Jarome Luai has helped Penrith shake off a worrying stretch of form and book their top-four spot with a 34-12 defeat of South Sydney.
The Panthers looked closer to their triple premiership-winning best at home on Friday night than in any other game this month as they snapped their first two-game losing streak since last April.
"There were definitely some better signs, I thought, defensively in particular. It was certainly a step up," said coach Ivan Cleary.
"It's something to build on."
Given their inferior for-and-against, the Panthers will rely on other results falling their way to climb back into second spot on the ladder and earn hosting rights in week one of the finals.
But midway through the penultimate round of the regular season, they cannot be ousted from the top four after fifth-placed Canterbury's loss to Manly earlier on Friday.
Luai and back-up playmaker Brad Schneider found more cohesion in their second game since Nathan Cleary's shoulder injury to allay fears of a form spiral without the star halfback.
After Luai threw the pass for 100-gamer Luke Garner to make it 12-0 in as many minutes, the halves linked up for the third try as Luai threaded a grubber kick past Jye Gray.
Luai broke free down the left edge to help Sunia Turuva confirm a try-scoring double just after half-time in the winger's first game back from a two-week spell in reserve grade.
It had been Luai's cut-out pass that helped Penrith create the overlap for Turuva's first try only minutes earlier.
"I thought (Luai) kicked really well, which was the foundation of how he played so well at number seven earlier in the year," Cleary said.
Isaah Yeo continued his own purple patch, fooling Jacob Host with a dummy to send James Fisher-Harris over for the first points of the night in the eighth minute.
Yeo earned an early mark in the final 10 minutes, leaving the field to a standing ovation from sections of the crowd after barging over for a try while Keaon Koloamatangi (professional foul) was in the sin bin.
Souths teenager Tyrone Munro bagged a try-scoring double lining up on the left wing only two days after the death of his mother, with the Rabbitohs wearing black armbands in her memory.
He had his first on the back of an early Cody Walker kick just prior to halftime, before picking off an Izack Tago pass and sprinting some 85 metres to score.
But the Rabbitohs were left to rue blowing early chances while the game was still in the balance.
Walker threw a forward pass for Munro that could have resulted in a try, before Taane Milne spilled the ball short of the line ahead of another potential four-pointer.
"We were quite proud of the effort, I know the result doesn't seem that way," Walker said.
"But we troubled them, we were poking our nose through there in the first half. But they're a great side.
"They do all the basic areas in the game fairly well."
Souths five-eighth Jack Wighton left the field with a calf injury in the second half and is set for scans over the weekend.
"How our season's gone now, there's a good chance he won't be there next week," said interim coach Ben Hornby.
Schneider finished the game on the sidelines undergoing a head injury assessment following a tackle from Walker but is expected to be available against Gold Coast next week.
