Penrith back-rower Lewis Brown insists keeping Shaun Johnson in check isn’t enough to stop the Warriors from ending the Panthers’ hopes of a top-four finish.

The sides meet on Sunday evening in the match that will decide the top eight with both needing to win for different reasons.

A Panthers victory would secure fourth spot and earn themselves two attempts to qualify for the preliminary final.

Should the mercurial Warriors prevail at a venue at which they lost 62-6 at last year, they will clamber into the top eight for the first time since reaching the 2011 grand final.

It will be a case of friends reunited at Sportingbet Stadium with Brown one of four ex-Warriors players on Penrith’s books along with coach Ivan Cleary, who made the move across the Tasman three years ago.

Brown is the only man fit enough to face his former club with Elijah Taylor, Issac John and Jerermy Latimore unavailable due to injury and he has first-hand knowledge when it comes to the brilliance of Johnson.

“Litle Shaunny is definitely their go-to man who can certainly win them a game,” Brown said.

“They are a side that you have to play 80 minutes against because they can score from anywhere.”

With Johnson not in the side the Warriors have tended to struggle in attack.

However, they did put 50 points on a struggling Canberra side when he was out with a groin injury earlier this season and Brown said it proved his former club are not just a one-man team.

“I don’t think that’s a fair call at all,” he told AAP.

“Guys like Manu (Vatuvei), Konnie Hurrell and (Sam) Tomkins are all game breakers on their day.”

“They were pretty devastating in that first 50 minutes or so against the Titans last week where they scored 40-odd points.

“When they are on-song they can really hurt you and with everything to play for on Sunday it is going to be a very determined side that we play.”