Warriors to take on Broncos in finals
The New Zealand Warriors will face up against the Brisbane Broncos in the first round of the NRL finals next weekend.
The Warriors sensationally stitched up sixth spot with a dominant 18-6 win over North Queensland in Auckland on Saturday night.
The third-placed Broncos locked in a home final when they beat Manly 18-10 on Sunday in Darren Lockyer's regular season farewell at Suncorp Stadium.
The Broncos victory also confirmed the Melbourne Storm as the minor premiers.
The Storm officially claimed the No.1 spot on the ladder despite Sunday's 40-8 drubbing by the Sydney Roosters to make some amends for the minor premierships of 2006 and 2008 they were stripped of after the infamous salary cap scandal.
"It means a fair bit to win this minor premiership after what we've been through as a club last year," coach Craig Bellamy said.
"Obviously there's a bigger prize in the next month and it's a whole new competition starts next week but we just sit back for an hour and probably savour that tonight."
The Storm will play next Sunday's qualifying final against Newcastle at AAMI Park.
The North Queensland Cowboys dramatically dropped from fourth to seventh with the loss to the Warriors and are on a collision course with second-placed hosts Manly at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday night.
A Robbie Farah-inspired Wests Tigers secured fourth with a 30-22 victory over Cronulla on Saturday night, a win that booked a Friday night finals opener against fifth-placed St George Illawarra - the defending champions - at ANZ Stadium.
A four-try haul by winger Akuila Uate helped Newcastle snatch eighth spot with a 40-24 thrashing of fellow finals aspirants South Sydney on Friday night.
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