Live Blog: Metcalf golden point hero in epic battle

Next week: The Roosters (2-5) head to Allianz Stadium on Anzac Day for the traditional clash with the Dragons (3-3). The Panthers (2-5) face the Sea Eagles (3-4) at CommBank Stadium.

Full-time: Dylan Edwards stole the show with 238 run metres, two try assists and nine tackle breaks while Isaiah Papali'i (117 metres) and Isaah Yeo (185 metres) were also sensational for the premiers. Roosters prop Naufahu Whyte was in the thick of the action all night as he racked up 169 metres from 17 runs. The Panthers had 605 post-contact metres compared to 488 for the Roosters.

80 min: A high tackle penalty against Victor Radley handed Paul Alamoti a long range shot at goal and the winger knocked it over to round out a 40-12 win for the Panthers - their first since Round 1 in Las Vegas.

73 min: Casey McLean grabs his fifth try of the season after another smooth left side raid by the premiers with Dylan Edwards and Blaize Talagi involved. McLean brushed through Robert Toia's tackle to put an exclamation mark on the win. Panthers 38-12.

67 min: The Panthers find their groove on the left edge with Isaah Yeo, Lindsay Smith, Blaize Talagi and Scott Sorensen linking up to put Dylan Edwards over. The flick pass by Sorensen was a thing of beauty as the premiers clicked. Nathan Cleary converts. Panthers 32-12.

65 min: The Panthers turn the screws with Nathan Cleary's perfectly weighted kick taken by Hugo Savala who is tackled immediately and forced into the in goal.

61 min: A Nathan Cleary bomb hits the ground and Moses Leota comes up with a skilful play to tap the ball to Isaah Yeo who puts in a grubber for Blaize Talagi to score after the ball bounces off the upright. Nathan Cleary converts the Talagi try. Panthers 26-12.

57 min: A Dylan Edwards knock on coming out of his own end hands the Roosters a chance to close the gap and Robert Toia comes up with a sensational try from a scrum move. Dom Young feeds the scrum, Connor Watson picks it up at the back of the scrum and sends an inside pass to Toia who goes over untouched from 20 metres out. Sandon Smith adds the extras. Panthers 20-12.

52 min: Panthers back-rower Isaiah Papali'i gets a reward for a tireless effort when he chases a Mitch Kenny grubber and gets to the ball first to touch down for his first try as a Panther. Nathan Cleary converts. Panthers 20-6.

44 min: An escort penalty against Victor Radley hands Nathan Cleary an easy shot at two points. Panthers 14-6.

Half-time: Possession was shared 50 per cent each and both sides completed 16 sets and came up with six errors each. Panthers No.1 Dylan Edwards ran for 99 metres and had four tackle breaks and two try assists while Isaiah Papali'i racked up 88 metres in an impressive 18-minute stint. Roosters prop Naufahu Whyte had 10 runs for 94 metres and made 25 tackles.

40 min: Panthers centre Luke Garner will undergo an HIA during the half-time break. Garner failed his HIA and was unable to return in the second term.

39 min: The Panthers hit the front after their big guns Nathan Cleary and Dylan Edwards combine again on the right edge to give Paul Alamoti a saloon passage to the line. Cleary converts the try to become Penrith's all time leading pointscorer with 1573 points, overtaking Ryan Girdler.

35 min: Dom Young gets free down the right and kicks back inside for James Tedesco who just can't control the bouncing ball with his opposite number Dylan Edwards all over him.

28 min: Panthers forward Isaiah Papalii goes on report for a dangerous tackle.

24 min: A six-again call on tackle five gives the Panthers back-to-back sets and they grab their first try after Mitch Kenny, Nathan Cleary and Dylan Edwards combine to put Paul Alamoti over. Cleary converts to make it 6-6.

23 min: Roosters prop Naufahu Whyte is placed on report for a high tackle.

