In an extremely tight battle for finals positions, St George-Illawarra struck an important blow towards ensuring their
qualification when they pulled off a hard-earned 24-20 away win against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
It was a milestone game for Darren Lockyer, his 298th appearance for the Broncos, setting a new club record. The
Broncos, in front of a blockbuster crowd of 33,237 were determined to put in a big effort for the club stalwart, and held a
12-0 lead early before the Dragons fought back late in the first half to level the scores at 12-all at half time.
The Broncos were unlucky, having two tries disallowed by the video referee; but the Dragons were able to defend
against everything the home side was able to throw at them. At the other end, Mark Gasnier scored twice in the first 20
minutes of the second half, converting both his tries, to put the Dragons 24-14 ahead on the hour.
The Broncos didn’t throw in the towel, and with five minutes to go, a long pass by Lockyer sent Joel Moon over the line
to throw the home side a lifeline. But although the Broncos twice forced the Dragons into line drop-outs in the final five
minutes, and peppered the goal line until the end, the Dragons hung on for dear life to take the points.
The result sees the Dragons maintain their spot in the top eight, narrowing the gap between them and the Broncos to
two points. With just three rounds to go, neither side is guaranteed a spot in the top eight; but both may have enough of
a gap on the rest of the finals contenders to fall over the line into the eight.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 24 def Brisbane Broncos 20
Dragons : Tries – M Gasnier 2, M Cooper, W Sailor. Goals – M Gasnier 4/4.
Broncos : Tries – D Kemp, K Manihera, J Moon. Goals – C Parker 3/4, M Ennis 1/1.
Referee – J Maxwell. Crowd – 33,237 at Suncorp Stadium.
Melbourne retain a share of the competition lead, after recording an easy 30-6 win over Sydney Roosters in appalling
weather conditions at Olympic Park on Friday night.
In the 7th minute, a cross-field kick was leapt on by Anthony Quinn, who found the line to score the opening try; and
despite more than just a hint of Quinn being offside, the try was awarded. And ten minutes later, the Storm were in
again; with Israel Folau making a break and Anthony Quinn was there to receive the pass and bring up his double.
Cameron Smith again added the extras, and the Storm were 12-0 ahead.
Cameron Smith was next to get on the try-scorers’ list shortly before the half hour. Chip-kicking the ball forward on the
last tackle, Smith couldn’t believe his luck as the Rooster defenders knocked the ball on, the ball spilling back to Smith
for the easiest of tries. With Smith converting his try, and then adding a penalty goal; the Storm went into the rooms
with a 20-0 lead at half time.
The rain was even heavier as the second half got under way. Amos Roberts attempted a fightback for the Roosters, but
his try was disallowed when a forward pass was called. At the other end, Steve Turner went close to scoring but his
run along the sideline included his foot landing into touch.
Time was ticking down, with the players struggling to control the ball while the crowd attempted to stay in whatever
shelter they could find. With six minutes to go, the Roosters finally got on the board with Mitch Aubusson pouncing on a
knock-on from Billy Slater to score.
With three minutes left on the clock, Greg Inglis set up Cooper Cronk, with the Storm claiming another try. And the icing
on the cake came after the siren, with Israel Folau putting on a blistering run before off-loading to Billy Slater.
The Storm’s win, and the size of the win, could be important for how the final ladder shapes up. The Storm will remain
equal top of the ladder, and have made up plenty of the for-and-against gap on Manly. But for the Roosters, their
second loss in a row puts ends any chance of the minor premiership; and they now find themselves no certainties to
make the top four.
Melbourne Storm 30 def Sydney Roosters 6
Storm : Tries – A Quinn 2, C Cronk, B Slater, C Smith. Goals – C Smith 5/6.
Roosters : Tries – M Aubusson. Goals – A Roberts 1/1.
Referee – S Hayne. Crowd – 13,335 at Olympic Park.
qualification when they pulled off a hard-earned 24-20 away win against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
It was a milestone game for Darren Lockyer, his 298th appearance for the Broncos, setting a new club record. The
Broncos, in front of a blockbuster crowd of 33,237 were determined to put in a big effort for the club stalwart, and held a
12-0 lead early before the Dragons fought back late in the first half to level the scores at 12-all at half time.
The Broncos were unlucky, having two tries disallowed by the video referee; but the Dragons were able to defend
against everything the home side was able to throw at them. At the other end, Mark Gasnier scored twice in the first 20
minutes of the second half, converting both his tries, to put the Dragons 24-14 ahead on the hour.
