Prepare for another Melbourne Storm finals ambush – that’s the word from premiership-winner Matthew Johns who has labelled the Penrith Panthers “tired” ahead of their grand final qualifier against the Storm on Saturday.

The Panthers clinched a tight 8-6 win over Parramatta in a classic after going down to South Sydney in Week 1.

“What I see with Penrith… is there was talk after their first final loss to Souths that they looked tired,” Johns told SEN.

“I sort of rejected that a little bit, I just thought they were down on emotion and not as ramped up as they should have been thinking they’d roll over Souths.

“But I saw that Saturday night… I saw a tired football side.”

Fifty of our favourite players to never win a rugby league premiership in Australia

Johns used Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo as examples of Penrith’s struggles.

“That’s the concern for me – Isaah Yeo went from being a creative player to just taking hit-ups.

“Even to the point where the other night I thought Nathan Cleary kicked really conservatively… there was none of those big towering bombs.

“It’s a concern for Penrith.”