Dylan delivers as Panthers make it six straight

Beware the prowling Panthers: Remarkably the premiers sat last on the ladder after Round 8 with a 2-6 record but since then they have gradually found their best form and worked their way up to sixth. They have had seven wins, one draw and one loss since Round 8 and now have all the contenders to their crown looking over their shoulders.

Full-time: Dylan Edwards racks up an outrageous 292 metres and bags two tries as the Panthers make it six wins on the trot. Despite making 13 errors the Panthers simply had too much class for the injury-ravaged Rabbitohs.

79 min: Alex Johnston moves to 207 career tries courtesy of a clever kick out of dummy half by Jack Wighton. The champion Bunnies winger is now just five tries behind Ken Irvine's all-time record of 212 tries. Panthers 30-10.

76 min: The Panthers sweep the ball to the left where Casey McLean gets the ball in his hands after a Scott Sorensen offload and turns on the speed and footwork to bamboozle the defence on a 35-metre run to the line. Dylan Edwards bangs over another conversion. Panthers 30-6.

72 min: A roll ball call against Brad Schneider denies the Panthers a shot at another try and the Rabbitohs continue to hang tough.

62 min: The Rabbitohs create space on the left but Luke Garner does a great job to get back and clean up Isaiah Tass' infield kick.

61 min: Panthers winger Brian To'o leaves the field with cramping in his hamstring.

54 min: Peter Mamouzelos is forced from the field for a HIA after a head clash with Isaiah Papali'i.

53 min: Kaeon Koloamatangi hobbles from the field with an ankle injury.

50 min: It's a double for Dylan Edwards after Luke Garner finds space and then gets a pass away as he is falling to the ground and Edwards races in for the try. Edwards adds the extras. Panthers 24-6.

48 min: The Panthers lose their captain's challenge when Casey McLean is ruled to have lost control in the ruck and the bunker supports the ref's call.

44 min: The Rabbitohs make the ideal start to the second half with Peter Mamouzelos sending the ball to Liam Le Blanc who crashes over from close range. Some powerhouse runs from Kaeon Koloamatangi put the Bunnies in range and they capitalised. Jamie Humphreys converts. Panthers 18-6.

No.1 gun: Relishing in his role as captain for the night Dylan Edwards runs for 115 metres and breaks three tackles in a typically energetic first half. Edwards also came up with a try and a try assist.

Half-time: Despite completing 16 of 18 sets the Rabbitohs find themselves down by 18 points. It's the first time in 2025 that the Panthers have kept a clean sheet in the first half and they look to be well on track for a sixth win on the trot.

40 min: The Rabbitohs launch a late raid down the right side and Tyrone Munro kicks the ball back inside for Alex Johnston to chase but Dylan Edwards gets back to knock the ball dead.

37 min: A superb offload from Blaize Talagi finds Dylan Edwards on the inside and the fullback strides into the back field before finding Casey McLean in support for the Panthers' third try. Edwards converts. Panthers 18-0.

34 min: The Rabbitohs dig deep in defence to keep the Panthers at bay with Tyrone Munro producing a bell-ringer on Blaize Talagi.

33 min: Jack Wighton goes to the air but his bomb sails out on the full and the Panthers launch a full set from halfway.

28 min: Brad Schneider launches a high ball which the Bunnies knock dead and then get the ball back from the short dropout through Tyrone Munro.

26 min: Jack Wighton is placed on report for high contact on Dylan Edwards.

20 min: Blaize Talagi kicks out on the full to give the Rabbitohs a chance to hit back.

17 min: Brian To'o at his best as his flies high to bring down a Jamie Humphreys bomb and beats several defenders to put his team on the front foot. From there the Panthers spin the ball to the left where Tom Jenkins finds space and passes back inside to Dylan Edwards who races away to score. The fullback converts. Panthers 12-0.

