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Defending premier Penrith made sure it will finish the round on top of the ladder with a 26-6 thrashing of the Melbourne Storm on Friday night.
Earlier, the Warriors consolidated its spot inside the top four with a 28-18 defeat of Gold Coast, who played much of the match with 12 players after Moeaki Fotuaika was sent off.
In Penrith, the Panthers will be praying Jarome Luai's rap sheet does not come back to bite him after he was placed on report for a shoulder charge in their victory over the Storm.
The Storm were the latest side to be chewed up and spat out at the foot of the mountains as the Panthers made it six wins on the spin as they edge towards what seems an inevitable second-straight minor premiership.
But Luai's availability for their run home — in which they face Manly, Gold Coast, Parramatta and North Queensland — is up in the air after he was placed on report by referee Adam Gee for a shoulder charge on Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
Luai made no attempt to wrap his arm as he clocked Asofa-Solomona in the head in the 47th minute, forcing the New Zealand international to spill the ball.
He already has two previous charges against his name this year and a third for a shoulder charge could result in him missing up to four matches.
Luai scored a try and was involved in several skirmishes and flash points in a match in which Penrith underlined their status as the NRL's team to beat.
The Panthers have won 33 of 36 matches played on their home ground since the start of 2020.
Nick Meaney and Nathan Cleary exchanged early penalties but it was the Storm who raced into the lead when Young Tonumaipea made a retreating Penrith defence pay in the 15th minute.
Storm winger George Jennings limped off in the aftermath with a suspected MCL injury and joins Jahrome Hughes, Xavier Coates and Reimis Smith on the sidelines.
A routine finish in the corner allowed Brian To'o to level for the Panthers, before Luai and Stephen Crichton crossed to put them 20-6 up at half-time.
To'o added a second in the 50th minute as Penrith reverted to type, grinding the Storm into the ground and suffocating any attacking impetus the visitors had.
Titans prop Fotuaika was sent off against the Warriors to become the second NRL player in less than 24 hours to be given his marching orders.
On Thursday night, Sydney Roosters forward Nathan Brown was sent off for a high shot on Manly's Ben Trbojevic.
Fotuaika was dismissed in the 17th minute for a shoulder to the head of Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad that left the Warriors fullback in a daze.
The Warriors number one was assisted from the field and did not return, as Fotuaika's night also came to an early end in a spiteful contest.
Titans hooker Chris Randall was put on report in the 14th minute for a high shot on Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, an incident that set the tone for an explosive first half
Two minutes after Fotuaika's early exit, Warriors second rower Marata Niukore was sin-binned for a face slap of counterpart David Fifita.
The Titans scored first when Fifita crashed over but after that Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson scored two cracking tries in front of 20,877 spectators.
Johnson weaved his magic to score his first with a right-foot step that bamboozled the Titans.
He then split the Titans from 30 metres out and found Watene-Zelezniak who unfurled a one-handed inside pass back to his on-fire number seven while being tackled by three defenders to give the visitors a 12-6 lead at the break.
Johnson created a try for rampaging forward Jackson Ford but the Titans refused to go away with fullback Jayden Campbell laying on a try for Joe Stimson with a grubber-kick.
Campbell then grabbed an incredible reflex intercept 10 metres out from his own line and raced down field to level it up at 18-18.
Harris crashed over next to the sticks and Watene-Zelezniak chased a Johnson kick to finally put the brave Titans away with tries in the final seven minutes.
The Warriors remain in third spot position on the ladder on 32 points and are on track for a top-four finish.
AAP/ABC
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