Parramatta's season of woe went from bad to worse when the Eels were thrashed 40-8 by a red-hot Brisbane lineup at Suncorp
Stadium on Friday night.
The Eels had an early opportunity when Jarryd Hayne pounced on a bomb, only to drop the ball over the line and the scoring chance
went begging. And the Broncos made them pay from the next set, with Justin Hodges outmuscling two defenders to cross the
Parramatta line and open the scoring. Karmichael Hunt and Antonio Winterstein also crossed over in the first half to give the Broncos a
16-0 lead at the break.
A brief Parramatta revival after the break saw the Eels score twice, but neither try was converted and the Broncos held a 22-8 lead. But
any hopes of a Parramatta comeback were thwarted by the attack of Karmichael Hunt, twice more scoring to complete a hat-trick and
turn the game into a one-sided rout.
Brisbane Broncos 40 def Parramatta Eels 8
Broncos : Tries - K Hunt 3, J Hodges, A Winterstein, N Kenny, I Folou. Goals - C Parker 6/7.
Eels : Tries - E Uiasele, T Tautai. Goals - L Burt 0/2.
Referees - J Maxwell, B Suttor. Crowd - 30,887 at Suncorp Stadium.
Souths got off to a flying start in their match against Cronulla, but had to hold on for dear life during the closing stages as a resurgent
Sharks threatened to pull off a remarkable comeback.
Everything looked to be going according to plan for the Rabbitohs when they were leading 22-6 after just half an hour. A 20-minute
burst had seen Kidwell, Champion, Fa'alongo and Asotasi having already crossed the Sharks' line, interrupted only by a solo effort
against the run of play by Paul Gallen. But the Sharks weren't beaten yet, with Covell and Simmons going over shortly before the break
to cut the margin to just 4 points.
Again in the second half, the Rabbitohs scored the first 2 tries and looked to have the game won with a 32-18 lead and just 15 minuts
to go. But the Sharks continued to fight, going over twice within 5 minutes and throwing everything at the tiring Souths' defence during
the frantic final stages of the game before the Rabbitohs were saved by the bell.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 32 def Cronulla Sharks 26
Rabbitohs : Tries - B Champion 2, D Kidwell, R Asotasi, D Fa'alongo, N Merritt. Goals - C Sandow 4/6.
Sharks : Tries - L Covell 2, P Gallen, D Simmons, B Pomeroy. Goals - L Covell 3/5.
Referees - B Cummins, A Shortall. Crowd - 11,208 at ANZ Stadium.
The traditional ANZAC Day blockbuster at the SFS turned into a one-sided affair, as St George dominated from start to finish to thrash
the Sydney Roosters 29-0.
It took just 5 tackles for the Dragons to get on the board. After the 5th tackle from the first set of the game, Jamie Soward's kick
bounced off the Roosters' defence, only for Soward to re-gather and pass to Ben Morris who went over in the corner. A conversion and
a penalty goal increased the lead to 8 points, and a field goal on the half-time siren gave the Dragons a 9-0 lead at the break.
Soward, a former Rooster, was the dominant player on the park; and his one-man show continued in the second half when the
helmetted half-back scored twice, converting both tries. A late individual effort by Jason Nightingale completed the demolition, the
Dragons holding the Roosters scoreless to take out a comprehensive victory.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 29 def Sydney Roosters 0
Dragons : Tries - J Soward 2, B Morris, J Nightingale. Goals - B Soward 6/6. Field Goals - B Soward 1/1.
Roosters : Tries - Nil.
Referees - S Hayne, T De las Heras. Crowd - 28,926 at Sydney Football Stadium.
Stadium on Friday night.
The Eels had an early opportunity when Jarryd Hayne pounced on a bomb, only to drop the ball over the line and the scoring chance
went begging. And the Broncos made them pay from the next set, with Justin Hodges outmuscling two defenders to cross the
Parramatta line and open the scoring. Karmichael Hunt and Antonio Winterstein also crossed over in the first half to give the Broncos a
16-0 lead at the break.