13 min: A piece of individual brilliance from Paul Alamoti gets the Panthers on the board. Brian To'o had climbed high to tap the ball back to Alamoti who kicked ahead for himself and won the race to the ball for his ninth try of the season. Dylan Edwards converts. Panthers 6-0.

10 min: Tom Jenkins looks certain to score in the corner but Tyrone Munro comes across in cover and knocks the ball loose to deny the try.

7 min: The Panthers get a shot at the line but Casey McLean's pass to Tom Jenkins goes astray and the Rabbitohs come away.

Late Mail

Panthers: No further game day changes after Jack Cole was promoted to the interchange on Thursday in place of Daine Laurie. Fullback Dylan Edwards and hooker Mitch Kenny are the new co-captains after coach Ivan Cleary opted to rest Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo. Edwards sat out last week's game, with Brian To'o also returning from Origin duties this week, however Liam Martin will miss a second match with a wrist injury. Scott Sorensen returns from suspension in the back row, while Izack Tago has accepted a one-game ban.

Rabbitohs: Alex Johnston lines up at fullback with Latrell Mitchell sidlined by a quad injury sustained at training. Mitchell will be sidelined for approximately four weeks with the injury. The shuffle sees Isaiah Tass move to the wing and Euan Aitken to the centres. Lachlan Hubner joins the starting side at lock and Liam Le Blanc has been added to the bench.

Sharks v Roosters at Sharks Stadium

Captain's knock: Cam McInnes worked himself to a standstill for the Sharks with 52 tackles and 16 runs for 136 metres. He was ably supported in the defence department by Blayke Brailey and Teig Wilton who racked up 88 tackles between them.

Full-time: Addin Fonua-Blake celebrates his 200th game in style with 154 run metres and Chris Vea'ila celebrated his debut with a try as the Sharks got home 31-18 to post their 10th win of the season.

79 min: Another Roosters raid is thwarted by a forward pass - this time by Chad Townsend.

77 min: Spencer Leniu loses the ball in contact, the Roosters challenge the decision and lose their challenge. The Roosters' error count for the second half climbs to six.

75 min: Braydon Trindall bangs over a field goal to make the margin 13 as the Sharks close in on a vital victory. Sharks 31-18.

74 min: An offload from Salesi Foketi is spilt by Chad Townsend and the Roosters are under the pump again.

73 min: Siosifa Talakai takes the odds to a run from dummy half on the last tackle and the Roosters shut him down.

70 min: The Sharks lose their captain's challenge after the bunker supports the ref's call on a Cameron McInnes knock on.

67 min: The Sharks make the Roosters pay when debutant Chris Vea'ila produces some fancy footwork to get around Egan Butcher and score wide out. Nicho Hynes pushes the conversion wide. Sharks 30-18.

66 min: The Roosters try to throw the ball around from deep in their own end but Chad Townsend's pass goes astray and rolls into touch.

62 min: Concerted attack from the Roosters but Sam Walker's lofted pass to Daniel Tupou floats well forward and the Sharks get a scrum feed.

58 min: The Sharks get a couple of six-again calls and pepper the Roosters line before Billy Burns take an inside pass from Braydon Trindall and busts through Naufahu Whyte to scramble across the line for a crucial try. Nicho Hynes converts. Sharks 26-18. 

54 min: Another Sharks mistake coming out of their own end with Will Kennedy putting the ball down to heap more pressure on his team.

51 min: Sione Katoa loses the ball on halfway in a three-man tackle and the Roosters go on the attack but James Tedesco runs the ball on the last and is shut down.

49 min: The Roosters strike first in the second half when Chad Townsend launches a bomb, Mark Nawaqanitawase taps it down and the ball rolls free before Connor Watson scoops it up and passes to Angus Crichton who scores. Sam Walker converts. Sharks 20-18.

44 min: Braydon Trindall goes for the line and looks certain to score but Blake Steep comes up with a trysaver as he clings desperately to Trindall's legs.