The Broncos didn’t throw in the towel, and with five minutes to go, a long pass by Lockyer sent Joel Moon over the line
to throw the home side a lifeline. But although the Broncos twice forced the Dragons into line drop-outs in the final five
minutes, and peppered the goal line until the end, the Dragons hung on for dear life to take the points.
The result sees the Dragons maintain their spot in the top eight, narrowing the gap between them and the Broncos to
two points. With just three rounds to go, neither side is guaranteed a spot in the top eight; but both may have enough of
a gap on the rest of the finals contenders to fall over the line into the eight.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 24 def Brisbane Broncos 20
Dragons : Tries – M Gasnier 2, M Cooper, W Sailor. Goals – M Gasnier 4/4.
Broncos : Tries – D Kemp, K Manihera, J Moon. Goals – C Parker 3/4, M Ennis 1/1.
Referee – J Maxwell. Crowd – 33,237 at Suncorp Stadium.
Melbourne retain a share of the competition lead, after recording an easy 30-6 win over Sydney Roosters in appalling
weather conditions at Olympic Park on Friday night.
In the 7th minute, a cross-field kick was leapt on by Anthony Quinn, who found the line to score the opening try; and
despite more than just a hint of Quinn being offside, the try was awarded. And ten minutes later, the Storm were in
again; with Israel Folau making a break and Anthony Quinn was there to receive the pass and bring up his double.
Cameron Smith again added the extras, and the Storm were 12-0 ahead.
Cameron Smith was next to get on the try-scorers’ list shortly before the half hour. Chip-kicking the ball forward on the
last tackle, Smith couldn’t believe his luck as the Rooster defenders knocked the ball on, the ball spilling back to Smith
for the easiest of tries. With Smith converting his try, and then adding a penalty goal; the Storm went into the rooms
with a 20-0 lead at half time.
The rain was even heavier as the second half got under way. Amos Roberts attempted a fightback for the Roosters, but
his try was disallowed when a forward pass was called. At the other end, Steve Turner went close to scoring but his
run along the sideline included his foot landing into touch.
Time was ticking down, with the players struggling to control the ball while the crowd attempted to stay in whatever
shelter they could find. With six minutes to go, the Roosters finally got on the board with Mitch Aubusson pouncing on a
knock-on from Billy Slater to score.
With three minutes left on the clock, Greg Inglis set up Cooper Cronk, with the Storm claiming another try. And the icing
on the cake came after the siren, with Israel Folau putting on a blistering run before off-loading to Billy Slater.
The Storm’s win, and the size of the win, could be important for how the final ladder shapes up. The Storm will remain
equal top of the ladder, and have made up plenty of the for-and-against gap on Manly. But for the Roosters, their
second loss in a row puts ends any chance of the minor premiership; and they now find themselves no certainties to
make the top four.
Melbourne Storm 30 def Sydney Roosters 6
Storm : Tries – A Quinn 2, C Cronk, B Slater, C Smith. Goals – C Smith 5/6.
Roosters : Tries – M Aubusson. Goals – A Roberts 1/1.
Referee – S Hayne. Crowd – 13,335 at Olympic Park.
Looking down and out a month ago, the Warriors have beaten three of the top four teams in the last four rounds, and now find themselves in a
very tight battle of for-and-against for a finals berth; in good form with just three rounds to go before the playoffs. It was a shock loss for the
Sharks, but they still remain in the top four.
New Zealand Warriors 18 def Cronulla Sharks 4
Warriors : Tries – L Hohaia, J Ropati, M Vatuvei. Goals – M Witt 3/5.
Sharks : Tries – L Covell. Goals – L Covell 0/1.
Referee – T Archer. Goals – 10,417 at Mt Smart Stadium.
It’s a long shot, but Gold Coast kept themselves in the race for the finals, sending North Queensland back to earth with a 26-20 result at Dairy
Farmers Stadium on Saturday night
The Cowboys opened the scoring, with Ashley Graham running the ball 20 metres forward before finding John Williams for a try in the corner, with
the video referee called into action to confirm the grounding. The try was awarded; but Williams was unable to convert his try.
But the Titans wasted little time in hitting back, with Anthony Laffranchi getting through some soft defence. Scott Prince’s conversion gave the
Titans the lead, and Cowboy hearts were to be broken shortly afterwards when Aaron Payne had a try disallowed with the video referee finding a
knock-on before the ball was grounded.
