The Penrith Panthers are through to yet another preliminary final after hammering the New Zealand Warriors at home in front of a sell out crowd on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers dominated the contest from start to finish, with the home side never looking overly challenged by the Warriors.
The visitors were brave for the most part and stood up time and time again in defence, but a weight of possession left them unable to be competitive.
At halftime, the Panthers had enjoyed 65 per cent of the ball, and by the end, it was a number only just shy of 60 per cent, while the Panthers also completed at a staggering 85 per cent throughout the game, finishing more than ten completed sets ahead of their opposition.
That all but told the tale of the tape for the Warriors, who were always going to be up against it coming into the game without star halfback Shaun Johnson, who was ruled out of the game earlier this week after sustaining a calf injury at training.
It was Penrith who kicked off the scoring through Brian To'o, and they would continue to pick the Warriors to bits throughout the first half, with Liam Martin and Sunia Turuva also crossing for tries, before a Nathan Cleary penalty goal took Penrith into the sheds 20 points to nil ahead.
Cleary was the star of the show for Penrith, assisting Liam Martin's try with a single boot on and being involved in everything for the home side.
The Warriors continued to play bravely after the halftime break, and a lesser side would have been a lot further behind. When Wayde Egan scored in the 56th minute off an incredible Dallin Watene-Zelezniak pass, there would be a brief flicker of hope for the Auckland-based side.
The Panthers though couldn't be caught and added the final two tries of the game to extend their lead to 32-6, with Sunia Turuva scoring a second, and then Nathan Cleary crossing on a long-range effort.
Penrith now will head to a preliminary final against either the Melbourne Storm or the winner of Saturday's Sharks and Roosters game, while the Warriors host the winner of the Newcastle Knights and Canberra Raiders in a semi-final next week, with the winner of the game in Auckland to play the Brisbane Broncos in the other preliminary final.
Penrith Panthers 32 (Tries: Brian To'o, Liam Martin, Sunia Turuva [2], Nathan Cleary; Conversions: Nathan Cleary 5/5; Penalty Goal: Nathan Cleary 1/1) defeat New Zealand Warriors 6 (Try: Wayde Egan; Conversion: Adam Pompey 1/1)