| ROUND 16 FIXTURES: (All times shown are Sydney time) Friday 24th June Wests Tigers v Canterbury (7:30pm, Campbelltown Stadium) South Sydney v Brisbane (9:30pm, Members Equity Stadium, Perth WA) Saturday 25th June Gold Coast v Cronulla (5:30pm, Skilled Park) Canberra v Parramatta (7:30pm, Canberra Stadium) Sunday 26th June NZ Warriors v Melbourne (12:00pm, Mt Smart Stadium) Penrith v North Queensland (2:00pm, Centrebet Stadium) Newcastle v Sydney Roosters (3:00pm, Ausgrid Stadium) Monday 27th June St George v Manly (7:00pm, WIN Stadium) |
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| Origin II in Sydney saw New South Wales square the series, the Blues taking control in the second half to defeat Queensland 18-8 in front of a sellout crowd at ANZ Stadium. Wet weather for the few days leading up to the match made conditions greasy and slippery, but the rain stayed away during the game. And the home side was under pressure from supporters and the media after going down in the first game, forcing them to come from behind in this year’s series in NSW’s quest to stop the Maroons from recording 6 series wins in a row. The Maroons wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard. After being awarded a penalty in the second minute, Johnathan Thurston elected to take the two points. The Blues had a chance to level the scores after Jamie Soward elected to have a shot at a penalty goal, despite the penalty having been awarded 40 metres from the line on a tight angle. Jamie Soward’s kick went close, but hit the upright and bounced away, keeping the Queensland 2-0 lead intact. Queensland scored the first try of the game in the 26th minute. Cameron Smith attempted to crash through the desperate NSW defence and looked to have planted the ball over the line. It took the video referee a long time to make the call, with the NSW defenders believing Smith had been held up. But the replays showed Smith had put the tip of the ball over the line for a slight fraction of a second, enough for the try to be awarded. Thurston’s conversion gave Queensland an 8-0 lead. But the Blues were back in the contest four minutes later. On the last tackle, Mitchell Pearce put up a bomb towards the corner, and Luke Lewis was there to pluck the ball from the air and put it down for the try that would see the score 8-6 in favour of the Queenslanders at half time. The Maroons went close to scoring in the second minute of the second half, when Billy Slater made a break and a 50 metre run, but had no-one there to support him and the Blues were able to snuff out the attacking move. But the Blues were able to get repeat sets after 50 minutes, when Billy Slater was forced to knock a Soward grubber dead and make the Maroons take a drop-out. NSW went on the attack, throwing the ball out wide, where debutant Will Hopoate went over in the corner and join an elite group of players to score in his first Origin game. Soward’s conversion gave the Blues a 12-8 advantage. The tide looked to be turning NSW’s way as the Blues were getting the better of field position. Anthony Watmough went close to scoring, but a sensational tackle by Billy Slater stopped him in his tracks. Cam Smith forced Mark Gasnier into touch when Gasnier looked like he was making a break. But it took until the 76th minute for NSW to score again. It came after a knock-on by Greg Inglis 10 metres from his own line put the Blues deep in attack. And Anthony Minichiello, playing his first Origin game in four years, crossed over for the try that would wrap up the game for NSW. NSW captain Paul Gallen was awarded the Man of the Match award. But more importantly, Gallen’s side have squared the series, setting up a decider in Brisbane in three weeks time. New South Wales 18 def Queensland 8 NSW : Tries – L Lewis, A Minichiello, W Hopoate. Goals – J Soward 3/4. Queensland : Tries – C Smith. Goals – J Thurston 2/2. Referees – S Hayne, B Cummins. Crowd – 81,965 at ANZ Stadium. A blockbuster crowd at Lang Park on Friday night saw a clash between two sides that had plenty of players backing up from Origin. But it was Brisbane who would emerge with the points, the Broncos sending St George to their second straight defeat when they won 21-14. The Broncos were on the back foot early, with Jharal Yow Yeh knocking on from the kick-off, giving the Dragons the ball within scoring range. And it took just a few moments for Peni Tagive to score out wide and give the Dragons an early lead; but Jamie Soward was unable to convert. The Dragons continued to press, but were twice denied by the video referee. But on 28 minutes, against the run of play, big David Hala crashed over the line to get the Broncos on the board, with Peter Wallace’s conversion giving the home side the lead. |
The final five minutes of the first half would prove pivotal to the outcome of the match. Jharal Yow Yeh scored
twice for the Broncos; both tries being controversial as he first took a high bomb and scrambled on the goal-line
and then crashed over in a pack next to the line. Both attempts went to the video referee, but both tries were
awarded. Wallace missed both conversions, putting the Broncos 14-4 ahead at half time.
