The Warriors face the NRL's benchmark at the foot of the mountains, then the Roosters' six-match win streak goes on the line against the Storm in Melbourne. 

Check out all the news, scores and stats below.

Sydney Roosters 18 def Melbourne Storm 14

NRL finals have started early with the Sydney Roosters locking up their top-eight spot after holding on for a 18-14-win over Melbourne in a fiery and drama-filled classic at AAMI Park.

The wounded Roosters spoiled the regular-season Melbourne farewell for Storm stalwarts Jesse and Kenny Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi and Brandon Smith on Friday night to secure their seventh straight win.

It was an explosive encounter in front of 25,308 fans as the Roosters ensured they would play in the finals for the sixth straight season.

Trent Robinson's team silenced the parochial Melbourne crowd after charging out to a 14-0 lead after 20 minutes.

But a try in the 65th minute to Nick Meaney gave the Storm faithful hope they could lock up a top-four spot before an away showdown with Parramatta in the final round next week.

Team stats

Melbourne made several late bursts as they tried to pinch the lead for the first time in the game but the Roosters bravely defended their line to score a famous win.

However, the Roosters' first victory over the Storm since 2019 came at cost as they leave Victoria with several concerns.

Star Roosters forward Victor Radley was knocked out and taken off on a stretcher after running into the hip of Storm captain Jeese Bromwich with 10 minutes remaining.

In a major concern, it was Radley's second concussion of the season after he suffered a big hit in round one.

Lindsay Collins, in his first game back from concussion, was placed on report for an incident with the Storm's Tom Eisenhuth in the dying minutes.

Roosters winger Daniel Tupou opened the scoring with a try in the left corner, but his joy was short-lived.

Tupou left the field less than 10 minutes later due to a groin injury, casting doubt on his availability for the finals.

The 31-year-old has a history of groin issues and he looked devastated when walking to the bench.

The game was fiery from the start and heated up further when Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle on Storm forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona.

Melbourne finally took advantage just before Waerea-Hargreaves returned to the field, with young flyer Xavier Coates crossing in the corner eight minutes before halftime.

The Storm will head to CommBank Stadium next Thursday night against the Eels, with the winner securing a top-four spot and the loser going into an elimination final.

Meanwhile, the Roosters will host South Sydney in a blockbuster re-opening of Allianz Stadium on Friday night.

AAP

Penrith Panthers 46 def New Zealand Warriors 12

Penrith have continued the NRL's recent spate of blowouts, defeating the Warriors 46-12 as an ankle injury to influential hooker Api Koroisau marred the win at BlueBet Stadium.

Koroisau appeared to roll his ankle midway through the first half on Friday night and while he tried to play on, he left the field early in the second half and did not return.

Mitch Kenny is a solid back-up option for the Panthers but the experienced Koroisau, in career-best form, would be a significant loss heading into the last week of the regular season.

The win over the Warriors is set to have been the last regular season game for at least a handful of star Panthers, with  coach Ivan Cleary likely to rest players for the round 25 clash against North Queensland.

Team stats

Cleary previously refused to confirm whether Jarome Luai would make the trip to Townsville but in his first game back from a four-week injury lay-off, the five-eighth proved he won't need another week to be ready for NRL action.

When the game was in the balance, the Panthers were most active down Sean O'Sullivan's right side but Luai nevertheless found opportunities to flaunt his famous running game.

A line break early in the second half dispelled any lingering doubt about his fitness.

The Warriors gave Penrith an early scare when Dunamis Lui cut through a feeble tackle from Chris Smith, who was called in late to replace Liam Martin (rested).

Lui's break led to a Reece Walsh try and the Panthers showed their nerves in some poor fifth-tackle options and sloppy handling.

But the Warriors didn't have the defensive muscle to restrain the Panthers once they found their rhythm.

By half-time, the Warriors had made 25 missed tackles to Penrith's one.

The Panthers were especially destructive on the edges, wingers Taylan May and Brian To'o breaking their dry spells with two tries each.

Penrith prop Spencer Leniu left the field with a shoulder complaint in the second half but the Panthers didn't want for intensity through the middle.

Leading the way, James Fisher-Harris played the first 61 minutes of his first game back from suspension for 181-run metres.

The Panthers secured the minor premiership with last week's win over South Sydney and at fulltime, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo presented the side with the JJ Giltinan Shield.

AAP

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