A brief Parramatta revival after the break saw the Eels score twice, but neither try was converted and the Broncos held a 22-8 lead. But
any hopes of a Parramatta comeback were thwarted by the attack of Karmichael Hunt, twice more scoring to complete a hat-trick and
turn the game into a one-sided rout.
Brisbane Broncos 40 def Parramatta Eels 8
Broncos : Tries - K Hunt 3, J Hodges, A Winterstein, N Kenny, I Folou. Goals - C Parker 6/7.
Eels : Tries - E Uiasele, T Tautai. Goals - L Burt 0/2.
Referees - J Maxwell, B Suttor. Crowd - 30,887 at Suncorp Stadium.
Souths got off to a flying start in their match against Cronulla, but had to hold on for dear life during the closing stages as a resurgent
Sharks threatened to pull off a remarkable comeback.
Everything looked to be going according to plan for the Rabbitohs when they were leading 22-6 after just half an hour. A 20-minute
burst had seen Kidwell, Champion, Fa'alongo and Asotasi having already crossed the Sharks' line, interrupted only by a solo effort
against the run of play by Paul Gallen. But the Sharks weren't beaten yet, with Covell and Simmons going over shortly before the break
to cut the margin to just 4 points.
Again in the second half, the Rabbitohs scored the first 2 tries and looked to have the game won with a 32-18 lead and just 15 minuts
to go. But the Sharks continued to fight, going over twice within 5 minutes and throwing everything at the tiring Souths' defence during
the frantic final stages of the game before the Rabbitohs were saved by the bell.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 32 def Cronulla Sharks 26
Rabbitohs : Tries - B Champion 2, D Kidwell, R Asotasi, D Fa'alongo, N Merritt. Goals - C Sandow 4/6.
Sharks : Tries - L Covell 2, P Gallen, D Simmons, B Pomeroy. Goals - L Covell 3/5.
Referees - B Cummins, A Shortall. Crowd - 11,208 at ANZ Stadium.
The traditional ANZAC Day blockbuster at the SFS turned into a one-sided affair, as St George dominated from start to finish to thrash
the Sydney Roosters 29-0.
It took just 5 tackles for the Dragons to get on the board. After the 5th tackle from the first set of the game, Jamie Soward's kick
bounced off the Roosters' defence, only for Soward to re-gather and pass to Ben Morris who went over in the corner. A conversion and
a penalty goal increased the lead to 8 points, and a field goal on the half-time siren gave the Dragons a 9-0 lead at the break.
Soward, a former Rooster, was the dominant player on the park; and his one-man show continued in the second half when the
helmetted half-back scored twice, converting both tries. A late individual effort by Jason Nightingale completed the demolition, the
Dragons holding the Roosters scoreless to take out a comprehensive victory.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 29 def Sydney Roosters 0
Dragons : Tries - J Soward 2, B Morris, J Nightingale. Goals - B Soward 6/6. Field Goals - B Soward 1/1.
Roosters : Tries - Nil.
Referees - S Hayne, T De las Heras. Crowd - 28,926 at Sydney Football Stadium.
Melbourne Storm were stunned in last year's finals when they were defeated by the New Zealand Warriors, and again the Storm were
to be denied at home by their nemesis when the Storm were held to a 14-14 draw by the Warriors on Saturday evening.
Denan Kemp landed an early penalty goal for the Warriors, but the Storm were making the front-running, and Steve Turner and Billy
Slater crossed the Warriors' line in the first 20 minutes to give the Storm a 10-2 lead. Manu Vatuvei got one back for the Warriors, but
when Will Chambers crossed for the Storm 2 minutes after half-time, the Storm looked in control.
But the Warriors refused to concede. Vatuvei scored his 2nd try before Stacey Jones set up Patrick Ah Van; but neither try was
converted and the scores remained locked at 14-14. And so it was to remain, as neither side was able to set up field position during
the final minutes of regulation time, or during the golden point period; and all attempts at game-breaking field goals failed to find the
mark.