The Dragons pressed hard in the second half. Tagive was denied a try by the video referee, but a few minutes
later, Mark Gasnier sent Jamie Soward through a gap and a 30 metre run to the line for a try that would cut the
margin back to four points.
On the hour, a 40-20 kick by Darren Lockyer gave the Broncos an attacking opportunity; and Lockyer was again
in the thick of the action as he ran rings around the Dragon defenders before offloading to Jack Reed who
scored under the posts. Wallace had no trouble with the conversion this time, and the Broncos were 20-10
ahead.
With ten minutes to go, Matt Prior breathed life into the contest as he crashed over to score a try in the corner
for the Dragons, but Soward was unable to convert. With a six-point margin, Darren Lockyer made the game safe
for the Broncos by putting a field goal over; and the Broncos were on their way to their third win on the trot and
a chance to move into the top four.
Brisbane Broncos 21 def St George-Illawarra Dragons 14
Broncos : Tries – J Yow Yeh 2, D Hala, J Reed. Goals – P Wallace 2/4. Field Goals – D Lockyer 1/1.
Dragons : Tries – J Soward, R Tagive, M Prior. Goals – J Soward 1/3.
Referees – J Maxwell, G Sutton. Crowd – 34,185 at Suncorp Stadium.
The under-performing South Sydney took a tentative step to turning their flagging 2011 fortunes around when
the Rabbitohs ran away in the final stages of the match to record a 31-8 win over Gold Coast in front of a small
crowd at ANZ Stadium on Friday night.
The Rabbitohs got off to a flying start, scoring in the 6th minute. A cross-field kick by Chris Sandow found Dave
Taylor, who quickly off-loaded to Jason Roberts for a try out wide. And when Eddy Pettybourne found the line in
the 22nd minute, the Rabbitohs were 12-0 ahead. A penalty goal in the final minutes of the half saw the
Rabbitohs leading 14-0 at the break. The Titans had barely put a coherent set of six together through the first
half, and their bleak fortunes took a turn for the worse shortly before half time when Ryan James was
stretchered off with a knee injury shortly before half time.
The Rabbitohs started the second half strongly, and were looking well set. But a long kick forward by the Titans
on the last tackle was knocked on by Rhys Wesser, giving the Titans a set from deep in Souths’ half. A penalty to
the Titans during the ensuing set further strengthened their attacking potential; and eventually David Mead eked
out a benefit-of-the-doubt try in the corner. But Scott Prince was unable to convert.
That try had been against the run of play, but four minutes later the Rabbitohs had reason to be worried when
the Titans went in again, Joseph Tomane being at the end of a play that was set up by a Preston Campbell
bomb. Although Prince was unable to convert, the scoreline was back to 14-8, and for all Souths’ dominance,
there was only a converted try in it.
Chris Sandow gave the Rabbitohs some safety margin with a field goal, but the game remained in the balance
with the Rabbitohs leading by 7 points with six minute to go. But the floodgates would open in the final minutes.
Nathan Merritt was on the end of a string of passes to score out wide. Isaac Luke barged his way over for
another try. And in the final seconds, Greg Inglis put the icing on the cake with a 70 metre run that culminated
with him scoring under the posts.
