Penrith have continued the NRL's recent spate of blowouts, defeating the Warriors 46-12 as an ankle injury to influential hooker Api Koroisau marred the win at BlueBet Stadium.
Koroisau appeared to roll his ankle midway through the first half on Friday night and while he tried to play on, he left the field early in the second half and did not return.
Mitch Kenny is a solid back-up option for the Panthers but the experienced Koroisau, in career-best form, would be a significant loss heading into the last week of the regular season.
The win over the Warriors is set to have been the last regular season game for at least a handful of star Panthers, with the club telling AAP this week that coach Ivan Cleary was likely to rest players for the round 25 clash against North Queensland.
Cleary previously refused to confirm whether Jarome Luai would make the trip to Townsville but in his first game back from a four-week injury lay-off, the five-eighth proved he won't need another week to be ready for NRL action.
When the game was in the balance, the Panthers were most active down Sean O'Sullivan's right side but Luai nevertheless found opportunities to flaunt his famous running game.
A line break early in the second half dispelled any lingering doubt about his fitness.
The Warriors gave Penrith an early scare when Dunamis Lui cut through a feeble tackle from Chris Smith, who was called in late to replace Liam Martin (rested).
Lui's break led to a Reece Walsh try and the Panthers showed their nerves in some poor fifth-tackle options and sloppy handling.
But the Warriors didn't have the defensive muscle to restrain the Panthers once they found their rhythm.
By half-time, the Warriors had made 25 missed tackles to Penrith's one.
The Panthers were especially destructive on the edges, wingers Taylan May and Brian To'o breaking their dry spells with two tries each.
Penrith prop Spencer Leniu left the field with a shoulder complaint in the second half but the Panthers didn't want for intensity through the middle.
Leading the way, James Fisher-Harris played the first 61 minutes of his first game back from suspension for 181-run metres.
The Panthers secured the minor premiership with last week's win over South Sydney and at fulltime, NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo presented the side with the JJ Giltinan Shield.
"The Penrith Panthers' second minor premiership in three years is a massive achievement and testament to the professionalism of everyone at the club," Abdo said.
The Panthers are putting part of their $100,000 minor premiership bonus towards a chartered flight to Townsville next week.
It remains to be seen how many of their star players will be given boarding passes.
