The Kiwi side's six-game winning run came to an end in one of the games of the season.
The Penrith Panthers take on the New Zealand Warriors in Round 13 of the 2026 NRL Premiership at CommBank Stadium, Sydney.
Mitch Barnett and Kurt Capewell will miss Sunday’s clash with Penrith.
Follow all the top-of-the-table NRL action from CommBank Stadium in Sydney
The Warriors fell 20-18 to the Panthers at CommBank Stadium in Sydney, with three tries disallowed proving decisive in a match where Penrith were without key players Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and Brian To'o. The result ends the Warriors' bid for a seventh consecutive win and leaves them two points behind the competition leaders, with referee decisions — two in the first half and one via TMO in the final minutes — shaping the ladder implications as much as on-field play.
Penrith Panthers (10-1) host NZ Warriors at CommBank Stadium in a top-of-the-table NRL clash, with the Warriors two points behind on a six-game winning streak. Webster benched Origin stars Barnett and Capewell for recovery, a squad rotation call that signals long-term fitness management over short-term selection depth in a congested schedule.
Follow live coverage of the 1 v 2 NRL clash between the Panthers and Warriors in Sydney.
Live updates of the NRL clash between the Warriors and the Panthers in Penrith.
The sight of Warriors coach Andrew Webster getting cranky during the 20-18 to the Panthers mirrored the drama, intensity and passion of a wild night in Sydney.
OPINION: Rating the performances of the Warriors against the Panthers in Sydney
OPINION: Ben Francis analyses the Warriors' defeat to the Panthers.