Click here to see Harboursport’s photo gallery of this match.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 31 def Gold Coast Titans 8
Rabbitohs : Tries – G Inglis, N Merritt, I Luke, E Pettybourne, J Roberts. Goals – C Sandow 5/6.
Field Goals – C Sandow 1/1.
Titans : Tries – J Tomane, D Mead. Goals – S Prince 0/2.
Referees – J Robinson, B Suttor. Crowd – 8,021 at ANZ Stadium.
It wasn’t a match that reached any great heights, but Newcastle took an important two points when they
defeated Penrith at Ausgrid Stadium on Saturday night.
An error-riddled opening 15 minutes saw both sides make a complete mess of numerous scoring chances, but
eventually it was the Knights who would break the deadlock when Neville Costigan effected a one-on-one strip
to get possession and work the ball to the line for the opening try. Kurt Gidley added the extras, and a penalty
goal shortly afterwards to put the Knights 8-0 ahead.
The Panthers pressed the line on numerous occasions over the remainder of the first half, but were unable to
penetrate the Newcastle line; and the 8-0 scoreline would remain for the rest of the half. But shortly after half
time, the Panthers finally got on the board. A pass that looked forward by Luke Walsh got Masada Iosefa over
the line for a try, but the referee gave it the all-clear; and with the video referee unable to rule on forward
passes, the try was awarded. Luke Walsh added the extras and the margin was back to two points.
Shortly after the hour mark, Keith Lulia offloaded to Akuila Uate, and the speedy winger was too quick for the
chasing Panther defenders as he raced 40 metres to plant the ball over the line out wide. It was a tough angle,
but Kurt Gidley nailed the conversion to put the Knights 14-6 ahead.
But with six minutes to go, the game was back up for grabs when Iosefa dragged three defenders with him over
the line to score and reduce the gap to two points. But they could get no closer, and a penalty in the final
minutes enabled the Knights to milk the clock and add an additional two points to their score.
Newcastle Knights 16 def Penrith Panthers 12
Knights : Tries – N Costigan, A Uate. Goals – K Gidley 4/4.
Panthers : Tries – M Iosefa 2. Goals – T Burns 1/1, L Walsh 1/1.
Referees – G Badger, T De las Heras. Crowd – 16,652 at Ausgrid Stadium.
North Queensland maintained their position in the top four when the Cowboys handed the New Zealand Warriors
their third straight defeat, a 30-10 result at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday night.
The Warriors were unlucky early, when what looked a good try to Shaun Johnson was disallowed by the video
referee. And at the ten minute mark, Johnathan Thurston found a flying Kalifa Fai-Fai Loa for a quick try in the
corner, too tight an angle for Thurston to convert. The Cowboys would then also have a try to Johnson
disallowed by the video referee, with Dallas Johnson ruled to have committed a double-movement to ground the
ball.
At 22 minutes, Feleti Mateo drew the Cowboy defenders before finding an unmarked James Maloney for a try
under the posts. Converting his own try, Maloney gave the Warriors a 6-4 lead.
The Warriors’ lead would be short-lived, as five minutes later Ashley Graham dived over to score and put the
Cowboys back in front.
At 35 minutes, the Warriors regained the lead, with Shaun Johnson gathering the ball 20 metres out from the
line and winning the race against the Cowboy defenders. And the Warriors went close to scoring again as the half-
time siren rang, but Krisnan Inu was held up just short of the line; ensuring the 10-8 lead to the Warriors would
remain as the half-time score.
It was end to end play for 17 minutes, with neither side able to trouble the scorers. But the deadlock was
broken as Johnathan Thurston put in a strong individual effort to out-pace several Warrior defenders and score.
But it would be an expensive try for the Cowboys, as Thurston was injured in the act of scoring. Looking
uncomfortable as he tried and failed to convert, Thurston left the field shortly afterwards and his night was over.
But the floodgates were opening. Tariq Sims and James Segeyaro would cross within the next five minutes;
Segeyaro’s try finally resulting in a conversion as Gavin Cooper added the extras to put the Cowboys 22-10 ahead.
