairytale run came to a crushing end off the back of their former player, Reece Walsh, who prolonged his dream campaign with another sparkling display.
"They’re a juggernaut across the park," Webster said post-match.
"They move fast, their forward pack is unbelievable, and Reece gets to play off the back of it...One player can’t just win a grand final, but they can be a part of it and he’s a bloody good player."
After attempting a big play coming out of his own half with a cut-out pass, Walsh’s ball was intercepted by Dallin Watene-Zelezniak to score.
But rather than deter him and cause the fullback to withdraw into his shell, instead the fullback kicked into overdrive and pushed the envelope even more.
In a breathless 10-minute period, Brisbane rolled through the visitors at will with their power game through the middle and ability to free the arm for an offload causing havoc.
Brisbane ran an almost identical shape at DWZ following his four-pointer, although this time Walsh faked to go long once again only to thread a short pass for Herbie Farnworth to crash over.
The No.1 then came from the clouds when some more second phase footy saw him burst onto the ball and tear into the backfield. Walsh drew in his opposite number before dishing off to Billy Walters to score.
After a scrappy period in the second stanza, it was that man Walsh who popped up to spark the Broncos again.
Although the 21-year-old was lucky his blistering speed had put him ahead of even the sideline official who was unable to spot a blatant forward pass in the lead up to Jordan Riki’s resulting try.
The missed call was a bitter one to swallow for the Warriors with things then going from bad to worse with Adam Pompey sent to the sin bin for a professional foul.
Ezra Mam made the visitors pay moments later, before Walsh claimed his third try assist of the evening when he sent Farnworth over for his second before being given an early mark.
Brisbane’s advancement to the showpiece event caps a remarkable rise from the young side who missed the finals altogether last year after a catastrophic collapse late in the campaign.
That tough spell and their wooden spoon from 2020 now seem like nothing but a distant memory with the club now attempting to claim their first premiership in close to two decades.
- Mark Molyneux
Andrew Webster refuses to criticise forward pass in press conference following Warriors loss
Andrew Webster has refused to blame a blatant forward pass for their loss, despite it occurring during a crucial junction in their prelim final.
Reece Walsh sliced through the defence and raced away only to deliver a forward pass to Selwyn Cobbo, who then dished it off for Jordan Riki to score and stretch their side’s lead to 18 points in the second half.
“The forward pass was so wrong it wasn’t funny,” Webster said.
“But at the end of the day, they made the linebreak because we allowed it. The forward pass comes off the back of that…it was wrong but we’re not crying over that.
“The thing for me with referees this year is we’ve got to give ourselves the opportunity to win and take the referees out of it…We’ve got to take some ownership of the way we could have done things better.
“I’ve stayed solid by that all year – that’s been our motto.”
The coach instead bemoaned his side’s inability to lock up the ball and produce the intensity needed in their defence to keep the Broncos at bay, pointing to this as the reason for their loss.
“We got beaten by a really good side but tonight defensively we didn’t give ourselves a chance,” Webster said.
“When you’ve got a team running red-hot and a team who aren’t defending the way they want to it makes it really hard.
“We weren’t absorbing enough pressure – what I mean by that is, we’d have them on the ropes and then they’d move the ball it was time to absorb. We needed to get our defence right and we didn’t do it.
“We didn’t get it right today, that was pretty clear.”
- Mark Molyneux
What does 'Up the Wahs' mean? Origin of New Zealand Warriors' cheer
If you've been following the Warriors' impressive 2023 NRL campaign, you will have noticed a recurring phrase being used by fans: "Up the Wahs".
So, what exactly does this supportive cry mean, and where did it come from?
'Wahs' is a slang nickname for the Warriors.
The phrase "Up the Wahs" has become the recent go-to for New Zealand fans who are enjoying the team's best season since 2007.
As for the origin of the phrase, fans are split between two camps according to the NZ Herald.
Some believe it derives from a time when Australians labeled the Warriors 'Wah wahs' in reference to their complaining, while others feel it was Warriors hero Shaun Johnson himself that brought it to fame, posting on his Instagram.
- Joshua Mayne
Ivan Cleary leaves the door open for Penrith improvement
Despite one of the most clinical performances of the year, Panthers coach Ivan Cleary is adamant his side still have another gear to go ahead of next week's grand final
In the biggest prelim final victory of the NRL era, the reigning premiers knocked off Melbourne 38-4 on Friday night, proving far too strong across the 80 minutes and capitalising on their opponents' mistakes.
But in a trademark response, Cleary was quizzed on the massive scoreline and claimed his side were not 'perfect' against the Storm.
“Not that scoreline, I didn’t really think like that," he said.
"I felt like we prepared really well and had the advantage of the long preparation, which I think was critical for us.
"When we prepare well, good things happen, so I was confident we would play well… the scoreline, I didn’t even feel like it was that big in the second-half until I looked at the scoreboard.
"For this group and this year and the season we’ve had, to be able to go out and deliver that kind of performance – it wasn’t all perfect by any stretch – but we just worked it out and found a way.
"I’m very proud of everyone at the club, particularly the players, and I’m looking forward to next week."
Cleary was also asked whether or not his superstar son Nathan could play any better, with the two sharing a wry smile towards one another before the halfback said 'definitely' during the press conference.
