| ROUND 15 FIXTURES: (All times shown are Sydney time) Wednesday 15th June State of Origin II - New South Wales v Queensland (8:00pm, ANZ Stadium) Friday 17th June Brisbane v St George (7:30pm, Suncorp Stadium) South Sydney v Gold Coast (7:30pm, ANZ Stadium) Saturday 18th June Newcastle v Penrith (5:30pm, Ausgrid Stadium) North Queensland v NZ Warriors (7:30pm, Dairy Farmers Stadium) Sunday 19th June Canterbury v Cronulla (2:00pm, ANZ Stadium) Wests Tigers v Melbourne (3:00pm, Leichhardt Oval) Monday 20th June Manly v Parramatta (7:00pm, Brookvale Oval) BYE - Canberra, Sydney Roosters. |
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| Even with their Origin players away at camp, few pundits thought St George would have any trouble overcoming Gold Coast at Kogarah on Friday night. But in the boilover of the season to date, the Titans departed the Dragons’ lair with the points after completing a memorable 28-14 victory. In just the second minute, the Titans were on the board. An errant bomb from Scott Prince found no-one, the ball going to ground; but Joseph Tomane was first on hand to clean up the mess and dive over to score in the corner. Too tight an angle for Scott Prince to convert, but it gave the Titans first blood in the contest. But the try spurred the Dragons into action, and even with half of their best side away on rep duty, the Dragons were able to look dangerous and it looked only a matter of time before they would score. And sure enough, at the 10 minute mark, Jason Nightingale offloaded to Ratu Peni Tagive and the Dragons were on the board. And just a few minutes later, Jason Nightingale was again in the thick of the action as he set up Alex McKinnon; and after considerable deliberation by the video referee, the try was awarded. But the Dragons were without Jamie Soward, a big loss at the kicking tee. Ben Hornby took the conversion attempts, but was unable to land either, and the Dragons’ lead remained at 8-4. Both sides defended better than they attacked for the remainder of the half, and the score remained unchanged till half time. But five minutes after the break, Scott Prince chased his own grubber and scored under the posts; his conversion giving the Titans the lead. Five minutes later, the Dragon defenders coughed up the ball, with Mark Minichiello pouncing on the opportunity to score. And just before the hour mark, a creative offload by Preston Campbell sent David Mead to the line and putting the Titans 20-8 ahead. The Dragons weren’t giving up, and some soft defence by the Titans enabled McKinnon to score his second try and cut the margin to six points. But with 13 minutes to go, a scramble next to the try-line saw Matt Srama dive on the ball; and although it took the video referee a long time to review the action, a benefit of the doubt try was awarded and converted. Time was running out, and a penalty goal for the Titans put the margin out beyond two converted tries, and the game was safely won for the Titans. It may have been against depleted opposition, but after a season where little has gone right for the Titans to date, it was a welcome reversal in their fortunes and gives them the opportunity to work their way up from their lowly position on the ladder. Gold Coast Titans 28 def St George-Illawarra Dragons 14 Titans : Tries – S Prince, M Minichiello, J Tomane, D Mead, M Srama. Goals – S Prince 4/6. Dragons : Tries – A McKinnon 2, R Tagive. Goals – B Hornby 1/3. Referees – T Archer, A Shortall. Crowd – 10,139 at WIN Jubilee Stadium. The weather turned nasty at Brookvale Oval before Manly’s clash with North Queensland on Saturday night, and only a small crowd was in attendance. But despite the small crowd, and the absence of several key players from both sides on rep duty, a position in the top four was up for grabs. And it would be the Sea Eagles who would emerge with the points, as they showed themselves to be far too good for the Cowboys with a 24-4 win. The Sea Eagles raced out of the blocks, with the ball being passed to Steve Matai after just one tackle and Matai going for a run and being pulled down just short of the line. The ball was played to Daly Cherry-Evans, who caught the Cowboy defenders off-guard again with a grubber, which Brett Stewart chased to score under the posts. Jamie Lyon added the conversion, and the Sea Eagles had a 6-0 lead before the late arrivals had even found their seats. |
Just five minutes later, George Rose crashed over the Cowboy defenders to score another try. The Sea Eagles
had dominated possession and ensured they would be playing from in front all evening and that the Cowboys
would be chasing the game. But as the weather deteriorated, the ball became more and more slippery; both
sides struggling to control the ball through the remainder of the half and neither was to add another score, the
Sea Eagles leading 12-0 at the break.
