The top 10 performances of Finals Week 2

A masterclass from a makeshift, a couple of tireless running efforts and a clutch play with the season on the line head up the most impressive performances from Finals Week Two. 

We look over the best of the best from the round, which saw the Storm and Warriors lock in Preliminary Final showdowns with the Panthers and Broncos.

1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad

Joined elite company when he made his 32nd run of the night, with his Herculean effort – which led to 297 metres gained – leaving him just two runs short of Clint Gutherson's 2020 mark. 

Safe as houses at the back, handling everything Newcastle sent his way off the boot and conducting a defensive effort that ensured Kalyn Ponga had minimal impact on the contest. 

Scored a nice try, set another one up and broke through eight tackles as he saved his best performance of the season for the club's biggest game in 12 years. 

2. Cameron Munster

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. As he has done so often for the Storm over the years, Munster rose to the occasion when the biggest moment of the game arrived.

Knowing anything off target would likely spell the end of his side's season, Munster dropped a cross-field kick right where Will Warbrick needed it to get over for the winner with two minutes left.

It capped off a busy night in which he took over chief playmaking responsibilities in the absence of Jahrome Hughes, running the ball 17 times with great effect.

3. Tohu Harris

No forward ran for more than Harris' 228 metres on Saturday night, as the 31-year-old got through another 80-minute showing in the middle of the park. 

His consistent line speed contributed to the Newcastle pack never really getting into the arm wrestle, while he came up with some big moments when the game sat in the balance early in the second half. 

Had some excellent carries, including one which set up Dylan Walker's try a play later.

4. Shaun Johnson

Outside of the large bandage covering it, and the wall-to-wall media rugby league media coverage, you wouldn't have known he suffered a calf tear two and a half weeks earlier.

Nailed his kicking game and executed the last-tackle plan to perfection, which killed off much of the threat presented by Kalyn Ponga, Greg Marzhew and Dom Young.

Provided nice passes to set up the opening two tries and set the Warriors up for a big win.

5. Tyran Wishart

Losing Jahrome Hughes a day out from kick-off could have been a disaster for the Storm, but for Wishart stepping in and doing everything that could have been expected of him as the makeshift halfback. 

Scored an individual stunner to open the game, with a lovely show of footwork and a dummy to bamboozle the Roosters' line, before settling into the game and working well alongside Cameron Munster. 

If he's required again for the Preliminary Final against the Panthers he's shown he can hold his own in one of the most important positions on the field. 

6. Rocco Berry 

Did a consistently reliable job on Newcastle's left edge defensively, which not many centres have been able to do through the second half of this season. Made 17 tackles and kept the edge in shape with some nice reads.

Turned plenty of good Shaun Johnson long kicks into great ones with his kick chases and then got over for a rare try with a determined effort.

7. Harry Grant 

Picked his moments to run well and did some real damage to the Roosters when he got out from dummy-half, averaging over 10 metres on each occasion.

Made 36 tackles and ran for over 100 metres all up. While he still seems a little way off his peak form from the past few seasons, he's a key reason the Storm are playing in a Preliminary Final this Friday instead of starting their off-season holidays.

8. Mitchell Barnett 

Set the tone for a dominant performance from the Warriors' pack with a strong first stint against his former club. 

Kept busy on both sides of the ball and was particularly hard for the Knights to handle on a night when they were on the wrong end of a lopsided possession count. Averaged 10 metres across 15 carries. 

9. Terrell May 

A breakout game from the second-year forward who came off the bench and made a noticeable difference for the Tricolours. 

Showed nice feet to create a gaping hole in the Storm line the play before Brandon Smith scored and ended up playing 56 minutes straight after coming on in the 24th.

Made a game-high 45 tackles without a single miss.

10. Greg Marzhew

Running the ball against the Warriors on Saturday night was frequently a thankless task, but Marzhew didn't shirk the load at all and managed to be heavily involved despite the opposition ensuring he had very few opportunities in good-ball situations. 

Finished with a team-high 199 metres from 22 runs and was a standout in a badly beaten side.