43 min: The Sharks launch a captain's challenge and come up trumps when Connor Watson is judged to have interfered with Siosifa Talakai in the play the ball, causing the Sharks centre to lose it.

Prop star: Naufahu Whyte went the full 40 for the Roosters and led the way in the middle with 10 runs for 100 metres. He also got through 25 tackles in a typically wholehearted display.

Half-time: The Sharks take an eight-point lead to the sheds after a highly entertaining first half that produced five tries. Blayke Brailey was the catalyst for the Sharks with two try assists, a line break, 94 run metres and 19 tackles. The Sharks had 19 tackle breaks to seven and six more sets in attack but the Roosters are well and truly in the contest.

36 min: The Sharks let a bomb bounce and almost pay a heavy price but Rob Toia knocks the ball on as he tries to control it.

35 min: Roosters centre Billy Smith is ruled out after failing a HIA.

33 min: The Roosters conjure a long-range try through James Tedesco after some brilliant lead-up from Egan Butcher, Daniel Tupou and Sam Walker, who adds the conversion to cut the margin to eight. Sharks 20-12.

32 min: A penalty against Connor Watson for an escort hands the Sharks another attacking set but Braden Hamlin-Uele puts the ball down.

28 min: Blayke Brailey is having a night out and he sets up Nicho Hynes for the Sharks' third try when he breaks the line and races 40 metres before putting the ball on a platter for his halfback. Hynes adds the extras. Sharks 20-6.

24 min: Briton Nikora has failed his HIA and won't return.

23 min: The Roosters get a shot at a second try on the back of the Sharks' ill-discipline but a forward pass by Chad Townsend takes the air out of the balloon.

21 min: Blayke Brailey goes on report for a lifting tackle and in the following set Addin Fonua-Blake is placed on report for a shoulder charge.

18 min: Braydon Trindall takes the ball to the line and puts a rampaging Teig Wilton into a hole, beating Rob Toia who slipped over and James Tedesco who had no chance of stopping the back-rower on the tryline. Nicho Hynes adds the extras. Sharks 14-6.

13 min: Briton Nikora is forced from the field for a HIA after a collision with Naufahu Whyte. The Roosters go to the right side with a Sam Walker kick for Daniel Tupou to soar through the air and come down with a try. That takes Tupou to 175 career tries. Walker converts from wide out. Sharks 8-6.

11 min: Now it's Addin Fonua-Blake's turn to be pinged for a roll ball and the Roosters get a shot to hit back.

11 min: The Roosters are caught offside out wide and Nicho Hynes takes a shot at penalty goal from wide out on the left. He strikes it sweetly. Sharks 8-0.

8 min: The Roosters make a blunder coming out of their own end when Billy Smith fails to play the ball correctly and the Sharks are in the Red Zone again.

6 min: Blayke Brailey scoots out of dummy half and catches the markers offside before offloading to William Kennedy who plunges over next to the posts for the opening try. Nicho Hynes converts. Sharks 6-0.

5 min: The Sharks get rolling on the back of a six-again call against Victor Radley for a ruck infringement.

Late Mail

Sharks: No further changes on game day after centre Jesse Ramien was ruled out with hamstring tightness on Thursday and replaced by 22-year-old debutant Chris Vea'ila. A change on the bench as well with Billy Burns again brought in to replace Daniel Atkinson, who drops to 18th man. Addin Fonua-Blake will play his 200th NRL game.

Roosters: The Roosters are 1-17 with no late changes. Chad Townsend plays his first NRL game since Round 5 after being named to replace the injured Hugo Savala (wrist) at five-eighth. Ethan King is 18th man.

Numbers Game

• The Sharks have lost their last four games against top-eight opposition.
• The Roosters have won nine of their past 11 games against the Sharks.
• Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo is on a five-game tryscoring streak against the Roosters.
• Roosters winger Daniel Tupou requires two tries to move to equal fifth on the all-time premiership tryscoring list.
• Sharks hooker Blayke Brailey plays his 121st consecutive match.