At the 25 minute mark, Laffranchi brought up his double, chasing down a grubber from Scott Prince to put the Titans 10-4 ahead. And the tries
kept coming as Mat Rogers threw a dummy and breezed in for the easiest of tries.
But in the last five minutes before half time, the Cowboys were back in the contest. Luke O’Donnell crashed over the Titan defenders, and then as
the half time siren sounded, Ty Williams chased down a kick from Johnathan Thurston to score in the corner and level the game at 14-14.
It took just three minutes in the second half for the Titans to regain the lead, with Preston Campbell at the end of a grubber from Scott Prince. And
five minutes later, debutant Esikele Tonga found the line to put the Titans 26-14 ahead.
Dayne Weston got the Cowboys back into the contest on the hour, gathering the ball 20 metres from the line and bumping off the attentions of the
Gold Coast tacklers as he powered to the line to reduce the margin to six points.
The Cowboys defended resolutely, and the Titans, despite having only a six-point lead, were unable to get themselves into field goal position. And
the Cowboys were unlucky not to force the game into golden point, with Ty Williams crossing the line with two minutes remaining but the video
replay showing he was unable to ground the ball.
And so the Titans took out the game, and despite their poor for-and-against still have the slightest of outside chances of qualifying for the finals in
their second season in the NRL. But for the Cowboys, it was more heartbreak to have got so short but fallen short again. Having broken their long
losing streak last week, the Cowboys return to the losing list and find themselves still stuck on the bottom of the ladder.
Gold Coast Titans 26 def North Queensland Cowboys 20
Titans : Tries – A Laffranchi 2, P Campbell, M Rogers, E Tonga. Goals – S Prince 3/5.
Cowboys : Tries – L O’Donnell, D Weston, J Williams, T Williams. Goals – J Williams 2/4.
Referee – B Sutton. Crowd – 17,065 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
In the logjam of teams challenging to keep themselves in the finals race, Penrith kept themselves in with a chance, getting two valuable points.
Spearheaded by four tries to Luke Rooney, the Panthers added to their for-and-against as they recorded a comprehensive 52-16 win over a dis-
spirited Bulldogs team at Penrith Stadium on Saturday night.
It wasn’t a game that reached any great heights, with both sides making plenty of errors, but the Bulldogs making even more than the Panthers.
Played in front of a small crowd, it didn’t have the feel of a great contest, and the Panthers didn’t look like a team scrapping to keep themselves in
the finals race.
A scrappy opening to the game saw 17 minutes pass before the first points went on the board. But once Brad Tighe chased down a grubber from
Luke Lewis to score, the Panthers quickly made the flood-gates open; and the Bulldogs were unable to keep up. Luke Rooney took up the
challenge of finishing the Panther moves, bringing up a double in the first half as the Panthers were quickly out to a 24-0 lead. Even with getting
two tries back, the Bulldogs were chasing the game, and with a 24-10 deficit at the break, the game was again threatening to get away from them
The one-way traffic continued in the second half, as the Panthers added another five tries to tun the game into a blowout. Luke Rooney was
unstoppable, finishing with a bag of four tries.
Penrith, with the win, keep themselves in the finals race. Their for-and-against isn’t a major factor unless they or one of their rivals gets a draw in
the remaining weeks. But the final three games will be pivotal. But for the Bulldogs, it was another performance in which their skills were low and
their morale even lower; the club at their lowest ebb in many a long year as they lurch from one crisis to another, and the end of this season can’t
come soon enough.
Penrith Panthers 52 def Bulldogs 16
Panthers : Tries – L Rooney 4, M Bell, M Blair, M Jennings, T Puletua, B Tighe. Goals – M Gordon 8/9.
Bulldogs : Tries – D Holdsworth 2, D Millard. Goals – H El Masri 2/3.
Referee – G Badger. Crowd – 7,841 at CUA Stadium.
In the tight battle for finals positions, games between fellow contenders are effectively four-point games; with a win not only getting two points but
keeping an opponent with no points for the round. Such a match was played at Canberra Stadium on Sunday afternoon; as Canberra took on
Newcastle. And the Raiders would get a valuable edge in their battle for a finals berth as they completed a 38-18 win over the Knights.
A break by Terry Campese saw the Raiders get into attacking position in the fifth minute, and a quick offload got Colin Best over for a try in the
corner. And after forcing a drop-out, Terry Campese piled on the pressure and reaped the rewards as a gap opened up.