The 25-year-old believes the ride for Penrith is only going to continue next weekend, with a clash against the winner of the Broncos and Warriors set for the decider.
“Obviously I’m in a unique situation with dad and it’s pretty special… it’s something we can probably look back on later in life and have fond memories," Cleary said.
"At the moment, it’s just the journey and enjoying it a lot – I’m very grateful to be part of this group. It’s been a fun ride and it’s continuing to go… there’s not a destination in sight, we’re just trying to get better."
- Liam O'Loughlin (@ljoloughlin)
Panthers coach praises 'courageous' Jarome Luai
He was the talk of the town leading into Friday night's encounter, but the performance from returning playmaker Jarome Luai helped his side to a fourth-straight grand final appearance.
After suffering a dislocated shoulder just four weeks ago, the enigmatic five-eighth was back on deck and played a crucial role in getting the Panthers dominate the Storm at Accor Stadium.
Speaking to the media post-game, Penrith coach Ivan Cleary was full of praise for the No.6 for his meticulous team-first attitude.
“He’s very courageous – not just physically, but mentally the way he has approached this whole injury," Cleary said.
"From the moment he came off that night and saying all the positive things – everyone was talking about it this week, but for us it wasn’t really in doubt.
"There’s obviously some management of risk there, but he just went 100 per cent in everything and that certainly helped him to be able to play how he did tonight."
Luai took an early shower with 20 minutes remaining and his side well ahead of their rivals, but still managed to have a hand in a lot of Penrith's free-flowing attack.
- Liam O'Loughlin (@ljoloughlin)
Brian To'o hat-trick leads Panthers to fourth-straight NRL Grand Final
Penrith have moved through to a fourth-straight grand final appearance, conquering a disappointing Storm outfit 38-4 at Accor Stadium on Friday night as star winger Brian To'o crossed for a hat-trick.
The 25-year-old notched a first-half double and was at his damaging best all night, while the continued errors and a lack of execution from Melbourne cruelled any chance of an even scoreline heading into the break.
The powerful and energetic To'o was among the best on ground for the Panthers, finishing with over 1690 run metres and a trademark 11 tackle breaks to go along with three tries as he terrorised the opposition all night long.
The returning duo of Izack Tago and Jarome Luai both appeared to get through the game relatively unscathed, with the latter taking an early shower to prevent any potential damage before next weekend's decider.
A brilliant break from Liam Martin in the 53rd minute allowed Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary to cross for a try under the sticks and extent their lead past three converted tries and end any doubt over the result.
Two minutes later, Dylan Edwards sent the Panthers into party mode, finishing off a quality backline play to send the fans into raptures, before the third try for To'o put the cherry on top in the 69th minute.
Tensions threatened to boil over on numerous occasions throughout the 80 minutes, but a controlled performance from the game's best referee in Adam Gee allowed the football to remain the focal point of the clash.
Penrith will now take on the winner of Saturday night's other prelim final between the Broncos and Warriors.
- Liam O'Loughlin (@ljoloughlin)
Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Izack Tago embroiled in first-half stoush
Tempers began to flare early in Friday night's prelim final between Penrith and Melbourne, with a number of melees breaking out in the opening half at Accor Stadium.
The reigning premiers took an early lead through Brian To'o, but the visitors bounced back with a try for Justin Olam to level the scores moments later.
However, a late shot from Nelson Asofa-Solomona on opposing halfback Nathan Cleary led to the second scuffle between the two rivals, with the Storm enforcer lucky to stay on the field.
Adam Gee opted to caution both skippers and warned that further issues would lead to players being sin-binned, showing his officiating nous in a big-game opportunity.
To'o would score his second try for the Panthers to give them an impressive 18-4 lead heading into the break.
- Liam O'Loughlin (@ljoloughlin)
Can the Storm find a way through the Panthers' defence?
Penrith come into Friday's clash as the heavy favourites, and for good reason.
They have won both their games against the Storm this season by double-digit margins and have the advantage of an extra week of rest ahead of this preliminary final.
Much of the Panthers' success in recent years has come down to their strong defence, which is set to be key again at Accor Stadium.
Concerningly for Melbourne, they have only scored an average of 10 points against Penrith in their last five matches.
If the Storm are to snatch an underdog win, they will almost certainly need to buck this trend and score more than two tries.
Can their star-studded spine stand up and deliver some attacking results?
- Joshua Mayne
Luai, Hughes set to feature in preliminary final
There were some question marks regarding the availability of Jarome Luai and Jahrome Hughes for Friday's Panthers-Storm clash, but both star playmakers have been named in their sides' respective team lists.
Luai has been sidelined for the past few weeks due to a shoulder injury but will wear the No. 6 jumper for the reigning champions.
As for Hughes, he missed the Storm’s last-gasp 18-13 semi-final win over the Roosters with a calf complaint but the halfback has since been deemed fit.
- Joshua Mayne
NRL preliminary finals schedule, scores, results
| Date/Time (AEST) | Match | Venue |
| Fri. Sep. 22 (7.50pm) |
Penrith Panthers 38 def. Melbourne Storm 4 | Accor Stadium |
| Sat. Sep. 23 (7.50pm) |
Brisbane Broncos 42 def. New Zealand Warriors 12 | Suncorp Stadium |