Steve Matai had started the first half imposingly, and his start of the second start was even better, as he
powered his way over the line after 30 seconds to put the Sea Eagles 18-0 ahead, a lead that the Cowboys
never looked a chance to peg back.
Ashley Graham did get one try back for the Cowboys on the hour, but in Johnathan Thurston’s absence it fell to
Gavin Cooper to attempt the conversion from the sideline, a task that proved beyond him in the wet and windy
conditions. But just five minutes later, Brett Stewart brought up his double to end whatever slight hopes the
Cowboys may have had.
For the Sea Eagles, both the win and the comprehensive margin keep them well and truly inside the top four,
flying high on the back of a four-game winning streak. But the Cowboys will be disappointed with the result, and
will be waiting on other results to determine their top-four aspirations.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 def North Queensland Cowboys 4
Sea Eagles : Tries – B Stewart 2, S Matai, G Rose. Goals – J Lyon 4/4.
Cowboys : Tries – A Graham. Goals – G Cooper 0/1.
Referees – J Maxwell, G Sutton. Crowd – 8,452 at Brookvale Oval.
The weekend before State of Origin is always tricky for Brisbane, with the Broncos having many of their top
players away in camp. And the depleted Broncos were made to fight all the way, it taking till golden point for
them to defeat the struggling Canberra Raiders at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Broncos started brightly, with Alex Glenn slipping through some poor attempted tackles for the first try. And
at the 15 minute mark, Dale Copley burrowed his way under the Raider defence to score and put the Broncos 10-
0 ahead.
Neither side was able to score again until four minutes before the break, when a penalty enabled Peter Wallace
to add another two points for the Broncos. It was a poor kick-off from the Raiders, enabling the Broncos to get
themselves into an attacking position, and before the set could be completed Gerard Beale found the space to
score out wide and get the Broncos to an 18-0 lead at half time.
Ten minutes after the break, the Broncos were even further ahead, after Peter Wallace made a break and off-
loaded to Justin Hoffman for a try under the posts. Peter Wallace landed the conversion, and the Broncos were
24-0 ahead and looking good.
The hour mark came and went, and the Broncos were looking secure. But suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the
game changed dramatically.
At 64 minutes, a knock-on by the Broncos gave the Raiders an attacking opportunity; and Josh Papalii crossed
over the line to get the Raiders on the board. Papalii made it a double just three minutes later, as the Brisbane
defence went missing in action. Both tries were converted, and although the Broncos were still 24-12 ahead, the
Raiders were working their way back into the contest.
It wasn’t a great kick-off by the Broncos, and the Raiders were making plenty of ground with each tackle. And it
took just four tackles for Glenn Buttriss to score out wide. Blake Ferguson took the conversion from the sideline
an made no mistake; and a game that had looked dead and buried just a few minutes earlier was back to a six
point margin.
The Raiders kept coming, and at 73 minutes Josh McCrone put up a bomb which was pounced on by Jarrod
Croker. Ferguson’s conversion levelled the scores; the Broncos’ impressive lead had been wiped out in just nine
minutes, and the Raiders had all the momentum and confidence.
Josh McCrone had an attempt to kick a drop goal to give the Raiders an unlikely win, but the kick sailed wide; and
so the game went to golden point. But, after the sides jockeyed for field goal position, Peter Wallace landed the
field goal at the four minute mark. The Broncos got the win, but by just falling over the line rather than the one-
sided affair that had looked likely just a short time earlier.
Brisbane Broncos 25 def Canberra Raiders 24 in golden point extra time
Broncos : Tries – J Hoffman, A Glenn, G Beale, D Copley. Goals – P Wallace 4/5. Field Goals – P
Wallace 1/1.
Raiders : Tries – J Papalii 2, G Buttriss, J Croker. Goals – B Ferguson 4/4. Field Goals – J McCrone
0/1.
Referees – J Robinson, B Suttor. Crowd – 21,378 at Suncorp Stadium.
