Two of the NRL’s heavyweight contenders clash in Auckland as the Warriors host the ladder-leading Panthers. With top-four positions and a potential home final on the line, this shapes as one of the biggest games of Round 23.
Read Full Previews
- Titans vs Cowboys → Read full preview: titans-vs-cowboys-round-23-preview-2026
- Warriors vs Panthers → Read full preview: warriors-vs-panthers-round-23-preview-2026
- Roosters vs Bulldogs → Read full preview: roosters-vs-bulldogs-round-23-preview-2026
- Storm vs Sea Eagles → Read full preview: storm-vs-sea-eagles-round-23-preview-2026
- Dolphins vs Broncos → Read full preview: dolphins-vs-broncos-round-23-preview-2026
- Rabbitohs vs Eels → Read full preview: rabbitohs-vs-eels-round-23-preview-2026
- Raiders vs Knights → Read full preview: raiders-vs-knights-round-23-preview-2026
- Dragons vs Sharks → Read full preview: dragons-vs-sharks-round-23-preview-2026
Matchday Details
Friday 7 August 2026 – 6:00pm – Go Media Stadium, Auckland
📺 Foxtel / Kayo
Referee: Gerard Sutton | Senior Review Official: Ashley Klein
New Zealand Warriors: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3. Ali Leiataua, 4. Leka Halasima, 5. Alofiana Khan-Pereira, 6. Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7. Te Maire Martin, 8. James Fisher-Harris (c), 9. Wayde Egan, 10. Mitchell Barnett, 11. Kurt Capewell, 12. Jacob Laban, 13. Erin Clark, 14. Sam Healey, 15. Tanner Stowers-Smith, 16. Morgan Gannon, 17. Eddie Ieremia-Toeava, 18. Luke Metcalf, 20. Taine Tuaupiki, 21. Riley Price, 22. Makaia Tafua, 23. Adam Pompey
Penrith Panthers: 1. Jaxen Edgar, 2. Thomas Jenkins, 3. Paul Alamoti, 4. Izack Tago, 5. Brian To’o, 6. Jack Cogger, 7. Nathan Cleary (c), 8. Moses Leota, 9. Freddy Lussick, 10. Lindsay Smith, 11. Isaiah Papali’i, 12. Liam Martin, 13. Isaah Yeo, 14. Billy Scott, 15. Scott Sorensen, 16. Liam Henry, 17. Billy Phillips, 18. Jack Cole, 19. Blaize Talagi, 20. Jesse McLean, 21. Luron Patea, 22. Kalani Leuluai-Going
Match Preview
There’s an early taste of finals football on Friday night when competition favourites Penrith travel to Auckland to face the third-placed Warriors.
With both teams in the top four and chasing home matches in week one of the finals, this game shapes as a key fixture for their chances.
Following their 42-6 win over the Titans, Warriors coach Andrew Webster has kept the same starting 13 for the match against the Panthers. Morgan Gannon and Taine Tuaupiki have been included on the bench, with Riley Price and Adam Pompey dropping to the reserves. Kurt Capewell will play his 50th game for the Warriors, fittingly against the side with which he won the 2021 premiership.
There’s just one change for the Panthers after they defeated Canberra 42-18 in Mudgee, with Casey McLean out after fracturing his hand. Izack Tago returns to the starting side at centre and Blaize Talagi is included on the six-man bench after being dropped to NSW Cup last weekend, with Jack Cogger retaining the five-eighth jersey.
With just five weeks remaining in the regular season, every game is crucial.
For the Warriors, a win would keep them safely within the top four and just two points behind the Panthers at the top of the table. Conversely, a loss could leave them four points behind the Roosters in second and open the door for the fourth-placed Sharks to move ahead of them, as well as the Dolphins and Knights to join them on 13 wins.
For the Panthers, a win would keep them at least two points ahead of the Roosters and almost guarantee a top two finish. While they would stay first even with a loss, they could potentially end the round equal on points with the Roosters and just one win ahead of the Warriors and Sharks.
From 2021-24, James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota were among the competition’s best front-row pairings, laying the platform for the Panthers’ four consecutive premierships. The ‘Bash Brothers’ were broken up in 2025 when Fisher-Harris moved to the Warriors, with both looking for supremacy when they’ve taken each other on since. Fisher-Harris has lost all three matches he’s played against the Panthers and will be determined to avoid a fourth.
These two sides both like attacking to their wings. Between them, the four wingers have scored 70 tries this season. Thomas Jenkins has been the main contributor, scoring a club record 28 tries so far as he looks to become the first man since Ray Preston in 1954 to score 30 tries in a regular season (and third ever). Jenkins has already equalled Preston’s record of 12 multiple try games in a season and has also broken Penrith’s club record for most tries in a season. His wing partner Brian To’o has scored a comparatively low 11 tries, while Warriors wingers Dallin Watene-Zelezniak (18 tries in 18 games) and Alofiana Khan-Pereira (13 tries in 12 games) are also scoring at high strike rates.
History is firmly on the Panthers’ side in this fixture. They’ve won 35 of 55 matches overall, including 11 of the past 12. They also boast a winning record at Go Media Stadium, winning 12 of the 23 matches played there. They’ve won four of the past five between the two teams at the venue, with their last loss coming in 2018.
Prediction
RLZ Tip: Panthers by 4.
Full Round 23 tips → /nrl-round-23-predictions-2026/
Bold call: All four wingers to score tries.
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Related
- Full Round 23 coverage → /nrl/2026-season/round-23/
- NRL Round 23 Team Lists → /nrl-round-23-team-lists-2026/
- NRL Injury List → /nrl/injuries/
- NRL Round 22 Review → /nrl-round-22-review-2026/
