WHAT HAPPENED

Cronulla 21 bt Penrith 20

South Sydney 13 bt St George Illawarra 12

THEY SAID IT: “We had it, we lost it. We had it.” – Paul McGregor sums up a dramatic final 10 minutes of St George Illawarra’s season-ending loss to South Sydney.

MAN OF THE SEMIS: Damien Cook bounced back from a quiet few weeks to again stand up in the key moments for the Rabbitohs. He ran 131 metres out of dummy-half and was Souths’ leading tackler with 36 efforts in defence.

KEY MOMENT: After calls came for his head at different times this year, Chad Townsend’s composure shone through when he kicked Cronulla to victory over Penrith with a field goal in the dying minutes, ending the Panthers’ comeback from 18-0 down late in the first half.

TALKING POINT: South Sydney’s lewd video scandal is set to dominate discussion ahead of their preliminary final with the Sydney Roosters, with the Rabbitohs appointing a panel to investigate allegations that two players exposed themselves without consent to a lady in a video call.

STATS THAT MATTER: Adam Reynolds recovered from a shoulder injury to score all 13 of the Rabbitohs’ points in their win, becoming the first man to kick three field goals in an NRL match since Jason Taylor at North Sydney in 1997

JUDICIARY WATCH: Rabbitohs – Greg Inglis (dangerous contact); Dragons – Jeremy Latimore (dangerous contact).

INJURIES: Dragons – Tariq Sims (knee); Sharks – Paul Gallen (shoulder), Luke Lewis (calf).

WHAT’S NEXT: Souths face arch-rivals Sydney Roosters in a blockbuster clash at Allianz Stadium on Saturday for a spot in the grand final, while Melbourne host Cronulla on Friday night.