Sunday afternoon at Mt Smart Stadium saw Wests Tigers strengthen their hold on a position in the top eight
when the Tigers came from behind to down the New Zealand Warriors 26-22.
Despite three tries being scored in the first half, it wasn’t a period of play that reached any great heights. The
Tigers were on the board early, with Blake Ayshford surging through a hole in the Warriors’ defence to score. But
the Warriors soon got the try back when Krisnan Inu scored in the corner. Each side attempted a try only to be
refused by the goal umpire. And shortly before half time, Kevin Locke caught the Tiger defence unawares as he
breezed in to score and put the Warriors 8-4 ahead at the break. Windy conditions tested the goalkickers, and
none of the tries from the first half were converted.
It hadn’t been a great half, but the Warriors emerged after half time a different team, and quickly burst out to
an imposing lead. Kevin Locke had a try disallowed, but shortly afterwards, Manu Vatuvei found some space to
score in the corner. At 57 minutes, Feleti Mateo offloaded to Shaun Johnson, who crossed over for his first NRL
try. But James Maloney had a shocker with the kick again, and Maloney had missed all four conversion attempts.
On the hour, Manu Vatuvei crashed over for his second try, and finally Maloney landed a conversion; putting the
Warriors 22-4 ahead, and looking in control of the match.
Five minutes later, Benji Marshall got himself in the contest. The Tigers captain, a New Zealand representative,
put on an individual effort to cross the line for his first try in New Zealand. The Tigers received the ball from the
kick-off, and on the fifth tackle went to the air with a well-placed bomb which the flying Wade McKinnon
pounced on to score. With Benji Marshall converting both tries, it was back to 22-16.
Benji Marshall was on fire, and got the Tigers into another attacking raid with a well-timed 40-20 kick. And
dodging and weaving his way past the Warriors defending, Marshall brought up his double; and his conversion
levelled the scores with just seven minutes to go. And with only four minutes remaining on the clock, Marshall
again manufactured an opportunity before off-loading to Beau Ryan, who scored to bring up the try that would
see the Tigers to an unlikely win.
Wests Tigers 26 def New Zealand Warriors 22
Tigers : Tries – B Marshall 2, W McKinnon, B Ryan, B Ayshford. Goals – B Marshall 3/5.
Warriors : Tries – M Vatuvei 2, K Inu, K Locke, S Johnson. Goals – J Maloney 1/5.
Referees – A Klein, A Devcich. Crowd – 15,889 at Mt Smart Stadium.
Melbourne were depleted with their Origin players absent from duty, but still had enough talent and desire to
cruise past a disappointing Sydney Roosters 21-4 at AAMI Park on Monday evening.
The Roosters started strongly against the makeshift Storm side, getting close to the line several times in the
opening minutes but being unable to cross. The Storm took the lead through a penalty goal, but at 18 minutes
Braith Anasta found Joseph Leilua and the Roosters had the first try of the night, a dive over the line from out
wide. Anasta’s conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but the Roosters had taken a 4-2 lead.
The Roosters continued to press, but were unable to land another try. And, against the run of play, the Storm
got on the scoreboard four minutes before half time, an outstanding individual effort by Justin O’Neill producing
the try. Garth Widdop converted to put the Storm 8-4 ahead at half time.
A penalty goal early in the second half extended the Roosters’ lead by two, and on the hour Beau Champion
pounced on the ball during a scramble on the goal-line. The video referee awarded the try, and Widdop
converted to make the score 16-4 to the Storm.
The shell-shocked Roosters had worked hard during the first half but had failed to achieve reward for effort, and
once the Storm stepped up in the second half the Roosters were left behind. A field goal to Widdop extended
the margin beyond two converted tries, and there would be no way back for the Roosters. O’Neill’s second try in
the final minute was the icing on the cake, a comfortable win for the Storm.
Melbourne Storm 21 def Sydney Roosters 4
Storm : Tries – J O’Neill 2, B Champion. Goals – G Widdop 4/4. Field Goals – G Widdop 1/1.
Roosters : Tries – J Leilua. Goals – B Anasta 0/1.
