Warriors

A hat-trick to David Fusitu'a and masterful display from Shaun Johnson laid the foundations of a memorable win which ensures the Kiwi club enters the post- season for the first time since 2011.

Hot and cold performances over the last two months left the Warriors' fate on tenterhooks for an extended period but the Panthers never threatened to halt the party for 17,195 supporters.

A second successive loss under caretaker coach Cameron Ciraldo drops the Panthers from fifth to sixth and drives a dagger through their top-four hopes.

Relief will descend on Mt Smart Stadium if the eight-placed Kiwi outfit can see off Penrith Friday night, booking their first post-season campaign since 2011.

Lose and they could face a nerve-wracking final-round match against Canberra, presuming the ninth-placed Wests Tigers have kept themselves in contention by beating Manly on Thursday.

A run of yo-yo performances have stopped the Warriors from sealing the deal, including last week's dramatic 27-26 loss to Canterbury.

Red-hot fullback Tuivasa-Sheck is pointing to last month's embarrassing 36-12 loss to the Gold Coast Titans as the wake-up he and his team needed.

The seventh-placed Kiwi club have since outplayed St George Illawarra and Newcastle to all-but book a finals berth.

At the forefront has been Tuivasa-Sheck, returning the football in devastating fashion.

Every defender beaten and metre chewed up is based on a more narrowed approach, he says, with the 25-year-old now realising he had spent too much energy on what he thought a captain should be doing.

Fusitu'a is now set to become the eighth Warriors player to clock up a decade of service.

The 23-year-old wing, who debuted as a teenager in 2014, has scored 47 tries in 75 games for the Warriors.

He is currently fourth on the NRL try scoring lists with 15 tries in 18 matches this season.

Coach Stephen Kearney said it had been a priority to retain the powerfully built player, who has played in the centres and at fullback for the club before settling on the right flank.

The Warriors have defeated James' former franchise the Cleveland Cavaliers in each of the past two NBA Finals, securing a dominant 4-0 clean sweep earlier this year.

Wednesday saw the release of the schedule for the 2018-19 season, which includes several nationally televised games on December 25.

Those include a showdown between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics, which will pit Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons against Kyrie Irving and Jayson Tatum.

The 26-year-old Kiwi international, who was set to make his comeback after an injury to his left knee, has now injured his right knee in a training session.

He's returning home for immediate minor surgery.

It's yet to be determined when he is expected to be fit to play again.

Meanwhile Canterbury put a massive dent in Brisbane's top-four NRL hopes, shocking the finals-bound Broncos 36-22 in Sydney last night.

Harris (knee) and Luke (calf) were listed in the initial line-up for last Sunday's encounter with Gold Coast but didn't recover sufficiently and were later ruled out.

Blair was serving a one-match suspension but, along with Luke and Harris, returns in a starting forward pack showing three changes from the combination used in the 36-12 loss to the Titans.

Luke slots in for Jazz Tevaga, Harris for Joseph Vuna and Blair for Simon Mannering.

The Warriors wilted in a 36-12 loss on the Gold Coast on Sunday after establishing a 12-8 lead at halftime.

A win would would have put them three victories clear of ninth with five games remaining.

Instead, they leaked five unanswered tries and miss a chance to consolidate their first NRL finals campaign since 2011.

It was a shock turn of events given they had won their past seven at Cbus Super Stadium, 14 of their past 15 against the Titans and seven of nine away games this year.

The 26-year-old comes back four weeks after picking up a knee injury in the final minute of the 16th-round clash against Cronulla on June 29.

Harris is set to return on schedule after having surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee.

Pulu is listed in jersey #21 on the extended eight-man bench.

He appeared in each of the Warriors' season-opening five wins before being forced off the field with a midfoot foot injury 23 minutes into the sixth-round contest with the Brisbane Broncos on April 14.

The premiers haven't always been pretty on a winning run that stretches seven matches but they did enough again at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday.

In a far cry from their 50-10 win over the Warriors on Anzac Day, Melbourne relied on defensive scrambling, slightly better control and some fortunate referee calls to join South Sydney and St George Illawarra on 13 wins.

A superior points differential puts them on top and on target to repeat their minor premiership win in 2017.