The Knights fought back in the 20th minute, with Corey Paterson found an opening and raced through to score under the posts. But it was a rare
moment of respite for the Knights, as Tom Learoyd-Lahrs went on a bullocking run to set up Joe Picker. And David Milne broke through the line as
half time approached to put the Raiders 22-6 ahead at the break.
The video referee was called into action shortly after half time. Terry Campese fired a kick forward on the last tackle, and a lucky bounce saw the
ball sit up into Trevor Thurling’s arms to crash over and score. And on the hour, David Milne stretched forward as he was tackled, just getting the
ball over the line to open up a 34-6 lead.
Cooper Vuna and Jesse Royal scored for the Knights although they were still a long way behind. And in the final moments, Neville Costigan
pulled off an intercept and ran 80 metres to score.
Both teams went into the game with ten wins from 20 games, but the Raiders had a better for-and-against. And the 20-point margin further
entrenches the Raiders’ advantage over the Knights, with a game plus plenty of margin to make up and only three weeks remaining.
Canberra Raiders 38 def Newcastle Knights 18
Raiders : Tries – D Milne 2, C Best, T Campese, N Costigan, J Picker, T Thurling. Goals – T Campese 5/7.
Knights : Tries – C Paterson, J Royal, C Vuna. Goals – K Gidley 3/3.
Referee – B Cummins. Crowd – 12,206 at Canberra Stadium.
Manly’s quest for the minor premiership suffered a blow on Sunday afternoon when the Sea Eagles were stunned 40-32 by a spirited South
Sydney team at ANZ Stadium.
The Rabbitohs are out of finals contention and it seemed had little to play for compared to the Sea Eagles, who went into the game with a narrow
lead on top of the ladder. And the Sea Eagles were quickly on the scoreboard, throwing the ball out wide for Steve Bell to score a try that was on
too tight an angle for Steve Matai to convert.
But the Rabbitohs had a quick reply, with a freak bounce from a kick by Chris Sandow seeing the ball sit up for Fetuli Talanoa to charge through
and score. And then at the 20 minute mark, Jamie Simpson wrestled his way past the Manly defenders to score; and although Isaac Luke was
unable to convert either try, the Rabbitohs were 8-4 ahead.
The Sea Eagles were soon back in front as Brett Stewart charged through an opening to score a converted try under the posts. But from the half
hour mark, the remainder of the half belonged to Nathan Merritt, as he first put on a blistering run out wide to streak to the line and centre the ball
before grounding it; and then bursting through an attempted tackle to score another. Isaac Luke converted both tries and then added a penalty
goal on the stroke of half time to give the Rabbitohs a shock 22-10 lead at the break.
The Sea Eagles wasted little time at the start of the second half getting back into the contest, with Steve Menzies making a break to score; but
Steve Orford missed a conversion he should have kicked. And then Steve Matai pulled off an intercept before off-loading to Brett Stewart, whose
converted try made the score 22-20.
On the hour, Steve Menzies was in the right place at the right time to salvage a poor pass and race past the unsuspecting Souths defence to bring
up his double and put the Sea Eagles in front. But the Rabbitohs refused to capitulate, and just two minutes later Isaac Luke chased down a kick
to score and restore the lead for the Rabbitohs.
The Rabbitohs were on fire, with Nathan Merritt putting on another run out wide to bring up his hat-trick. And then Roy Asotasi bullocked through
the Sea Eagle defenders to add another. And despite a late try to Josh Perry, the Rabbitohs had pulled off one of the upsets of the season. No
finals for the Rabbitohs this season, but at least the second half of this year has given the Rabbitohs something to work on for next year.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 40 def Manly Sea Eagles 32
Rabbitohs : Tries – N Merritt 3, R Asotasi, I Luke, J Simpson, F Talanoa. Goals – I Luke 4/6, C Sandow 2/2.
Sea Eagles : Tries – S Menzies 2, B Stewart 2, S Bell, J Perry. Goals – S Matai 2/3, S Orford 2/3.
Referee – S Lyons. Crowd – 11,112 at ANZ Stadium.
It’s a long shot that Parramatta could make the finals this season. But the Eels have just kept the door ever-so-slightly ajar on Monday night when
they completed an impressive 40-12 result over Wests Tigers at Parramatta Stadium.