With nine minutes to go, Fai-Fai Loa again proved too quick for the Warrior defence as he brought up his double,
putting the result beyond doubt. And the Cowboys would rub more salt in the Warrior wound in the last minute
of the game as Ben Jones joined in the try-scoring action.
It was a dominant performance by the Cowboys, seven tries to two, and but for their inaccurate finishing could
have won by even more. But the result was enough to consolidate the Cowboys’ position in the top four; but
was also the third straight loss for the struggling Warriors, their hold on a position in the top eight now more
precarious.
North Queensland Cowboys 30 def New Zealand Warriors 10
Cowboys : Tries – K Fai-Fai Loa 2, J Thurston, A Graham, B Jones, T Sims, J Segeyaro. Goals – J
Thurston 0/3, A Graham 0/1, G Cooper 1/3.
Warriors : Tries – J Maloney, S Johnson. Goals – J Maloney 1/2.
Referees – M Cecchin, M Wise. Crowd – 16,081 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
Cronulla made their way back onto the winning list at ANZ Stadium on Sunday, with the Sharks putting a strong
80-minute effort to record a 26-10 win over the Bulldogs.
Chad Townsend kicked an early penalty goal to give the Sharks the lead, but the first try of the game would not
come until the 22-minute mark. Both sides had worked hard to feel each other out, with neither really looking
like scoring; but the Sharks found themselves on the board after Nathan Gardner grubbered forward on the last
tackle, with Ben Pomeroy pouncing on the ball to score.
Five minutes later the Sharks were in again, with Gardner catching the Bulldog defence unawares as he went
himself when the defenders were expecting an offload for a try in the corner. Townsend’s conversion attempt
went wide, but the Sharks were 12-0 ahead.
With ten minutes before half time, Ben Barba went flying down the wing to score. And in the last minute before
half time, Josh Reynolds found the line to put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard, Steve Turner’s conversion making
it 12-10 Cronulla’s way at the break. It hadn’t been a great half, with plenty of errors from both sides, but the
Sharks had done enough to lead by a penalty goal at the break.
The Sharks had to absorb some pressure from the Bulldogs early in the second half, but rode out the Bulldog
attack and then began to create chances of their own. And at the 55 minute mark, Paul Gallen found the line to
extend the Cronulla lead; with Townsend landing the conversion and adding a penalty goal a few minutes later.
The Sharks were riding high on confidence, and Wade Graham would ice the cake with a solo try with just a few
minutes to go. The Sharks’ win has taken them, at least for the time being, away from the bottom of the ladder.
But the Bulldogs will be rueing their poor performance in a game that has seen them crash out of the top eight.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 26 def Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 10
Sharks : Tries – P Gallen, B Pomeroy, W Graham, N Gardner. Goals – C Townsend 5/6.
Bulldogs : Tries – B Barba, J Reynolds. Goals – S Turner 1/2.
Referees – S Lyons, A Shortall. Crowd – 14,879 at ANZ Stadium.
A sellout crowd of over 20,000 crammed into the old facilities at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday afternoon as Wests
Tigers took on Melbourne Storm. But the capacity crowd would go home disappointed as the Tigers were
thoroughly outplayed by the Storm, the Victorian side completing a 12-4 victory.
The ground was bathed in sunshine and the crowd was in voice early. But the Tigers, for all their efforts, were
unable to get the first try. Bryce Gibbs went close, crossing the line but the video referee showed he was unable
to ground the ball correctly and the try was disallowed.
On 18 minutes, Garth Widdop burst through a yawning gap in the Tigers defence before offloading to Ryan
Hinchcliffe for a try under the posts. Matt Duffie added the extras, and it was first blood to the Storm with a 6-0
lead.
But ten minutes later, the Tigers fought back when Beau Ryan conjured up a try out of nowhere, diving over to
score in the corner. The angle was too tight for Benji Marshall to convert the try, and the Storm remained 6-4
ahead.
