As it happened: 'Hammer' fires as Dolphins stun Panthers

History lesson: In 2006 the Broncos lost five in a row between Rounds 18-23 and went on to win the premiership. In 2012 the Storm suffered five losses on the trot between Round 16-21 but regrouped to claim the premiership.

Next week: The Dolphins are at home again in Round 7, hosting last year's other grand finalists Melbourne. The Panthers face the Roosters at Allianz Stadium.

Full-time: The Panthers lose five straight for the first time since early in the 2019 season as the Dolphins make it back-to-back wins in front of 19,103 fans at Suncorp Stadium. With Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (176 run metres and three tries) enjoying a night out, the Dolphins' back five combined for 719 run metres while Daniel Saifiti powered through 14 runs for 137 metres. For the Panthers, fullback Dylan Edwards racked up 240 metres in his return from injury while Isaah Yeo had 167 run metres and a whopping 51 tackles.

80 min: 'The Hammer' puts an exclamation mark on the Dolphins' win when he picks up a loose ball and races 80 metres to complete his second career hat-trick. Jamayne Isaako adds the extras to complete a stunning 30-12 victory for Kristian Woolf's men.

77 min: Late contact on Kodi Nikorima after a kick puts the Dolphins in position to deliver the knockout blow but the ball is spilt by Isaiya Katoa when he gets a poor pass from Kurt Donoghoe at dummy half.

76 min: Another chance for the Panthers and another mistake as Casey McLean puts the ball down.

75 min: Two chip kicks by Penrith and the ball ends up in the in goal but Casey McLean dives for the ball but can't get it down and the Dolphins survive. Jamayne Isaako goes long with the dropout which goes 55 metres on the fly.

73 min: Nathan Cleary puts in a grubber that looks to be way too big but Jack Bostock makes a mess of trying to kick the ball dead and it rolls across to Moses Leota who touches down for the Panthers' second try. Cleary converts to make it 24-12.

70 min: Dolphins winger Jack Bostock comes up with a bell ringer on Izack Tago as the home team continue to hold firm in defence.

66 min: A poor offload by Blaize Talagi hands the ball back to the Dolphins who march down field and launch a bomb which Dylan Edwards defuses.

62 min: The Dolphins are denied a try after Isaiya Katoa is ruled to have interfered in the ruck after a pass by Panthers dummy half Brad Schneider goes astray and Jake Averillo picks up the scraps to dive over under the posts. The score remains 24-6.

56 min: The Panthers mount another raid but Nathan Cleary's final pass finds no one and goes over the sideline.

50 min: Dolphins winger Jamayne Isaako goes on report for a dangerous tackle.

49 min: An escort penalty against Kodi Nikorima puts the Dolphins under pressure and a dangerous tackle penalty against Jamayne Isaako makes it two sets on their own line but Paul Alamoti is bundled into touch by desperate cover defence.

46 min: Panthers winger Thomas Jenkins spills a bomb 10 metres out from his own line and the Dolphins earn a repeat set through a grubber by Isaiya Katoa. The short dropout works for the Panthers and they get possession back.

43 min: On the back of two six-again calls the Dolphins strike a killer blow when Josh Kerr hits the line and delivers a superb offload for Connelly Lemuelu to score. Jamayne Isaako converts for a 24-6 lead.

Half-time: The Dolphins' speed men have had a night out with Jake Averillo running for 142 metres and breaking five tackles while Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow bagged a double to make it six tries in his last four games against Penrith. The Panthers completed at 85 per cent and had plenty of ball in the Red Zone but could muster just the one try. The Dolphins completed at 69 per cent and came up with seven errors but still take a decisive lead into the sheds.

40 min: The Panthers get a late penalty and set up for a two-point field goal attempt by Nathan Cleary but the kick is charged down by Kurt Donoghoe.

39 min: The Panthers mount a raid down the left side but Thomas Jenkins' kick back inside is easily cleaned up by Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.

36 min: Back to 13 on 13 with Paul Alamoti returning to the field.

34 min: The Panthers go on the attack but a great shot by Josh Kerr on Nathan Cleary forces the ball loose and the Dolphins come away.

29 min: The Dolphins extend their lead when Jake Averillo burns Casey McLean and gets the ball down in the corner despite Dylan Edwards' last ditch effort to bundle him into touch. Jamayne Isaako nails the conversion from wide out. Dolphins 18-6.

26 min: Panthers winger Paul Alamoti goes on report and is sent to the sin bin for high contact on Tom Gilbert.

24 min: Kulkefu Finefeuiaki makes a mistake straight from the kick-off and the Panthers go for a trick shot with a Nathan Cleary kick on the first tackle but Paul Alamoti pushes a defender as he tries to get to the ball and is penalised.

23 min: A double for Hamiso Tabui-Fidow after good lead-up work by Isaiya Katoa and Jake Averillo, with The Hammer also handling in the lead-up. Another long range special from 60 metres out puts the Dolphins in front and Jamayne Isaako converts for a 12-6 lead.

18 min: Nathan Cleary earns the Panthers a repeat set with another neat grubber as Herbie Farnworth is forced to clean up and knock the ball dead.

11 min: The Panthers strike back when Nathan Cleary dabs a pinpoint grubber into the in goal and Casey McLean follows through to score his fourth try of the season. Cleary adds the extras to make it 6-6.

9 min: Back-to-back penalties against the Panthers invite the Dolphins onto the attack but an error in play the ball by Daniel Saifiti lets the champs off the hook.

3 min: The Dolphins score a try from their own side of halfway with Herbie Farnworth exploding into space and finding Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in support for the opening four-pointer. Jamayne Isaako converts for a 6-0 lead.

2 min: The Panthers mount huge pressure on the back of a six-again call but the Dolphins keep their line intact when Thomas Jenkins is tackled into touch by Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.

1 min: The worst possible start for the Dolphins with Daniel Saifiti losing the ball on the first hit-up of the match. The Dolphins then burn their captain's challenge.

Late Mail

The Dolphins are 1-17 with no late changes. Skipper Tom Gilbert returns from a suspension but lock Ray Stone is serving a one-game ban. Halfback Isaiya Katoa plays his 50th NRL game.

Isaiah Papali'i will start the game and Lindsay Smith goes to the bench in a late switch an hour before kick-off. Dylan Edwards and Scott Sorensen return from injury in a major boost for the struggling premiers.

The Numbers Game

• Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary requires eight points to break the club’s all-time scoring record.
• Dolphins fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has scored four tries in his last three games against the Panthers.
• The Panthers have won nine of their past 10 games at Suncorp Stadium.