The Penrith Panthers are one win away from the NRL Grand Final after beating two-time defending champion Sydney Roosters 29-28 in their first round playoff match on Friday night.
A first-half hat-trick to halfback Nathan Cleary inspired the Panthers to victory, although they had to hold off a late fightback.
The Roosters, who were without Sonny Bill Williams due to a neck injury, raced out to a 10-0 lead, but Penrith roared back with five-unanswered tries to lead 28-10 early in the second half.
A late Cleary field goal sealed the win for the Panthers, who now have a week off before playing in the preliminary finals and a shot to qualify for their first title decider in 17 years.
The Panthers' win streak has also been extended to 16, which is the third-equal longest in Australian rugby league history alongside the South Sydney Rabbitohs of 1908-09 and the Roosters of 1912-13.
"When the draw came out and we were playing the Roosters I thought that was a good thing," says Panthers coach Ivan Cleary.
"I always knew that regardless of the outcome we'd get a lot out of this game but to win it gives us a lot of confidence.
"Just to go through that 80 minutes with so many ebbs and flows was a good learning experience for our boys."
For the Roosters, their quest for a NRL three-peat looks more difficult as they face the winner of the Canberra Raiders-Cronulla Sharks match next weekend.
"I could feel the energy in the group that we were coming back," says Roosters coach Trent Robinson.
"I knew that we were coming, I knew we'd win the second half. We just needed to keep on it and keep on it.
"We just ran out of time."
Williams is expected to return from his injury for next weekend's game.
