New Zealand had their destiny in their own hands as they closed in on claiming a top-four finish.
However, a defeat to Parramatta in Round 26 saw them slip down the ladder and they now face the prospect of taking on the reigning premiers, Penrith, in an elimination final.
The last time these two sides met was midway through the campaign when Ivan Cleary's side claimed a 28-18 win in Auckland.
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New Zealand Warriors NRL game this week
The Warriors will take on the Panthers at Go Media Stadium on Saturday, September 13 at 4:05pm (AEST).
Warriors confirmed team list
1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad
2. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
3. Adam Pompey
11. Leka Halasima
5. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck
6. Chanel Harris-Tavita
7. Tanah Boyd
8. James Fisher-Harris
9. Wayde Egan
10. Jackson Ford
4. Kurt Capewell
12. Marata Niukore
13. Erin Clark
14. Te Maire Martin
16. Demitric Vaimauga
17. Tanner Stowers-Smith
20. Samuel Healey
15. %3Cmeta%20charset%3D%22UTF-8%22%20%2F%3EEddie Ieremia-Toeava
Warriors latest team news:
Rocco Berry suffered a dislocated shoulder during his side's clash against Manly last week and has been sent to the casualty ward yet again.
Kurt Capewell has been moved to the backline to cover for Berry, while Leka Halasima has been promoted from the bench to start in the backrow.
In some welcome good news for the Warriors, Jackson Ford is available after serving a suspension, while Wayde Egan is also set to return after missing Round 27 due to a hip complaint.
Tanner Stowers-Smith has moved back to the bench and Sam Healey has dropped to the reserves to accommodate their returns.
UPDATE:
Capewell and Halasima have swapped positions with the latter slotting into the centres and the former reverting to the backrow.
Meanwhile, Eddie Ieremia-Toeava has dropped to 18th man and Healey has been added to the bench.
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