Canterbury secured their first top-four finish since 2012 after battling to an unconvincing 28-4 win over a second-string Penrith side in the penultimate round of the regular season.
The hard-fought victory came with an almighty price attached to it though, as Jacob Kiraz failed to finish the clash.
The winger limped from the field with 10 minutes remaining on the clock and trudged down the tunnel while in obvious pain as his involvement in the upcoming finals series came into question.
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Dogs seal top-four finish but it comes at a heavy price with Jacob Kiraz injured
The Bulldogs were the unbackable favorites for their meeting with the reigning premiers after Ivan Cleary had opted to rest 16 of his players just two weeks out from the finals.
The men from the foot of the mountains arrived at Accor Stadium with their NSW Cup side lacing up the boots as journeymen, rookies and debutants faced off against the Dogs, who were seeking a vital two competition points.
Yet any pre-conceived notions of the result being a foregone conclusion were quickly put to bed as the inexperienced Panthers equipped themselves well throughout the opening exchanges.
They more than matched the Dogs’ physicality before they were eventually broken for the first time by Lachlan Galvin in the 17th minute.
The Canterbury playmaker raced up in support of Josh Curran, who had sliced through the right-edge defence, before he dished off a pass for Galvin to go over in the corner.
However, the four-pointer didn't lead to a collapse or a loss of focus as the Panthers continued to plug away.
The Bulldogs scored just one more four-pointer for the rest of the first half as Jacob Preston got onto the scoresheet after nice work in the build-up from Stephen Crichton.
It proved to be the first of three tries for the backrower, who was rewarded in points for his relentless work out on the edge.
But while the Dogs eased to the win in the second stanza, the major story of the night arrived when the result was all but sealed.
Kiraz was hurt in the first tackle after Preston had claimed his hat-trick, with the flyer unable to play the ball as he clutched at his left foot.
The Lebanon international picked up the issue when he jumped for the ball from the kick-off and landed awkwardly on the turf while under the attention of David Fale.
Crichton, who had just been given an early mark, was forced to rejoin the action instantly and saw out the rest of the game.
Cameron Ciraldo provided an update on Kiraz post-match, where he expressed his concern at the situation just as the club prepared for a second consecutive finals series.
"It's a bit swollen in there, so it doesn't look great, but hopefully it's just a rolled ankle," Ciraldo said.
The coach revealed Enari Tuala, Jethro Rinakama and Blake Wilson would all be in the conversation to replace Kiraz on the wing, as he heads for scans to determine the extent of the suspected syndesmosis injury.
"Enari, Jethro and Blake are all really good candidates for us," Ciraldo said.
"I'm really happy with the depth we've been building up over the last few years, but particularly this year. We've got a lot of guys who are fighting for NRL spots."
Meanwhile, the coach praised his side for getting the job done on a tricky night that sealed a double chance in the finals.
"It's a great achievement, but it's only the start of what we want to achieve," Ciraldo said.
"We set out in pre-season on where we wanted to go. We wanted to go a couple of steps better than what we did last year and finishing top-four was a part of that. So, to tick that off is nice."