Referees – G Badger, T De las Heras. Crowd – 9,843 at AAMI Park.
had dominated possession and ensured they would be playing from in front all evening and that the Cowboys
would be chasing the game. But as the weather deteriorated, the ball became more and more slippery; both
sides struggling to control the ball through the remainder of the half and neither was to add another score, the
Sea Eagles leading 12-0 at the break.
Steve Matai had started the first half imposingly, and his start of the second start was even better, as he
powered his way over the line after 30 seconds to put the Sea Eagles 18-0 ahead, a lead that the Cowboys
never looked a chance to peg back.
Ashley Graham did get one try back for the Cowboys on the hour, but in Johnathan Thurston’s absence it fell to
Gavin Cooper to attempt the conversion from the sideline, a task that proved beyond him in the wet and windy
conditions. But just five minutes later, Brett Stewart brought up his double to end whatever slight hopes the
Cowboys may have had.
For the Sea Eagles, both the win and the comprehensive margin keep them well and truly inside the top four,
flying high on the back of a four-game winning streak. But the Cowboys will be disappointed with the result, and
will be waiting on other results to determine their top-four aspirations.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 def North Queensland Cowboys 4
Sea Eagles : Tries – B Stewart 2, S Matai, G Rose. Goals – J Lyon 4/4.
Cowboys : Tries – A Graham. Goals – G Cooper 0/1.
Referees – J Maxwell, G Sutton. Crowd – 8,452 at Brookvale Oval.
The weekend before State of Origin is always tricky for Brisbane, with the Broncos having many of their top
players away in camp. And the depleted Broncos were made to fight all the way, it taking till golden point for
them to defeat the struggling Canberra Raiders at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Broncos started brightly, with Alex Glenn slipping through some poor attempted tackles for the first try. And
at the 15 minute mark, Dale Copley burrowed his way under the Raider defence to score and put the Broncos 10-
0 ahead.
Neither side was able to score again until four minutes before the break, when a penalty enabled Peter Wallace
to add another two points for the Broncos. It was a poor kick-off from the Raiders, enabling the Broncos to get
themselves into an attacking position, and before the set could be completed Gerard Beale found the space to
score out wide and get the Broncos to an 18-0 lead at half time.
Ten minutes after the break, the Broncos were even further ahead, after Peter Wallace made a break and off-
loaded to Justin Hoffman for a try under the posts. Peter Wallace landed the conversion, and the Broncos were
24-0 ahead and looking good.
The hour mark came and went, and the Broncos were looking secure. But suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the
game changed dramatically.
At 64 minutes, a knock-on by the Broncos gave the Raiders an attacking opportunity; and Josh Papalii crossed
over the line to get the Raiders on the board. Papalii made it a double just three minutes later, as the Brisbane
defence went missing in action. Both tries were converted, and although the Broncos were still 24-12 ahead, the
Raiders were working their way back into the contest.
It wasn’t a great kick-off by the Broncos, and the Raiders were making plenty of ground with each tackle. And it
took just four tackles for Glenn Buttriss to score out wide. Blake Ferguson took the conversion from the sideline
an made no mistake; and a game that had looked dead and buried just a few minutes earlier was back to a six
point margin.
The Raiders kept coming, and at 73 minutes Josh McCrone put up a bomb which was pounced on by Jarrod
Croker. Ferguson’s conversion levelled the scores; the Broncos’ impressive lead had been wiped out in just nine
minutes, and the Raiders had all the momentum and confidence.
Josh McCrone had an attempt to kick a drop goal to give the Raiders an unlikely win, but the kick sailed wide; and
so the game went to golden point. But, after the sides jockeyed for field goal position, Peter Wallace landed the
field goal at the four minute mark. The Broncos got the win, but by just falling over the line rather than the one-
sided affair that had looked likely just a short time earlier.
Brisbane Broncos 25 def Canberra Raiders 24 in golden point extra time
Broncos : Tries – J Hoffman, A Glenn, G Beale, D Copley. Goals – P Wallace 4/5. Field Goals – P
Wallace 1/1.
Raiders : Tries – J Papalii 2, G Buttriss, J Croker. Goals – B Ferguson 4/4. Field Goals – J McCrone
0/1.
Referees – J Robinson, B Suttor. Crowd – 21,378 at Suncorp Stadium.