The Tigers were in trouble early after a knock-on from Beau Ryan gifted the Eels field position, and in the ensuing set of six, Taulima Tutai took
advantage to cross over for the first try of the game. And just minutes later, after another Tigers error, big Fuifui Moimoi was spared the post-
season nudie run as he found the line for his first try of the season to set up a 12-0 lead in as many minutes.
The Tigers were woeful in the first half, and a string of penalties enabled Krisnan Inu to land a penalty goal before Nathan Hindmarsh chased a
bomb from Brett Finch to score in the corner and put the Eels 18-0 ahead.
Tutai brought up his double at the half hour mark, and the Eels looked set to cruise to victory. But with just a couple of minutes to go in the first
half, the Tigers made their first coherent attacking move for the game; and it finished in a positive manner for the visitors with Benji Marshall
turning on some pace to score and reduce the margin to 22-6 at half time.
Shortly after the break, the margin was back to ten points after Chris Heighington chased down a kick from Robbie Farah. For all the Tigers’ first
half bungling, suddenly they looked to be back in the contest and with a chance to salvage the game.
But Tigers’ hopes would be short-lived, as Jarryd Hayne raced the length of the field to score for the Eels and restore the half-time margin. Feleti
Mateo barged over to add another for the Eels, but would soon depart with what looked to be a season-ending injury.
The game was safe for the Eels, and in the dying minutes Hayne put the icing on the cake as he crossed over to bring up his double and
complete a 40-12 result. With three rounds to go, both teams are on 24 points; with the Tigers on +10 and the Eels on -12. It’s still possible for
both teams to make the finals, but either team would probably need to win all of their last three games to be a part of the playoff action.
Parramatta Eels 40 def Wests Tigers 12
Eels : Tries – T Tutai 2, J Hayne 2, F Moimoi, N Hindmarsh, F Mateo. Goals – K Inu 6/8.
Tigers : Tries – B Marshall, C Heighington. Goals – B Hodgson 2/2.
Referee – M Cecchin. Crowd – 13,065 at Parramatta Stadium.
very tight battle of for-and-against for a finals berth; in good form with just three rounds to go before the playoffs. It was a shock loss for the
Sharks, but they still remain in the top four.
New Zealand Warriors 18 def Cronulla Sharks 4
Warriors : Tries – L Hohaia, J Ropati, M Vatuvei. Goals – M Witt 3/5.
Sharks : Tries – L Covell. Goals – L Covell 0/1.
Referee – T Archer. Goals – 10,417 at Mt Smart Stadium.
It’s a long shot, but Gold Coast kept themselves in the race for the finals, sending North Queensland back to earth with a 26-20 result at Dairy
Farmers Stadium on Saturday night
The Cowboys opened the scoring, with Ashley Graham running the ball 20 metres forward before finding John Williams for a try in the corner, with
the video referee called into action to confirm the grounding. The try was awarded; but Williams was unable to convert his try.
But the Titans wasted little time in hitting back, with Anthony Laffranchi getting through some soft defence. Scott Prince’s conversion gave the
Titans the lead, and Cowboy hearts were to be broken shortly afterwards when Aaron Payne had a try disallowed with the video referee finding a
knock-on before the ball was grounded.
At the 25 minute mark, Laffranchi brought up his double, chasing down a grubber from Scott Prince to put the Titans 10-4 ahead. And the tries
kept coming as Mat Rogers threw a dummy and breezed in for the easiest of tries.
But in the last five minutes before half time, the Cowboys were back in the contest. Luke O’Donnell crashed over the Titan defenders, and then as
the half time siren sounded, Ty Williams chased down a kick from Johnathan Thurston to score in the corner and level the game at 14-14.
It took just three minutes in the second half for the Titans to regain the lead, with Preston Campbell at the end of a grubber from Scott Prince. And
five minutes later, debutant Esikele Tonga found the line to put the Titans 26-14 ahead.
Dayne Weston got the Cowboys back into the contest on the hour, gathering the ball 20 metres from the line and bumping off the attentions of the
Gold Coast tacklers as he powered to the line to reduce the margin to six points.
The Cowboys defended resolutely, and the Titans, despite having only a six-point lead, were unable to get themselves into field goal position. And
the Cowboys were unlucky not to force the game into golden point, with Ty Williams crossing the line with two minutes remaining but the video
replay showing he was unable to ground the ball.
