The situation at the Panthers is messy – but not all is as it seems.

Panthers coach Anthony Griffin denies his side missed Matt Moylan in key moments of their finals exit at the hands of the Broncos, but Penrith's reliance on their skipper might never be greater given the injury fears they hold for rookie five-eighth Tyrone May.

A late flourish wasn't enough against a determined Brisbane defence, with the Broncos winning at home and setting up a preliminary final against the Storm in Melbourne.

The referees are back in the headlines after another contentious decision denied Penrith the opportunity to score a certain try in Friday night's 13-6 semi final loss to Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.

Peter Wallace assures there's a dry sense of humour buried somewhere within Anthony Griffin, which is good when all anyone wanted to ask the Panthers coach about on the eve of his back to Brisbane homecoming was the man who made him redundant for a season.

Defensive yips, Nathan Cleary, Bennett's curse and Cooper Cronk's poetry ... we have all the big issues covered ahead of the elimination final.

Two of the game's heavyweight coaches couldn't be further apart in their vision for the future of officiating in the NRL, with Robinson backing the current system and Bennett wanted it scrapped completely.

Nathan Cleary has seen the video highlights. That flick pass. The step. The acceleration. And he knows what his dad Ivan, Tigers coach, is getting. And he would love nothing more than closing the book on Benji's Broncos chapter on Friday night.

Tyrone May could wish for fame, fortune or finals from his NRL career, but family will suffice. Just enough money for the boy from Mount Druitt - still is from Mount Druitt - to buy his clan a new house.

The Broncos playmaker will play his final home game on Friday night before moving to the Dragons, where he will return to a more familiar role after being pitched into dummy half late in the season.

Brad Arthur tells a story about Semi Radradra. It sums up just how far he's come since joining the club. "I remember our first session with Semi ... bloody hell, he didn't even know what the sideline was," he said.

As the Panthers try to manage the wellbeing of Matt Moylan, Ben Hunt has come to the aid of Griffin, saying the Panthers coach understands players and knows how to get them firing.

Bryce Cartwright's decision to take personal leave mid-season to deal with a range of mental and physical issues has been described as the catalyst for his resurgence in the opening week of the finals.

Penrith won't play Matt Moylan in Friday's do-or-die semi final against Brisbane unless the skipper is given the all clear following his counselling appointment later in the week.

Brisbane will clash with Penrith on Friday night before the Eels and Cowboys tangle a day later, the NRL has announced.

Matt Moylan's teammates are hoping the Penrith skipper will provide a timely boost by returning for the finals clash with Brisbane.

The fuming second-year coach said it would be a "bloody shame" if a grand final was decided by a Bunker blunder

​Five years after Kieran Foran was awarded an infamous finals try that officials subsequently admitted should never have been given, the Sea Eagles are this time on the wrong end of a similar controversy.

Nathan Cleary's right boot kicked Manly to the brink - and out of the finals - as dad Ivan sat wondering at what stage does he put away the cookbook and dive for the chequebook.