It took just five minutes for the Storm to add to their advantage, with Cooper Cronk wrong-footing the Tigers
before Kevin Proctor got through some soft defence to stroll through for a try under the posts. With Cam Smith
interchanged back on, Smith took on the goalkicking duties and kicked the conversion.
It was 12-4 to the Storm at half time, and the scoreline would remain unchanged throughout the second half.
The Tigers received plenty of penalties in the second half, but were unable to make anything of their possession.
The Tigers had a chance to get back into the contest when a possible try to Andrew Fifita was referred upstairs,
but on viewing the replay the try was denied.
The Storm held out everything the Tigers could throw at them, but made a string of errors which prevented
them from looking like adding to the scoreline. With the Storm holding on to take the match, they move to the
top of the ladder.
Melbourne Storm 12 def Wests Tigers 4
Storm : Tries – K Proctor, R Hinchcliffe. Goals – C Smith 1/1, M Duffie 1/1.
Tigers : Tries – B Ryan. Goals – B Marshall 0/1.
Referees – A Klein, A Devcich. Crowd – 20,486 at Leichhardt Oval.
Manly had a chance to go to top of the ladder when they took on Parramatta at Brookvale Oval on Monday
night. But the Sea Eagles found themselves pushed all the way by the Eels, and it was only in the final moments
that they took out a 22-18 win.
The Sea Eagles burst out of the block, putting on some razzle dazzle as they threw the ball around. And after
the ball went through six sets of hands, Steve Matai found Michael Robertson who charged through a gap to
score under the posts after just four minutes. Jamie Lyon’s conversion gave the Sea Eagles a 6-0 lead.
The Eels fought back at 12 minutes, with Jarryd Hayne throwing a dummy to put the Sea Eagle defenders off
the scent before offloading to Luke Burt for a try in the corner, which Burt was unable to convert. But 10
minutes later, David Williams crossed the line out wide for an unconverted try to put the Sea Eagles 10-4 ahead.
Shortly after the half hour mark, the video referee awarded Parramatta a try. Jacob Loko chipped the ball forward
on the last tackle, the ball bounced off the uprights and Loko raced forward to retrieve the ball and score. But
the Parramatta resurgency was short-lived, as two minutes before half time Brett Stewart shook off the
attentions of three Parramatta defenders to score and put the Sea Eagles 14-8 ahead at half time.
With a converted try in it at the break, the Sea Eagles took advantage of an early penalty in the second half to
add two points to their buffer. And it was a two-point buffer they needed, as shortly afterwards Ben Smith
chased down a grubber to score under the posts; with Luke Burt adding the extras to reduce the Sea Eagles’
lead to 16-14.
Shortly after the hour, Jarryd Hayne turned on some magic to weave around the Manly defenders before
throwing the ball out to Justin Horo and the Eels were in front. The Eels were high on confidence, and landed a
40-20 to put themselves in attacking position shortly afterwards. Although the Eels were unable to make
anything of that set, they continued to run down the clock and with three minutes to go looked headed for
victory.
But with just three minutes to go, David Williams put in a magnificent centreing kick, which was scooped up by
Kieran Foran, who weaved his way around the Parramatta defenders to score and take the lead. Jamie Lyon’s
conversion was successful and the final score was Manly 22-18. But the win, being only by four points, was not
enough for the Sea Eagles to go ahead of Melbourne and take top spot on the ladder.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 22 def Parramatta Eels 18
Sea Eagles : Tries – B Stewart, M Robertson, D Williams, K Foran. Goals – J Lyon 3/5.
Eels : Tries – L Burt, B Smith, J Horo, J Loko. Goals – L Burt 1/4.
Referees – T Archer, P Haines. Crowd – 13,959 at Brookvale Oval.
twice for the Broncos; both tries being controversial as he first took a high bomb and scrambled on the goal-line
and then crashed over in a pack next to the line. Both attempts went to the video referee, but both tries were
awarded. Wallace missed both conversions, putting the Broncos 14-4 ahead at half time.