And so the Titans took out the game, and despite their poor for-and-against still have the slightest of outside chances of qualifying for the finals in
their second season in the NRL. But for the Cowboys, it was more heartbreak to have got so short but fallen short again. Having broken their long
losing streak last week, the Cowboys return to the losing list and find themselves still stuck on the bottom of the ladder.
Gold Coast Titans 26 def North Queensland Cowboys 20
Titans : Tries – A Laffranchi 2, P Campbell, M Rogers, E Tonga. Goals – S Prince 3/5.
Cowboys : Tries – L O’Donnell, D Weston, J Williams, T Williams. Goals – J Williams 2/4.
Referee – B Sutton. Crowd – 17,065 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
In the logjam of teams challenging to keep themselves in the finals race, Penrith kept themselves in with a chance, getting two valuable points.
Spearheaded by four tries to Luke Rooney, the Panthers added to their for-and-against as they recorded a comprehensive 52-16 win over a dis-
spirited Bulldogs team at Penrith Stadium on Saturday night.
It wasn’t a game that reached any great heights, with both sides making plenty of errors, but the Bulldogs making even more than the Panthers.
Played in front of a small crowd, it didn’t have the feel of a great contest, and the Panthers didn’t look like a team scrapping to keep themselves in
the finals race.
A scrappy opening to the game saw 17 minutes pass before the first points went on the board. But once Brad Tighe chased down a grubber from
Luke Lewis to score, the Panthers quickly made the flood-gates open; and the Bulldogs were unable to keep up. Luke Rooney took up the
challenge of finishing the Panther moves, bringing up a double in the first half as the Panthers were quickly out to a 24-0 lead. Even with getting
two tries back, the Bulldogs were chasing the game, and with a 24-10 deficit at the break, the game was again threatening to get away from them
The one-way traffic continued in the second half, as the Panthers added another five tries to tun the game into a blowout. Luke Rooney was
unstoppable, finishing with a bag of four tries.
Penrith, with the win, keep themselves in the finals race. Their for-and-against isn’t a major factor unless they or one of their rivals gets a draw in
the remaining weeks. But the final three games will be pivotal. But for the Bulldogs, it was another performance in which their skills were low and
their morale even lower; the club at their lowest ebb in many a long year as they lurch from one crisis to another, and the end of this season can’t
come soon enough.
Penrith Panthers 52 def Bulldogs 16
Panthers : Tries – L Rooney 4, M Bell, M Blair, M Jennings, T Puletua, B Tighe. Goals – M Gordon 8/9.
Bulldogs : Tries – D Holdsworth 2, D Millard. Goals – H El Masri 2/3.
Referee – G Badger. Crowd – 7,841 at CUA Stadium.
In the tight battle for finals positions, games between fellow contenders are effectively four-point games; with a win not only getting two points but
keeping an opponent with no points for the round. Such a match was played at Canberra Stadium on Sunday afternoon; as Canberra took on
Newcastle. And the Raiders would get a valuable edge in their battle for a finals berth as they completed a 38-18 win over the Knights.
A break by Terry Campese saw the Raiders get into attacking position in the fifth minute, and a quick offload got Colin Best over for a try in the
corner. And after forcing a drop-out, Terry Campese piled on the pressure and reaped the rewards as a gap opened up.
The Knights fought back in the 20th minute, with Corey Paterson found an opening and raced through to score under the posts. But it was a rare
moment of respite for the Knights, as Tom Learoyd-Lahrs went on a bullocking run to set up Joe Picker. And David Milne broke through the line as
half time approached to put the Raiders 22-6 ahead at the break.
The video referee was called into action shortly after half time. Terry Campese fired a kick forward on the last tackle, and a lucky bounce saw the
ball sit up into Trevor Thurling’s arms to crash over and score. And on the hour, David Milne stretched forward as he was tackled, just getting the
ball over the line to open up a 34-6 lead.
Cooper Vuna and Jesse Royal scored for the Knights although they were still a long way behind. And in the final moments, Neville Costigan
pulled off an intercept and ran 80 metres to score.
Both teams went into the game with ten wins from 20 games, but the Raiders had a better for-and-against. And the 20-point margin further
entrenches the Raiders’ advantage over the Knights, with a game plus plenty of margin to make up and only three weeks remaining.
Canberra Raiders 38 def Newcastle Knights 18
Raiders : Tries – D Milne 2, C Best, T Campese, N Costigan, J Picker, T Thurling. Goals – T Campese 5/7.
Knights : Tries – C Paterson, J Royal, C Vuna. Goals – K Gidley 3/3.