Melbourne Storm 14 drew New Zealand Warriors 14 after golden-point extra time.
Storm : Tries - S Turner, B Slater, W Chambers. Goals - C Smith 1/3. Field Goals - C Cronk 0/3, B Slater 0/1.
Warriors : Tries - M Vatuvei 2, P Ah Van. Goals - D Kemp 1/4. Field Goals - S Jones 0/3.
Referees - T Archer, M Cecchin. Crowd - 15,200 at Olympic Park.
No Stewart no Manly. So it would seem after the Sea Eagles, without their star fullback who was out injured, again struggled and
were comprehensively beaten 26-12 by North Queensland.
Ben Farrar wasted no time in opening the scoring, going over in just the 3rd minute to give the home side the lead; but Glen Hall
replied just a few minutes later to level the scores. But the Cowboys, gaining superior field position, quickly regained the lead through
Scott Bolton, and a penalty goal to Johnathan Thurston gave the home side a 14-6 lead at the break.
Just 6 minutes after the restart, Chris Bailey crossed for Manly and the game was again in the balance. For a desperate 20 minutes
both sides defended furiously, holding out the other's attacks. But it was the Sea Eagles who would crack, with Matthew Bowen
penetrating the line to restore the 8-point half-time advantage before his second try on the final whistle put the icing on the cake.
North Queensland Cowboys 26 def Manly Sea Eagles 12
Cowboys : Tries - M Bowen 2, B Farrar, S Bolton. Goals - J Thurston 5/5.
Sea Eagles : Tries - G Hall, C Bailey. Goals - J Lyon 2/2.
Referees - G Badger, S Lyons. Crowd - 16,153 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
On a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon at Canberra Stadium, the Bulldogs continued their 2009 revival with a 30-20 win over Canberra.
The Raiders made the early running, keeping pace with the clock to lead 12-0 after just 12 minutes; with Troy Thompson and Joel
Monaghan going over. Daryl Millard replied for the Bulldogs, but when Adrian Purtell scored on 24 minutes, the Raiders were leading
16-6 and looking comfortable.
But the Bulldogs came back late in the half, tries to Hannant and Goodwin in the final minutes being converted by Hazem El Masri to
give the Bulldogs the lead. Two more tries in the second half, along with El Masri's unstoppable form with the boot, were enough to
give the Bulldogs the points. Were it not for the 2-point penalty for the interchange bungle against Penrith, the Bulldogs would now be
top of the table - a far cry from last year's wooden spoon season.
Bulldogs 30 def Canberra Raiders 20
Bulldogs : Tries - D Millard, B Hannant, B Goodwin, M Ennis, H El Masri. Goals - H El Masri 5/5.
Raiders : Tries - T Thompson, J Monaghan, A Purtell, A Tongue. Goals - J Dugan 2/4.
Referees - A Klein, C James. Crowd - 10,240 at Canberra Stadium.
Wests Tigers were celebrating a remarkable win, while Newcastle were lamenting the one that got away, after the Tigers pulled off an
amazing come-from-behind 26-24 victory at Campbelltown on Sunday.
Leading 18-6 at the break, Newcastle looked well set for victory. Even after absorbing a try from John Morris, Jarrod Mullen scored
what looked to be the match-winning try to give the Knights a 24-10 lead with just 20 minutes remaining.
But it was then that Benji Marshall swung into action. Firstly Marshall weaved sideways around a string of Newcastle defenders
before finding Beau Ryan unmarked within scoring range of the corner. On 70 minutes, Marshall bombed across field to set up Dean
Collis. Finally, with just 5 minutes left on the clock, Marshall again passed to Collis who brought up his hat-trick, scoring in the corner
to level the scores. From the sideline, Marshall made no mistake with the conversion to give the Tigers an unlikely win and move into
the top 8.
Wests Tigers 26 def Newcastle Knights 24
Tigers : Tries - D Collis 3, J Morris, B Ryan. Goals - B Marshall 3/5.
