There were fears skipper James Graham would be charged for kicking out at South Sydney's Sam Burgess, while David Klemmer faced a nervous wait after appearing to have thrown a bottle in the direction of Nathan Brown during his conversion attempt after the siren.

While Klemmer is likely to receive a warning from the NRL, both forwards were cleared by the match review committee on Saturday, leaving the only uncertainty around the immediate future of Will Hopoate.

It appears likely the NRL will schedule the Panthers-Bulldogs final for Saturday night at Allianz Stadium, allowing Hopoate to play in the sudden death match given his religious commitment would have likely seen him miss a Sunday fixture.

In an emotion-charged clash between the Dogs and Bunnies on Friday night, the long-standing tension between Burgess and Tim Browne boiled over inside the ANZ Stadium tunnel, with the South Sydney superstar allegedly telling his Bulldogs counterpart "you're a nobody". It was one of several incidents involving Burgess, who has been hit with a grade one tripping charge on Canterbury's Aiden Tolman that threatens to see him miss a game.

Burgess was involved in what has been described as a "heated exchange" with Browne, trading verbal barbs deep inside the ANZ Stadium tunnel after they were shown in disagreement leaving the field at half-time.

Burgess, one of the biggest names in rugby league, was quick to point out the status of the Penrith-bound Browne, questioning his fitness for the top grade with a series of sledges mocking his profile in the sport.

Burgess' animosity towards the giant Bulldogs prop stems back to the 2014 grand final, when Burgess fractured his cheekbone in the first few seconds of the Rabbitohs' premiership triumph. Browne targeted the wounded Englishman on that night, repeatedly ramming his head into Burgess' face while packing into scrums. But on Friday night, in their first encounter since that showdown, Burgess made it clear he hadn't forgotten the treatment he copped in his final game before his brief rugby union stint.

Tensions began to simmer just before half-time when Browne floored Burgess while running a decoy, with the pair later going at it in a scrum when Browne began to get under the skin of South Sydney hooker and former Bulldog Damien Cook.

The referees tried to warn Burgess that the niggle wouldn't be tolerated for long, in which Burgess replied: "I'll start if he goes. You have to control it for me."

That did little to prevent the pair from coming together as they left the field at half-time, exchanging pleasantries as they trudged up the tunnel. But away from the cameras, the heated exchange continued deep up the tunnel as they made their way into their respective sheds. It is understood the confrontation did not become physical as their teammates guided them away from each other and into the dressing room.

The Bulldogs could finish as low as seventh after the loss to the Rabbitohs on Friday night, which will means they will take on the Penrith Panthers in Sydney in the first week of the finals series.

If Penrith beat Manly on Sunday night, they will leapfrog the Bulldogs into sixth position, however the result against the Sea Eagles means little given Canterbury and the Panthers will still meet in the opening week of the finals at either Allianz Stadium or ANZ Stadium.