NRL Minor Premiership Race: Warriors and Panthers Battle for Top Spot

The NRL minor premiership is still up for grabs heading into the final day of the home-and-away season, with the New Zealand Warriors on top and the Penrith Panthers ready to pounce.

The Warriors moved to outright first with a narrow win in Auckland on Saturday, but the Panthers only need a slender win on Sunday afternoon to reclaim top spot, where they have spent much of the 2026 season.

The Warriors and Panthers will finish in the top two, and in practical terms there is little different between the two spots entering the finals series.

Both sides will host two matches in the finals, including qualifying finals next week.

But the minor premier does get a monetary prize, and confidence heading into finals footy, knowing they finished on top of the pile after 27 gruelling rounds of rugby league.

Here is how the Warriors and Panthers can win the minor premiership, and what happens when first and second are level on points, and point differential.

NRL top two

1st: New Zealand Warriors — 42, points for 728, points against 418, point differential +310

2nd: Penrith Panthers — 40, points for 645, points against 337, point differential +308

How the Warriors can become minor premiers

Panthers fail to beat Wests Tigers

Panthers defeat Tigers by one point

With a nail-biting one-point win over Manly yesterday in Auckland, the New Zealand Warriors put themselves in outright first on the NRL ladder.

But their fate is out of their hands.

If the Tigers cause an upset and defeat the Panthers this afternoon, then the Warriors will win the minor premiership.

If the Panthers beat the Tigers, they will draw level on points with the Warriors, and then the minor premiership will be decided by point differential.

The Warriors hold a very narrow two-point advantage over the Panthers in the points differential — Warriors +310, Panthers +308.

That means if the Panthers can only manage a one-point win over the Tigers at Western Sydney Stadium, then the Warriors would finish first by having a superior points differential +310-+309.

How the Panthers can become minor premiers

Defeat Wests Tigers by two or more points

The first thing the Panthers must do is beat Wests Tigers.

Then, how much they beat the Tigers by will decide who finishes first and second on the NRL ladder.

The Panthers will finish as minor premiers if they beat the Warriors by two or more points.

If two teams finish on the same points and have the same points differential, the NRL splits the two sides based on a tiebreaker: points for divided by points against, then multiplied by 100 (Points for / points against x 100).

If this tiebreaker is needed, then the Panthers will finish higher as their defence this year has conceded much less than the Warriors, greatly assisting that tiebreaker maths equation.

Who will the Panthers and Warriors face in the first week of finals?

By finishing in the top two, the Warriors and Panthers have earned the right to host two matches in the finals.

Each will host qualifying finals in week one. If they win, they will host a preliminary final in week three.

If the Panthers or Warriors lose in week one, they then host a cut-throat semifinal in week two against a side that was victorious in week one elimination finals played between the teams that finished fifth-eighth.

In week one, whoever finishes first will host the Sydney Roosters (4th) and the team that finishes second will host the Dolphins (3rd).

The NRL will announce dates and times for week one of the final once all matches in round 27 finish.