15 min: A 'roll ball' penalty against Panthers winger Tom Jenkins invites the Roosters onto the attack again and a clever James Tedesco grubber has to be knocked dead by Dylan Edwards. The line dropout is spilt by Dom Young.

10 min: Spencer Leniu is sent into the action early after Nat Butcher leaves the field with a knee injury. Leniu comes up with an error with his first touch but the Panthers come up empty with a full set in the danger zone.

5 min: The perfect start for the Roosters when Mark Nawaqanitawase delivers a superb flick pass for Daniel Tupou to cross for the 167th try of his career. Sandon Smith converts from the sideline. Roosters 6-0.

Late Mail

Roosters: The Roosters were dealt a blow on match-eve, with Angus Crichton ruled out of the clash. Salesi Foketi will replace the NSW and Australian star in the starting side, with Taylor Losalu added to the bench. 

Panthers: Liam Henry will start and Lindsay Smith goes to the bench in a late switch an hour before kick-off. 

 

Warriors v Broncos at Go Media Stadium

Next week: The Warriors head to Christchurch where they host the Knights at Apollo Projects Stadium on Anzac Day. The Broncos look to turn around a two-game losing streak when they host the high-flying Bulldogs on Thursday night.

Full-time: Mitch Barnett (146 run metres) and Erin Clark (155m) were immense for the Warriors while Payne Haas chalked up 221 metres for the Broncos. Fullback Taine Tuaupiki also stood tall for the Warriors with 173 run metres and five tackle breaks.

81 min: Reece Walsh goes too long with the kick-off and Luke Metcalf gets a shot from halfway to win it for the Warriors. The youngster calmly slots the 50-metre goal and the Warriors win 20-18. "It's unreal," Metcalf said post-match. "Not too many nerves, you just have to trust your process and go with it."

Full-time: It's off to golden point in Auckland after both sides squandered chances to grab the win with a late field goal.

80 min: With the Broncos in field position for a shot at a winning field goal Ben Hunt juggles the ball at dummy half and the opportunity is lost.

78 min: Luke Metcalf's field goal shot is charged down and the Warriors get a fresh set. The halfback then gets another shot and pushes it wide.

77 min: A dropped ball by Broncos forward Kobe Hetherington gives the Warriors the ball on the halfway line after the Broncos launch an unsuccessful challenge.

74 min: Warriors winger Ed Kosi makes a meal of trying to clean up a ball in the in goal and Reece Walsh plants the ball down to score for the Broncos. The loose ball was missed by Kurt Capewell and Jesse Arthars before Walsh got downward pressure on it. Adam Reynolds lands another pressure conversion. 18-18

73 min: Demitric Vaimauga is placed on report for a dangerous tackle.

66 min: Jackson Ford comes up with an error and the Broncos cash in when Adam Reynolds and Reece Walsh combine to put Jesse Arthars over in the corner. Reynolds pilots the conversion from wide out in tough conditions. Warriors 18-12.

65 min: Marata Niukore surges through Jaiyden Hunt from close range for the 16th try of his career and the Warriors have a commanding lead with 14 minutes to play. Luke Metcalf hits the upright with his conversion. Warriors 18-6.

61 min: Kurt Capewell picks up a loose ball on the halfway line after a Broncos error and races 40 metres before getting a great offload to Luke Metcalf as the cover defence closes in. Metcalf grabs the try but misses the conversion. Warriors 14-6.

60 min: Reece Walsh moves to the wing and Selwyn Cobbo to fullback as the gun No.1 continues to battle with a knee problem.

57 min: Chanel Harris-Tavita's kick is too deep and Kotoni Staggs takes the ball easily and Brisbane come away with a 20m tap.

52 min: The Warriors take the lead through a bizarre try to Ed Kosi after a Mitch Barnett pass went loose and Taine Tuaupiki toed the ball ahead and his winger followed it through to score. Luke Metcalf misses the conversion to the right. Warriors 10-6.