Referee – B Cummins. Crowd – 12,206 at Canberra Stadium.
Manly’s quest for the minor premiership suffered a blow on Sunday afternoon when the Sea Eagles were stunned 40-32 by a spirited South
Sydney team at ANZ Stadium.
The Rabbitohs are out of finals contention and it seemed had little to play for compared to the Sea Eagles, who went into the game with a narrow
lead on top of the ladder. And the Sea Eagles were quickly on the scoreboard, throwing the ball out wide for Steve Bell to score a try that was on
too tight an angle for Steve Matai to convert.
But the Rabbitohs had a quick reply, with a freak bounce from a kick by Chris Sandow seeing the ball sit up for Fetuli Talanoa to charge through
and score. And then at the 20 minute mark, Jamie Simpson wrestled his way past the Manly defenders to score; and although Isaac Luke was
unable to convert either try, the Rabbitohs were 8-4 ahead.
The Sea Eagles were soon back in front as Brett Stewart charged through an opening to score a converted try under the posts. But from the half
hour mark, the remainder of the half belonged to Nathan Merritt, as he first put on a blistering run out wide to streak to the line and centre the ball
before grounding it; and then bursting through an attempted tackle to score another. Isaac Luke converted both tries and then added a penalty
goal on the stroke of half time to give the Rabbitohs a shock 22-10 lead at the break.
The Sea Eagles wasted little time at the start of the second half getting back into the contest, with Steve Menzies making a break to score; but
Steve Orford missed a conversion he should have kicked. And then Steve Matai pulled off an intercept before off-loading to Brett Stewart, whose
converted try made the score 22-20.
On the hour, Steve Menzies was in the right place at the right time to salvage a poor pass and race past the unsuspecting Souths defence to bring
up his double and put the Sea Eagles in front. But the Rabbitohs refused to capitulate, and just two minutes later Isaac Luke chased down a kick
to score and restore the lead for the Rabbitohs.
The Rabbitohs were on fire, with Nathan Merritt putting on another run out wide to bring up his hat-trick. And then Roy Asotasi bullocked through
the Sea Eagle defenders to add another. And despite a late try to Josh Perry, the Rabbitohs had pulled off one of the upsets of the season. No
finals for the Rabbitohs this season, but at least the second half of this year has given the Rabbitohs something to work on for next year.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 40 def Manly Sea Eagles 32
Rabbitohs : Tries – N Merritt 3, R Asotasi, I Luke, J Simpson, F Talanoa. Goals – I Luke 4/6, C Sandow 2/2.
Sea Eagles : Tries – S Menzies 2, B Stewart 2, S Bell, J Perry. Goals – S Matai 2/3, S Orford 2/3.
Referee – S Lyons. Crowd – 11,112 at ANZ Stadium.
It’s a long shot that Parramatta could make the finals this season. But the Eels have just kept the door ever-so-slightly ajar on Monday night when
they completed an impressive 40-12 result over Wests Tigers at Parramatta Stadium.
The Tigers were in trouble early after a knock-on from Beau Ryan gifted the Eels field position, and in the ensuing set of six, Taulima Tutai took
advantage to cross over for the first try of the game. And just minutes later, after another Tigers error, big Fuifui Moimoi was spared the post-
season nudie run as he found the line for his first try of the season to set up a 12-0 lead in as many minutes.
The Tigers were woeful in the first half, and a string of penalties enabled Krisnan Inu to land a penalty goal before Nathan Hindmarsh chased a
bomb from Brett Finch to score in the corner and put the Eels 18-0 ahead.
Tutai brought up his double at the half hour mark, and the Eels looked set to cruise to victory. But with just a couple of minutes to go in the first
half, the Tigers made their first coherent attacking move for the game; and it finished in a positive manner for the visitors with Benji Marshall
turning on some pace to score and reduce the margin to 22-6 at half time.
Shortly after the break, the margin was back to ten points after Chris Heighington chased down a kick from Robbie Farah. For all the Tigers’ first
half bungling, suddenly they looked to be back in the contest and with a chance to salvage the game.
But Tigers’ hopes would be short-lived, as Jarryd Hayne raced the length of the field to score for the Eels and restore the half-time margin. Feleti
Mateo barged over to add another for the Eels, but would soon depart with what looked to be a season-ending injury.