The Dragons pressed hard in the second half. Tagive was denied a try by the video referee, but a few minutes
later, Mark Gasnier sent Jamie Soward through a gap and a 30 metre run to the line for a try that would cut the
margin back to four points.
On the hour, a 40-20 kick by Darren Lockyer gave the Broncos an attacking opportunity; and Lockyer was again
in the thick of the action as he ran rings around the Dragon defenders before offloading to Jack Reed who
scored under the posts. Wallace had no trouble with the conversion this time, and the Broncos were 20-10
ahead.
With ten minutes to go, Matt Prior breathed life into the contest as he crashed over to score a try in the corner
for the Dragons, but Soward was unable to convert. With a six-point margin, Darren Lockyer made the game safe
for the Broncos by putting a field goal over; and the Broncos were on their way to their third win on the trot and
a chance to move into the top four.
Brisbane Broncos 21 def St George-Illawarra Dragons 14
Broncos : Tries – J Yow Yeh 2, D Hala, J Reed. Goals – P Wallace 2/4. Field Goals – D Lockyer 1/1.
Dragons : Tries – J Soward, R Tagive, M Prior. Goals – J Soward 1/3.
Referees – J Maxwell, G Sutton. Crowd – 34,185 at Suncorp Stadium.
The under-performing South Sydney took a tentative step to turning their flagging 2011 fortunes around when
the Rabbitohs ran away in the final stages of the match to record a 31-8 win over Gold Coast in front of a small
crowd at ANZ Stadium on Friday night.
The Rabbitohs got off to a flying start, scoring in the 6th minute. A cross-field kick by Chris Sandow found Dave
Taylor, who quickly off-loaded to Jason Roberts for a try out wide. And when Eddy Pettybourne found the line in
the 22nd minute, the Rabbitohs were 12-0 ahead. A penalty goal in the final minutes of the half saw the
Rabbitohs leading 14-0 at the break. The Titans had barely put a coherent set of six together through the first
half, and their bleak fortunes took a turn for the worse shortly before half time when Ryan James was
stretchered off with a knee injury shortly before half time.
The Rabbitohs started the second half strongly, and were looking well set. But a long kick forward by the Titans
on the last tackle was knocked on by Rhys Wesser, giving the Titans a set from deep in Souths’ half. A penalty to
the Titans during the ensuing set further strengthened their attacking potential; and eventually David Mead eked
out a benefit-of-the-doubt try in the corner. But Scott Prince was unable to convert.
That try had been against the run of play, but four minutes later the Rabbitohs had reason to be worried when
the Titans went in again, Joseph Tomane being at the end of a play that was set up by a Preston Campbell
bomb. Although Prince was unable to convert, the scoreline was back to 14-8, and for all Souths’ dominance,
there was only a converted try in it.
Chris Sandow gave the Rabbitohs some safety margin with a field goal, but the game remained in the balance
with the Rabbitohs leading by 7 points with six minute to go. But the floodgates would open in the final minutes.
Nathan Merritt was on the end of a string of passes to score out wide. Isaac Luke barged his way over for
another try. And in the final seconds, Greg Inglis put the icing on the cake with a 70 metre run that culminated
with him scoring under the posts.
Click here to see Harboursport’s photo gallery of this match.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 31 def Gold Coast Titans 8
Rabbitohs : Tries – G Inglis, N Merritt, I Luke, E Pettybourne, J Roberts. Goals – C Sandow 5/6.
Field Goals – C Sandow 1/1.
Titans : Tries – J Tomane, D Mead. Goals – S Prince 0/2.
Referees – J Robinson, B Suttor. Crowd – 8,021 at ANZ Stadium.
It wasn’t a match that reached any great heights, but Newcastle took an important two points when they
defeated Penrith at Ausgrid Stadium on Saturday night.
An error-riddled opening 15 minutes saw both sides make a complete mess of numerous scoring chances, but
eventually it was the Knights who would break the deadlock when Neville Costigan effected a one-on-one strip
to get possession and work the ball to the line for the opening try. Kurt Gidley added the extras, and a penalty
goal shortly afterwards to put the Knights 8-0 ahead.