Knights : Tries - M Hilder, C Houston, D Wicks, J Mullen. Goals - K Gidley 4/4.
Referees - J Robinson, G Sutton. Crowd - 17,898 at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
A flying start by Penrith gave the Panthers a handy advantage that Gold Coast never looked like pegging back during the Monday night
match at CUA Stadium.
It took just 6 minutes for Luke Walsh to penetrate the Gold Coast line, with Lachlan Coote following suit just 5 minutes later. Scott
Prince got one back for the Titans, but a double to Jarrod Sammut within 2 minutes shortly before half-time saw the Panthers in a
dominant position. The Titans continued to fight, and won the second half, but it was too little too late as Penrith recorded a useful
victory, one which puts them within reach of the top 8 while dislodging the Titans from top spot.
Penrith Panthers 34 def Gold Coast Titans 20
Panthers : Tries - J Sammut 2, L Walsh, L Coote, M Jennings, S Elford. Goals - M Gordon 5/6.
Titans : Tries - S Prince, B Delaney, K Gordon, W Zillman. Goals - S Prince 2/4.
Referees - B Cummins, J Maxwell. Crowd - 9,769 at CUA Stadium.
to be denied at home by their nemesis when the Storm were held to a 14-14 draw by the Warriors on Saturday evening.
Denan Kemp landed an early penalty goal for the Warriors, but the Storm were making the front-running, and Steve Turner and Billy
Slater crossed the Warriors' line in the first 20 minutes to give the Storm a 10-2 lead. Manu Vatuvei got one back for the Warriors, but
when Will Chambers crossed for the Storm 2 minutes after half-time, the Storm looked in control.
But the Warriors refused to concede. Vatuvei scored his 2nd try before Stacey Jones set up Patrick Ah Van; but neither try was
converted and the scores remained locked at 14-14. And so it was to remain, as neither side was able to set up field position during
the final minutes of regulation time, or during the golden point period; and all attempts at game-breaking field goals failed to find the
mark.
Melbourne Storm 14 drew New Zealand Warriors 14 after golden-point extra time.
Storm : Tries - S Turner, B Slater, W Chambers. Goals - C Smith 1/3. Field Goals - C Cronk 0/3, B Slater 0/1.
Warriors : Tries - M Vatuvei 2, P Ah Van. Goals - D Kemp 1/4. Field Goals - S Jones 0/3.
Referees - T Archer, M Cecchin. Crowd - 15,200 at Olympic Park.
No Stewart no Manly. So it would seem after the Sea Eagles, without their star fullback who was out injured, again struggled and
were comprehensively beaten 26-12 by North Queensland.
Ben Farrar wasted no time in opening the scoring, going over in just the 3rd minute to give the home side the lead; but Glen Hall
replied just a few minutes later to level the scores. But the Cowboys, gaining superior field position, quickly regained the lead through
Scott Bolton, and a penalty goal to Johnathan Thurston gave the home side a 14-6 lead at the break.
Just 6 minutes after the restart, Chris Bailey crossed for Manly and the game was again in the balance. For a desperate 20 minutes
both sides defended furiously, holding out the other's attacks. But it was the Sea Eagles who would crack, with Matthew Bowen
penetrating the line to restore the 8-point half-time advantage before his second try on the final whistle put the icing on the cake.
North Queensland Cowboys 26 def Manly Sea Eagles 12
Cowboys : Tries - M Bowen 2, B Farrar, S Bolton. Goals - J Thurston 5/5.
Sea Eagles : Tries - G Hall, C Bailey. Goals - J Lyon 2/2.
Referees - G Badger, S Lyons. Crowd - 16,153 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
On a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon at Canberra Stadium, the Bulldogs continued their 2009 revival with a 30-20 win over Canberra.
The Raiders made the early running, keeping pace with the clock to lead 12-0 after just 12 minutes; with Troy Thompson and Joel
Monaghan going over. Daryl Millard replied for the Bulldogs, but when Adrian Purtell scored on 24 minutes, the Raiders were leading
16-6 and looking comfortable.