The game was safe for the Eels, and in the dying minutes Hayne put the icing on the cake as he crossed over to bring up his double and
complete a 40-12 result. With three rounds to go, both teams are on 24 points; with the Tigers on +10 and the Eels on -12. It’s still possible for
both teams to make the finals, but either team would probably need to win all of their last three games to be a part of the playoff action.
Parramatta Eels 40 def Wests Tigers 12
Eels : Tries – T Tutai 2, J Hayne 2, F Moimoi, N Hindmarsh, F Mateo. Goals – K Inu 6/8.
Tigers : Tries – B Marshall, C Heighington. Goals – B Hodgson 2/2.
Referee – M Cecchin. Crowd – 13,065 at Parramatta Stadium.
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| ROUND 24 FIXTURES: (All times shown are Sydney time) Friday 22nd August Cronulla v Sydney Roosters (7:30pm, Toyota Stadium) Brisbane v Gold Coast (7:30pm, Suncorp Stadium) Saturday 23rd August Wests Tigers v Manly (5:30pm, ANZ Stadium) Bulldogs v Parramatta (7:30pm, ANZ Stadium) Newcastle v North Queensland (7:30pm, Energy Australia Stadium) Sunday 24th August South Sydney v Canberra (2:00pm, ANZ Stadium) St George-Illawarra v NZ Warriors (3:00pm, WIN Stadium) Monday 25th August Penrith v Melbourne (7:00pm, CUA Stadium) |
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The New Zealand Warriors continued their late-season revival, keeping themselves well and truly in the finals race with
an 18-4 win over Cronulla at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday night.
It was cold and wet at Mt Smart Stadium, and the home side quickly got the ball forward. A penalty goal to Michael Witt
got them on the scoreboard; and in the eighth minute Nathan Fien gathered the ball on the Warriors’ 20. Running to the
half-way line, Fien off-loaded to Jerome Ropati, who ran 50 metres fending off the Shark defenders to score.
On the 13th minute, the Sharks hit back. The ball was kicked forward, and Luke Covell won the race in a scramble for
the line to put the ball down and score. The video referee took some time to deliberate, but the try was awarded. On the
tight angle from the corner in windy conditions, Covell was unable to convert.
The Warriors were in again after 20 minutes, with big Manu Vatuvei crashing through the Shark defenders to score.
The Warriors had a chance to add to their lead with a penalty goal, but Michael Witt’s attempt was unsuccessful. And in
the final minute of the first half, the Sharks nearly scored but the video referee ruled that Adam Peek was held up; and
the teams went into the rooms at half time with the Warriors 12-4 ahead.
Conditions were muddy, wet and slippery during the second half. Both sides were struggling to control the ball and it
was hard for either side to complete their sets. For a scoreless half hour after the break, both sides put in knock-ons
and dropped ball.
But with ten minutes to go, the deadlock was finally broken, with Lance Hohaia running to the line for the try that would
put the contest beyond doubt. Michael Witt’s conversion gave the Warriors an 18-4 lead, a scoreline that would be
maintained until the final siren.
an 18-4 win over Cronulla at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday night.
It was cold and wet at Mt Smart Stadium, and the home side quickly got the ball forward. A penalty goal to Michael Witt
got them on the scoreboard; and in the eighth minute Nathan Fien gathered the ball on the Warriors’ 20. Running to the
half-way line, Fien off-loaded to Jerome Ropati, who ran 50 metres fending off the Shark defenders to score.
On the 13th minute, the Sharks hit back. The ball was kicked forward, and Luke Covell won the race in a scramble for
the line to put the ball down and score. The video referee took some time to deliberate, but the try was awarded. On the
tight angle from the corner in windy conditions, Covell was unable to convert.
The Warriors were in again after 20 minutes, with big Manu Vatuvei crashing through the Shark defenders to score.
The Warriors had a chance to add to their lead with a penalty goal, but Michael Witt’s attempt was unsuccessful. And in
the final minute of the first half, the Sharks nearly scored but the video referee ruled that Adam Peek was held up; and
the teams went into the rooms at half time with the Warriors 12-4 ahead.
Conditions were muddy, wet and slippery during the second half. Both sides were struggling to control the ball and it
was hard for either side to complete their sets. For a scoreless half hour after the break, both sides put in knock-ons
and dropped ball.
But with ten minutes to go, the deadlock was finally broken, with Lance Hohaia running to the line for the try that would
put the contest beyond doubt. Michael Witt’s conversion gave the Warriors an 18-4 lead, a scoreline that would be
maintained until the final siren.