The weekend kicked off with the traditional City v Country Origin match, and against all pre-match predictions of a
comfortable Country win, the match went right down to the wire. Conditions were wet and slippery at WIN Stadium,
conditions not conducive to the highest standard play; but both sides entertained and enthralled the crowd during a
see-sawing contest that lasted the full 80 minutes, and despite both sides having plenty of field goal attempts during
the golden point period the match remained deadlocked at 22-22.
Country Origin 22 drew City Origin 22 after golden point extra time.
Country : Tries - A Roberts, B Harris, T Carney, A Laffranchi. Goals - C Fitzgibbon 2/4, T Carney 1/1. Field Goals - T
Carney 0/1, B Finch 0/2.
City : Tries - J Hayne, B Pomeroy, B Delaney, J Sutton. Goals - B Hodgson 3/4. Field Goals - A Anasta 0/1, M Pearce 0/1.
Referee - J Maxwell. Crowd - 11,365 at WIN Stadium.
The much-improved Newcastle obtained an important scalp when they deposed Gold Coast from top of the ladder
with a thrilling 13-12 victory. The Knights jumped the Titans early, with Naiqama and Mullen going over early to help the
Knights to a 12-0 half-time lead. But the Titans fought back, with Prince and Minichiello scoring to level the scores. But
the Knights, as they have done already this season, were able to prevail in a close contest when Jarrod Mullen banged
a field goal over with 10 minutes remaining and the Knights hanging on against a welter of Titan possession to claim
an important victory.
Newcastle 13 d Gold Coast 12
Knights : Tries - W Naiqama, J Mullen. Goals - K Gidley 2/2. Field Goals - J Mullen 1/1.
Titans : Tries - S Prince, M Minichiello. Goals - S Prince 2/2. Field Goals - S Prince 0/1.
Referee - G Badger. Crowd - 21,280 at Energy Australia Stadium.
A blistering 11-minute burst just after half-time propelled Parramatta to a 26-18 win over Penrith at CUA Stadium in
front of a bumper crowd of 18,724 on Saturday night. The Eels ran in 4 tries during that burst, turning a 14-6 deficit into
a 26-14 win and restoring some much-needed self-belief in the Parramatta camp. Pleasingly for the Eels, Brett Finch
was back in his best form after an indifferent opening to the season, enjoying being back in the number 7 jumper after
the departure of Tim Sith.
Parramatta 26 d Penrith 18
Eels : Tries - F Mateo, N Hindmarsh, D Wagon, W Hauraki, J Reddy. Goals - L Burt 3/5. Field Goals - B Finch 0/1.
Panthers : Tries - M Jennigs, T Puletua, P Civoniceva. Goals - J Sammut 3/4.
Referee - B Cummins. Crowd - 18,724 at CUA Stadium.
It was a rare appearance for free-to-air Saturday TV when Channel 9 televised the Wests Tigers v Brisbane game; but
with only 11,000 venturing out to Homebush for the late kick-off and modest TV ratings it's unlikely to return on live free
TV on a Saturday night any time soon. On the field, the Broncos raced out of the blocks to jump to an 18-0 lead at
half-time, and from there coasted home to an easy 34-22 win to return to top spot on the ladder. Reece Robinson
scored 2 tries for the Broncos, while Ben Te'o breathed some life back into the Tigers with a second half double.
Brisbane 34 d Wests Tigers 22
Broncos : Tries - R Robinson 2, K Hunt, D Kemp, P Wallace, S Thaiday. Goals - M Ennis 4/5, P Wallace 1/1.
Tigers : Tries - B Te'o 2, D Collis, S McDonnell. Goals - B Hodgson 3/4.
Referee - T Archer. Crowd - 11,177 at ANZ Stadium.
In appalling conditions at Mt Smart Stadium, cold, wet and the surface such a quagmire it was barely playable, the
New Zealand Warriors froze Canberra out of the contest; getting a whopping 60% of possession and denying the
Raiders ball and field position. In the end, a low-scoring contest was won by the home side 2 tries to 1; with the boot
of Michael Witt also contributing 2 penalty goals to keep the match out of the Raiders' reach.
New Zealand Warriors 14 d Canberra 6
Warriors : Tries - B Tate, R Shortland. Goals - M Witt 3/5.
Raiders : Tries - L Withers. Goals - T Carney 1/1.
Referee - S Hampstead. Crowd - 7,358 at Mt Smart Stadium.
With Russell Crowe back in Australia for the first time in 2008, Souths were inspired by the return of the club owner,
playing with the passion and flair that had been so noticably absent this season to date to overcome North
Queensland 28-24 at ANZ Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Doubles from Beau Champion and John Sutton saw the
beleaguered Bunnies finally finish on the right side of the scorebook; and although only a small crowd was on hand
there was plenty of atmosphere in the stadium as the crowd finally had reason to celebrate.
South Sydney 28 d North Queensland 24
Rabbitohs : Tries - B Chamption 2, J Sutton 2, N Vagana. Goals - I Luke 4/5.
Cowboys : Tries - A Graham, J Williams, C Webb, B Vaeau. Goals - J Thurston 4/4.
Referee - S Hayne. Crowd - 9,818 at ANZ Stadium.
ROUND 9 FIXTURES: (All times shown are Sydney time)
Friday 9th May ANZAC Cup - Australia v New Zealand (SCG, 8:00pm) Saturday 10th May Sydney Roosters v Canberra (Sydney Football Stadium, 5:30pm) Bulldogs v Penrith (ANZ Stadium, 7:30pm) North Queensland v Cronulla (Dairy Farmers Stadium, 7:30pm) Sunday 11th May Brisbane v Manly (Suncorp Stadium, 2:00pm) Parramatta v St George-Illawarra (ANZ Stadium, 3:00pm) Monday 12th May Melbourne v Newcastle (Olympic Park, 7:00pm)
Bye - South Sydney, Gold Coast, Wests Tigers, NZ Warriors.
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