NRL

Of most concern is hooker Brandon Smith, who left the field late clutching his jaw, while five-eighth Ryley Jacks also went down with a hip injury.

The Storm could well be the first team to fall foul of a crusher tackle crackdown, with debutant half Cooper Johns and bench forward Albert Vete placed on report in the first half.

Eight young males were escorted from the ground by police during the first half of Penrith's 18-12 victory.

NRL acting CEO Andrew Abdo said the governing body took the matter extremely seriously.

"Racism and vilification will not be tolerated in our game," he said.

"Bringing communities and cultures together is part of rugby league. We pride ourselves on being inclusive and taking a leadership role in driving social change.

"Any fan found to have racially abused a player or another fan will not be welcome at our games.

The Daily Telegraph reports Tuivasa-Sheck is weighing up his future at the Warriors with concerns around what next season could be like for the Auckland-based franchise on his mind.

The major concern is if the team would have to be based in Australia again like they have this season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has meant Tuivasa-Sheck has had to spend an extended amount of time away from his young family.

The 35-year-old and his family will leave their Sydney hotel quarantine on Thursday night, just before the Roosters take on Melbourne Storm at the SCG.

After completing a medical examination he will have his first training session with the Roosters at the weekend. He has been using gym equipment while in the two weeks quarantine and although he has had minor knee surgery, he is expected to hit the ground running after his recent stint with Toronto in the Super League.

Williams, counting down his final days in mandatory quarantine in a Sydney apartment before joining his Roosters teammates, said it was hard to believe he was on the verge of an NRL comeback.

The 35-year-old former All Blacks and Roosters premiership player has signed a short-term NRL deal.

His return to the NRL comes after a stint with Toronto was cut short because of the pandemic that has forced the Wolfpack to withdraw from the remainder of the 2020 Super League season.

The Eels are level on points with the Melbourne Storm, just a point behind the table-topping Penrith Panthers, who the Warriors play this Friday.

The Titans earlier beat the North Queensland Cowboys 30-10 on the Gold Coast to now be the top ranked side in the state.

They're up to 13th, just ahead of the Cowboys and the Brisbane Broncos.

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Another potential candidate is no longer in the mix for the job, with interim coach Todd Payten turning down an offer from the club to take the role on a permanent basis.

The embattled club has been searching for a fulltime replacement since they sacked Stephen Kearney six weeks ago, with playmaker Kodi Nikorima among those who had called for the process to be wrapped up as soon as possible.

But, in the wake of Payten's revelation he had turned down the job, chief executive Cameron George said they were committed to taking their time to find the right person.

It's the Auckland club's first National Rugby League win in four games and comes after four players returned to New Zealand this week to be with their families, ending their involvement in the competition.

Peta Hiku bagged a brace of tries while Tohu Harris scored the match winner.

The Warriors trailed by six points at half-time but two pieces of brilliance from Hiku on the left edge pushed the visitors ahead 20-14 after an hour.

Payten could not pinpoint why the Warriors were "soft" against a Shaun Johnson-led Sharks side that scored three tries in the first 15 minutes.

The match was a virtual training run for the Johnson, who scored one try and set up two more, while the middle forwards rolled far too easily through their Warriors counterparts.

The win would have put the Sharks back inside the top eight ahead of the Rabbitohs but for a late try to the Warriors in the dying seconds.

Adding to the Broncos' woes was a horrific leg injury suffered by back-rower Corey Oates late in the game. Play was stopped for several minutes while Oates was stretchered from the field and taken straight to hospital.

The nine-try blowout margin easily eclipsed the Tigers' previous biggest win over the Broncos - a 34-6 semi-final rout on route to their 2005 premiership.

Meanwhile second placed Melbourne scored seven tries in a 42-6 win over Gold Coast.