51 min: With the wind at his back, Luke Metcalf launches a huge kick on the third tackle and comes up with the first 40-20 of his career.

47 min: The Warriors crank up the pressure to force a line dropout from a Luke Metcalf grubber but Demitric Vaimauga comes up with an error and the Broncos come away.

Half-time: A tense and tight contest in slippery conditions with the Warriors completing at 76 per cent and the Broncos 66 per cent. Erin Clark had a powerful opening 40 for the home side with 12 runs for 95 metres while Leka Halasima had four tackle breaks a try. Pat Carrigan and Payne Haas combined for 16 runs and 160 metres for the Broncos.

40 min: A remarkable end to the half when Luke Metcalf has a shot at penalty goal that sails wide and Kotoni Staggs takes the ball and breaks away. Staggs gets a pass away to Reece Walsh who found Selwyn Cobbo who streaked away to score but the pass from Staggs to Walsh was ruled forward.

38 min: The Warriors are forced into a line dropout but get the ball back from a tap down and Taine Tuaupiki scoots away.

36 min: The Broncos' master playmaker Reynolds quickly makes amends when he comes up with a 40-20 kick and the pressure is cranked up on the Warriors.

33 min: The Warriors fail to field the kick-off and their line dropout doesn't go 10 metres so the Broncos get a shot but Adam Reynolds' grubber is too deep and goes dead.

31 min: A high tackle penalty against Corey Jensen again puts the Warriors in good field position and back-rower Leka Halasima powers over from close range after taking an inside pass from Luke Metcalf. The halfback adds the extras to tie it up at 6-6.

26 min: Xavier Willison gets across the line for Brisbane but the play is pulled back for an obstruction by Pat Carrigan, who stopped in the defensive line.

24 min: The Warriors get another chance after a classic tackle by Wayde Egan forces a mistake by Xavier Willison but they come up empty with a mediocre set of six.

21 min: Warriors prop Jackson Ford comes up with his second error of the night as the home side lets another opportunity slip in attack.

18 min: The Broncos shift to the left and Warriors winger Ed Kosi knocks a pass down to hand Brisbane another set from close range but a poor grubber by Reece Walsh is easily cleaned up by the home side.

14 min: The Broncos do a great job to hold on as the Warriors come up empty after sustained pressure inside the Red Zone.

11 min: Referee Chris Butler warns Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds about cleaning up the ruck after three consecutive six-again calls. Chanel Harris-Tavita then earns his side another set with a wicked grubber on the wet grass which Ben Hunt can't clean up.

8 min: Ali Leiataua climbs high to knock a bomb back to Mitch Barnett who plunges over for a 'try' but replays showed the ball had travelled forward from Leiataua and the bunker supported the referee's decision of knock on.

4 min: The Broncos strike first on the back of a mistake by Adam Pompey from a bomb. After being promoted to the starting side Billy Walters scoots out of dummy half and crosses for a try. Adam Reynolds converts. Broncos 6-0.

2 min: An early scare for the Broncos with fullback Reece Walsh calling for attention from the trainer and having some strapping applied to his knee.

Broncos coach Michael Maguire expects returning back-rower Jordan Riki to be "enormous".

"I'm looking forward to having him back," Maguire said. "We have to make sure we start fast and we know they are going to do exactly the same."

Late Mail

The Warriors are 1-17 with no late changes. 

Broncos coach Michael Maguire has promoted Billy Walters to start at hooker an hour before kick-off with Cory Paix going to the bench. Xavier Willison also comes into the starting side with Jaiyden Hunt shifting to the bench. 

The Numbers Game

• The Warriors have won both games at Go Media Stadium in 2025.
• The Broncos have won three of their past four games played in New Zealand.
• Warriors centre Ali Leiataua has scored four tries in four games at Go Media Stadium.
• Broncos winger Jesse Arthars has scored nine tries in his past seven NRL appearances.