Penrith’s quest for a fifth consecutive premiership is alive and kicking after Nathan Cleary ignited a gritty 24-8 win that ends the Warriors’ NRL season.

The talismanic halfback hoisted the Panthers back into Saturday’s elimination final after a spirited start from a Warriors side roundly dismissed as finals cannon fodder.

The Warriors’ season had lost momentum following injuries to Luke Metcalf and Mitch Barnett, but the hosts never let the visitors breathe easily in greasy Auckland conditions.

It wasn’t until centre Casey McLean iced a superb 80m team try that the Panthers looked on track, taking a 10-point lead in the last 15 minutes.

Troubled by a groin injury earlier in the year, Cleary handed over goal-kicking duties to Dylan Edwards late in the game but saw the game out and continued to kick in play.

The win books the Panthers a semi-final date against Canterbury Bulldogs at Accor Stadium next week, with the winner to face either Canberra or Brisbane in a grand-final qualifier.

The win continues quite the run for the four-time reigning premiers, who were last on the ladder after 12 rounds of the season.

They are the only team in premiership history to win a finals match after being the bottom club so late in a season and are now dreaming of making more history as the finals series wages on.

Cleary was on song for the Panthers, proving particularly effective at gaining back momentum in the first half with his kicking game.

His side down 2-0 with 15 minutes before half-time, the 27-year-old made the gutsy decision to kick on the third tackle as the Panthers made a raid into enemy territory.

Paul Alamoti, replacing the axed Tom Jenkins, was outstanding and led the cover defence to lock Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad in the corner of the field.

In the next attacking set, Cleary threw a cut-out pass for super-sub Isaiah Papali’i to score the Panthers’ opening try.

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Deputising for injured hooker Mitch Kenny, Brad Schneider bolstered the lead after the break fooling Nicoll-Klokstad and Kurt Capewell to score out of dummy half.

But the Warriors were disciplined with the ball despite the conditions and struck back through rookie-of-the-year candidate Leka Halasima on the right.

The Panthers had a two-score lead after Cleary’s bomb bounced away from Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and into the arms of a flying Luke Garner.

Blaize Talagi grabbed a suspect pass and kicked to the left, where Brian To’o continued the charge and put McLean over for a sparkling team try.

On return from two weeks’ rest, To’o sealed the result scooping up an errant ball from Halasima and sprinting 60 metres to score.

Papali’i went on report for a high shot on Chanel Harris-Tavita in the second half, but looks unlikely to miss time.