South Sydney Rabbitohs have pulled off a gritty 16-10 upset win over the highly favoured Penrith Panthers in their NRL finals showdown in Townsville on Saturday.
In a match featuring two sides renowned for their attacking prowess, the underdog Rabbitohs rode a relentless defensive effort to advance to the NRL preliminary final in two week's time.
The result means there's no chance of the Panthers and Storm - the competition's two best regular season sides - meeting for a replay of last year's grand final.
The Rabbitohs will face the winner of next week's clash between Sydney Roosters and Manly Sea Eagles.
Meanwhile, the Panthers will need to regroup to face the winner of Sunday's match between Parramatta Eels and Newcastle Knights for the opportunity to play Melbourne Storm in the second preliminary final.
Penrith took the ascendency early, as Nathan Cleary's masterful banana grubber was smartly kept in the field of play by Paul Momirovski for Stephen Crichton to score the game's first try.
The Rabbitohs hit back quickly through Cody Walker, cashing in on a break by Dane Gagai.
Entering the second half locked at 10-10, South Sydney promptly took the lead courtesy of a Jaxson Paulo try in the corner.
They then leaned on a brilliant defensive effort to shut down multiple waves of desperate Panthers attacks, scrambling several times to maintain their line and hold on for a memorable victory.
In Saturday's opening finals match, Sam Walker's late field goal lifted Sydney Roosters to a dramatic 25-24 win over Gold Coast Titans.