But the Bulldogs came back late in the half, tries to Hannant and Goodwin in the final minutes being converted by Hazem El Masri to
give the Bulldogs the lead. Two more tries in the second half, along with El Masri's unstoppable form with the boot, were enough to
give the Bulldogs the points. Were it not for the 2-point penalty for the interchange bungle against Penrith, the Bulldogs would now be
top of the table - a far cry from last year's wooden spoon season.
Bulldogs 30 def Canberra Raiders 20
Bulldogs : Tries - D Millard, B Hannant, B Goodwin, M Ennis, H El Masri. Goals - H El Masri 5/5.
Raiders : Tries - T Thompson, J Monaghan, A Purtell, A Tongue. Goals - J Dugan 2/4.
Referees - A Klein, C James. Crowd - 10,240 at Canberra Stadium.
Wests Tigers were celebrating a remarkable win, while Newcastle were lamenting the one that got away, after the Tigers pulled off an
amazing come-from-behind 26-24 victory at Campbelltown on Sunday.
Leading 18-6 at the break, Newcastle looked well set for victory. Even after absorbing a try from John Morris, Jarrod Mullen scored
what looked to be the match-winning try to give the Knights a 24-10 lead with just 20 minutes remaining.
But it was then that Benji Marshall swung into action. Firstly Marshall weaved sideways around a string of Newcastle defenders
before finding Beau Ryan unmarked within scoring range of the corner. On 70 minutes, Marshall bombed across field to set up Dean
Collis. Finally, with just 5 minutes left on the clock, Marshall again passed to Collis who brought up his hat-trick, scoring in the corner
to level the scores. From the sideline, Marshall made no mistake with the conversion to give the Tigers an unlikely win and move into
the top 8.
Wests Tigers 26 def Newcastle Knights 24
Tigers : Tries - D Collis 3, J Morris, B Ryan. Goals - B Marshall 3/5.
Knights : Tries - M Hilder, C Houston, D Wicks, J Mullen. Goals - K Gidley 4/4.
Referees - J Robinson, G Sutton. Crowd - 17,898 at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
A flying start by Penrith gave the Panthers a handy advantage that Gold Coast never looked like pegging back during the Monday night
match at CUA Stadium.
It took just 6 minutes for Luke Walsh to penetrate the Gold Coast line, with Lachlan Coote following suit just 5 minutes later. Scott
Prince got one back for the Titans, but a double to Jarrod Sammut within 2 minutes shortly before half-time saw the Panthers in a
dominant position. The Titans continued to fight, and won the second half, but it was too little too late as Penrith recorded a useful
victory, one which puts them within reach of the top 8 while dislodging the Titans from top spot.
Penrith Panthers 34 def Gold Coast Titans 20
Panthers : Tries - J Sammut 2, L Walsh, L Coote, M Jennings, S Elford. Goals - M Gordon 5/6.
Titans : Tries - S Prince, B Delaney, K Gordon, W Zillman. Goals - S Prince 2/4.
Referees - B Cummins, J Maxwell. Crowd - 9,769 at CUA Stadium.
| ROUND 8 FIXTURES: (All times shown are Sydney time) Friday 1st May Manly v Melbourne (Brookvale Oval, 7:30pm) Parramatta v North Queensland (Parramatta Stadium, 7:30pm) Saturday 2nd May Gold Coast v South Sydney (Skilled Park, 3:00pm) Cronulla v Sydney Rooster (Toyota Park, 5:30pm) Newcastle v Brisbane (Energy Australia Stadium, 7:30pm) Canberra v Penrith (Canberra Stadium, 7:30pm) Sunday 3rd May St George-Illawarra v New Zealand Warriors (WIN Stadium, 2:00pm) Bulldogs v Wests Tigers (ANZ Stadium, 3:00pm) |
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* Bulldogs penalised 2 points for breach of interchange rule.
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