The Panthers pressed the line on numerous occasions over the remainder of the first half, but were unable to
penetrate the Newcastle line; and the 8-0 scoreline would remain for the rest of the half. But shortly after half
time, the Panthers finally got on the board. A pass that looked forward by Luke Walsh got Masada Iosefa over
the line for a try, but the referee gave it the all-clear; and with the video referee unable to rule on forward
passes, the try was awarded. Luke Walsh added the extras and the margin was back to two points.
Shortly after the hour mark, Keith Lulia offloaded to Akuila Uate, and the speedy winger was too quick for the
chasing Panther defenders as he raced 40 metres to plant the ball over the line out wide. It was a tough angle,
but Kurt Gidley nailed the conversion to put the Knights 14-6 ahead.
But with six minutes to go, the game was back up for grabs when Iosefa dragged three defenders with him over
the line to score and reduce the gap to two points. But they could get no closer, and a penalty in the final
minutes enabled the Knights to milk the clock and add an additional two points to their score.
Newcastle Knights 16 def Penrith Panthers 12
Knights : Tries – N Costigan, A Uate. Goals – K Gidley 4/4.
Panthers : Tries – M Iosefa 2. Goals – T Burns 1/1, L Walsh 1/1.
Referees – G Badger, T De las Heras. Crowd – 16,652 at Ausgrid Stadium.
North Queensland maintained their position in the top four when the Cowboys handed the New Zealand Warriors
their third straight defeat, a 30-10 result at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday night.
The Warriors were unlucky early, when what looked a good try to Shaun Johnson was disallowed by the video
referee. And at the ten minute mark, Johnathan Thurston found a flying Kalifa Fai-Fai Loa for a quick try in the
corner, too tight an angle for Thurston to convert. The Cowboys would then also have a try to Johnson
disallowed by the video referee, with Dallas Johnson ruled to have committed a double-movement to ground the
ball.
At 22 minutes, Feleti Mateo drew the Cowboy defenders before finding an unmarked James Maloney for a try
under the posts. Converting his own try, Maloney gave the Warriors a 6-4 lead.
The Warriors’ lead would be short-lived, as five minutes later Ashley Graham dived over to score and put the
Cowboys back in front.
At 35 minutes, the Warriors regained the lead, with Shaun Johnson gathering the ball 20 metres out from the
line and winning the race against the Cowboy defenders. And the Warriors went close to scoring again as the half-
time siren rang, but Krisnan Inu was held up just short of the line; ensuring the 10-8 lead to the Warriors would
remain as the half-time score.
It was end to end play for 17 minutes, with neither side able to trouble the scorers. But the deadlock was
broken as Johnathan Thurston put in a strong individual effort to out-pace several Warrior defenders and score.
But it would be an expensive try for the Cowboys, as Thurston was injured in the act of scoring. Looking
uncomfortable as he tried and failed to convert, Thurston left the field shortly afterwards and his night was over.
But the floodgates were opening. Tariq Sims and James Segeyaro would cross within the next five minutes;
Segeyaro’s try finally resulting in a conversion as Gavin Cooper added the extras to put the Cowboys 22-10 ahead.
With nine minutes to go, Fai-Fai Loa again proved too quick for the Warrior defence as he brought up his double,
putting the result beyond doubt. And the Cowboys would rub more salt in the Warrior wound in the last minute
of the game as Ben Jones joined in the try-scoring action.
It was a dominant performance by the Cowboys, seven tries to two, and but for their inaccurate finishing could
have won by even more. But the result was enough to consolidate the Cowboys’ position in the top four; but
was also the third straight loss for the struggling Warriors, their hold on a position in the top eight now more
precarious.
North Queensland Cowboys 30 def New Zealand Warriors 10
Cowboys : Tries – K Fai-Fai Loa 2, J Thurston, A Graham, B Jones, T Sims, J Segeyaro. Goals – J
Thurston 0/3, A Graham 0/1, G Cooper 1/3.
