The Penrith Panthers have held on to beat the Melbourne Storm 22-14 and end their faint mathematical hopes of making the NRL finals.
The Panthers shot out to a 22-0 lead courtesy of a Brian To’o hat-trick and Liam Henry try, but did not score again after the half-hour mark.
Back rower Liam Martin was sent to the sin-bin for a professional foul shortly before half-time and Penrith was Lindsay Smith was binned just after the break for repeated ruck infringements.
Melbourne managed to get on the board against 11 men when Tyran Wishart skipped through the teeth of the defence, and Jack Howarth put a move on Izack Tago to crash over soon after Smith returned to the field.
Jack Cogger joined the list of sin-binned players, which also included Storm back rower Oryn Keeley from the first half, when he hit Wishart high, leading to Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown’s try on the right wing.
But wayward kicking by Nick Meaney and some attacking miscues kept the Storm from getting too close as they fell out of the finals race for the first time since 2010, when they played for no points due to salary cap infringements.
Prior to that, the Storm have not missed the finals since 2002, before Craig Bellamy took over as coach.
Look back at all the action in our live blog below, and check out all the stats in the full ScoreCentre.
Live: Storm vs Panthers at AAMI Park
That’s where we’ll leave you
Like the Melbourne Storm’s finals hopes, this blog is over.
Congratulations to the Penrith Panthers, who after two losses, are back on top of the ladder, for now.
We’ll be back tomorrow night. We’ll see you soon.
Game recognise game
It must be an odd feeling for Craig Bellamy in late August to not be preparing for a finals run but he’s staying magnanimous as he congratulates the Panthers for ending the Storm’s mathematical hopes.
Although, let’s be real, their hopes have been over for a minute now.
Emotional time for departing Tyran Wishart
With Melbourne not playing finals and spending the last two weeks of the season on the road, Melbourne utility Tyran Wishart has played his final game at AAMI Park.
He’s heading to the Perth Bears next season and tells ABC Sport the emotions are swirling tonight.
“There’s a few going on to be honest. Still just disappointed we didn’t get that win. We fought hard that second half, that’s a pro, but that first half was horrible and it’s hard to win footy games when you give a team a headstart like that.
“It would’ve been good to finish on a better note, which is disappointing but can’t change it now.
“This club’s amazing. They’ve done so much for me and definitely holds a special place in my heart.”
A strange season for the Storm
To be fair, Melbourne had a year like no other – season ending injuries to Katoa, Coates, Kamikamica and there have been a lot of other injuries throughout the season including weeks when 3/4 of the spine did not play. Katoa‘s serious injuries and Bellamy‘s diagnoses must weigh heavily on the club..
Sua Faalogo has been the shining light this season.– Kirsten
You’re absolutely right, Kirsten.
And don’t forget the off-season retirement of Ryan Papenhuyzen.
FULL-TIME: Penrith ends the Storm’s slim finals hopes
The Penrith Panthers hold on to beat the Melbourne Storm 22-14 and end their faint mathematical hopes of making the NRL finals.
That means 2026 will mark the first time since 2010, when they were playing for no points due to salary cap infringements, that the Storm miss the playoffs.
It was a strange night for both sides with the weather and FOUR sin-bins, but pretty reflective of their seasons as a whole to be honest.
The Storm looked utterly out of sorts in attack as they have all year and the Panthers looked like their dominant selves for patches but couldn’t keep it up the way they used to.
78′ The Panthers repel one last shot
Cameron Munster’s chip kick is reeled in by the Panthers and that will end the Storm’s slim mathematical hopes of winning this game and reaching the finals.
72′ Completely misguided by the Storm
The Melbourne attack looks slow and sloppy against 13 men tonight.
The kicking has also been really poor, and there’s another one from Tyran Wishart, grubbering on the last and straight to Casey McLean.
71′ The play falls apart for the Storm
Nick Meaney can’t handle a Cooper Clarke offload on the fourth, and Dylan Edwards gives him a serve. Meaney gets up and gets in his face and there’s some push and shove, but no penalty. Good call from Grant Atkins.
69′ Nick Meaney milks a penalty
Lindsay Smith sneaks up high and Nick Meaney puts a bit of mayo on its impact, skipping up to his feet the moment the penalty is blown.
67′ Moses Leota is down injured
The Panthers want Josh King penalised for a hip drop, but he never lost his feet.
It was awkward but certainly not a hip drop.
THE STORM ARE IN FOR A THIRD!
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Rapid hands out to the right and Siulagi Tuimalata-Brown is in!
He juuuust manages to keep the knee up long enough to ground the ball.
But Nick Meaney hooks another conversion and the margin remains eight points, when it could be four!
61′ ANOTHER Panther in the bin
Jack Cogger rushes up and smacks Tyran Wishart high.
He’s off to the sin bin, making him the fourth player sent and the third Panther tonight.
58′ The Storm are finding some space
Melbourne’s dummy half pass hits the deck, but still they almost create the overlap, saved only by Brian To’o knocking down Jack Howarth’s pass.
Maybe the time with one or two players in the bin is already taking a toll. It surely will later in the game, so don’t count the Storm out just yet.
Jack Howarth is over for the Storm!
The Storm look scatter-brained out on the right, Harry Grant handling three times as they throw the ball every which way.
But they end up tackled on the 10m line near the right wing, which gives them the space to spin it all the way left. The Panthers number up, but Jack Howarth, not renowned for his hot-stepping, puts a move on Izack Tago and bumps off Dylan Edwards to crash over.
That’s an embarrassing moment for Tago and keeps the Melburnians in the game.
54′ The Panthers are holding firm
The Storm are peppering the Penrith tryline but the Panthers are just repelling shot after shot.
They’ve held firm long enough to get back to 13 vs 13 as Lindsay Smith returns from the sin bin.
49′ Another chance blown by the Storm
Sua Fa’alogo cuts through the defence on the left and flies upfield to leave the Panthers’ defence in tatters.
The Storm spin it right, but fair too slowly and Jack Cogger rushes up to force the error from Harry Grant.
Grant wanted six again, but I think Cogger’s tackle hit the ball before Grant let go of it, making it a knock-on by the Melbourne hooker.
46′ Oryn Keeley wastes the chance
The Storm are running out of time against 11, and will miss out on the last set in possession with Liam Martin in the bin after Oryn Keeley knocks on in the play the ball.
Try! Tyran Wishart takes advantage
Overlaps aren’t the only way to exploit the extra numbers and so proves Tyran Wishart, beating Jack Cogger, faking a pass out to the right and stepping and jinking his way to the tryline under the posts.
The Storm are on the board and will have a few more minutes against 11, followed by a few more against 12.
43′ The Panthers lose another one! They’re down to 11 players!
Penrith concedes not one, not two, not three, but four six-again calls inside their 20m area and Lindsay Smith is sent to the bin to join Liam Martin.
Surely the Storm can make this 13-11 advantage count.
dan