Sunday afternoon at Mt Smart Stadium saw Wests Tigers strengthen their hold on a position in the top eight
when the Tigers came from behind to down the New Zealand Warriors 26-22.
Despite three tries being scored in the first half, it wasn’t a period of play that reached any great heights. The
Tigers were on the board early, with Blake Ayshford surging through a hole in the Warriors’ defence to score. But
the Warriors soon got the try back when Krisnan Inu scored in the corner. Each side attempted a try only to be
refused by the goal umpire. And shortly before half time, Kevin Locke caught the Tiger defence unawares as he
breezed in to score and put the Warriors 8-4 ahead at the break. Windy conditions tested the goalkickers, and
none of the tries from the first half were converted.
It hadn’t been a great half, but the Warriors emerged after half time a different team, and quickly burst out to
an imposing lead. Kevin Locke had a try disallowed, but shortly afterwards, Manu Vatuvei found some space to
score in the corner. At 57 minutes, Feleti Mateo offloaded to Shaun Johnson, who crossed over for his first NRL
try. But James Maloney had a shocker with the kick again, and Maloney had missed all four conversion attempts.
On the hour, Manu Vatuvei crashed over for his second try, and finally Maloney landed a conversion; putting the
Warriors 22-4 ahead, and looking in control of the match.
Five minutes later, Benji Marshall got himself in the contest. The Tigers captain, a New Zealand representative,
put on an individual effort to cross the line for his first try in New Zealand. The Tigers received the ball from the
kick-off, and on the fifth tackle went to the air with a well-placed bomb which the flying Wade McKinnon
pounced on to score. With Benji Marshall converting both tries, it was back to 22-16.
Benji Marshall was on fire, and got the Tigers into another attacking raid with a well-timed 40-20 kick. And
dodging and weaving his way past the Warriors defending, Marshall brought up his double; and his conversion
levelled the scores with just seven minutes to go. And with only four minutes remaining on the clock, Marshall
again manufactured an opportunity before off-loading to Beau Ryan, who scored to bring up the try that would
see the Tigers to an unlikely win.
Wests Tigers 26 def New Zealand Warriors 22
Tigers : Tries – B Marshall 2, W McKinnon, B Ryan, B Ayshford. Goals – B Marshall 3/5.
Warriors : Tries – M Vatuvei 2, K Inu, K Locke, S Johnson. Goals – J Maloney 1/5.
Referees – A Klein, A Devcich. Crowd – 15,889 at Mt Smart Stadium.
Melbourne were depleted with their Origin players absent from duty, but still had enough talent and desire to
cruise past a disappointing Sydney Roosters 21-4 at AAMI Park on Monday evening.
The Roosters started strongly against the makeshift Storm side, getting close to the line several times in the
opening minutes but being unable to cross. The Storm took the lead through a penalty goal, but at 18 minutes
Braith Anasta found Joseph Leilua and the Roosters had the first try of the night, a dive over the line from out
wide. Anasta’s conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but the Roosters had taken a 4-2 lead.
The Roosters continued to press, but were unable to land another try. And, against the run of play, the Storm
got on the scoreboard four minutes before half time, an outstanding individual effort by Justin O’Neill producing
the try. Garth Widdop converted to put the Storm 8-4 ahead at half time.
A penalty goal early in the second half extended the Roosters’ lead by two, and on the hour Beau Champion
pounced on the ball during a scramble on the goal-line. The video referee awarded the try, and Widdop
converted to make the score 16-4 to the Storm.
The shell-shocked Roosters had worked hard during the first half but had failed to achieve reward for effort, and
once the Storm stepped up in the second half the Roosters were left behind. A field goal to Widdop extended
the margin beyond two converted tries, and there would be no way back for the Roosters. O’Neill’s second try in
the final minute was the icing on the cake, a comfortable win for the Storm.
Melbourne Storm 21 def Sydney Roosters 4
Storm : Tries – J O’Neill 2, B Champion. Goals – G Widdop 4/4. Field Goals – G Widdop 1/1.
Roosters : Tries – J Leilua. Goals – B Anasta 0/1.
Referees – G Badger, T De las Heras. Crowd – 9,843 at AAMI Park.
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