Warriors : Tries – J Maloney, S Johnson. Goals – J Maloney 1/2.
Referees – M Cecchin, M Wise. Crowd – 16,081 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
Cronulla made their way back onto the winning list at ANZ Stadium on Sunday, with the Sharks putting a strong
80-minute effort to record a 26-10 win over the Bulldogs.
Chad Townsend kicked an early penalty goal to give the Sharks the lead, but the first try of the game would not
come until the 22-minute mark. Both sides had worked hard to feel each other out, with neither really looking
like scoring; but the Sharks found themselves on the board after Nathan Gardner grubbered forward on the last
tackle, with Ben Pomeroy pouncing on the ball to score.
Five minutes later the Sharks were in again, with Gardner catching the Bulldog defence unawares as he went
himself when the defenders were expecting an offload for a try in the corner. Townsend’s conversion attempt
went wide, but the Sharks were 12-0 ahead.
With ten minutes before half time, Ben Barba went flying down the wing to score. And in the last minute before
half time, Josh Reynolds found the line to put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard, Steve Turner’s conversion making
it 12-10 Cronulla’s way at the break. It hadn’t been a great half, with plenty of errors from both sides, but the
Sharks had done enough to lead by a penalty goal at the break.
The Sharks had to absorb some pressure from the Bulldogs early in the second half, but rode out the Bulldog
attack and then began to create chances of their own. And at the 55 minute mark, Paul Gallen found the line to
extend the Cronulla lead; with Townsend landing the conversion and adding a penalty goal a few minutes later.
The Sharks were riding high on confidence, and Wade Graham would ice the cake with a solo try with just a few
minutes to go. The Sharks’ win has taken them, at least for the time being, away from the bottom of the ladder.
But the Bulldogs will be rueing their poor performance in a game that has seen them crash out of the top eight.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 26 def Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 10
Sharks : Tries – P Gallen, B Pomeroy, W Graham, N Gardner. Goals – C Townsend 5/6.
Bulldogs : Tries – B Barba, J Reynolds. Goals – S Turner 1/2.
Referees – S Lyons, A Shortall. Crowd – 14,879 at ANZ Stadium.
A sellout crowd of over 20,000 crammed into the old facilities at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday afternoon as Wests
Tigers took on Melbourne Storm. But the capacity crowd would go home disappointed as the Tigers were
thoroughly outplayed by the Storm, the Victorian side completing a 12-4 victory.
The ground was bathed in sunshine and the crowd was in voice early. But the Tigers, for all their efforts, were
unable to get the first try. Bryce Gibbs went close, crossing the line but the video referee showed he was unable
to ground the ball correctly and the try was disallowed.
On 18 minutes, Garth Widdop burst through a yawning gap in the Tigers defence before offloading to Ryan
Hinchcliffe for a try under the posts. Matt Duffie added the extras, and it was first blood to the Storm with a 6-0
lead.
But ten minutes later, the Tigers fought back when Beau Ryan conjured up a try out of nowhere, diving over to
score in the corner. The angle was too tight for Benji Marshall to convert the try, and the Storm remained 6-4
ahead.
It took just five minutes for the Storm to add to their advantage, with Cooper Cronk wrong-footing the Tigers
before Kevin Proctor got through some soft defence to stroll through for a try under the posts. With Cam Smith
interchanged back on, Smith took on the goalkicking duties and kicked the conversion.
It was 12-4 to the Storm at half time, and the scoreline would remain unchanged throughout the second half.
The Tigers received plenty of penalties in the second half, but were unable to make anything of their possession.
The Tigers had a chance to get back into the contest when a possible try to Andrew Fifita was referred upstairs,
but on viewing the replay the try was denied.
The Storm held out everything the Tigers could throw at them, but made a string of errors which prevented
them from looking like adding to the scoreline. With the Storm holding on to take the match, they move to the
top of the ladder.
Melbourne Storm 12 def Wests Tigers 4
Storm : Tries – K Proctor, R Hinchcliffe. Goals – C Smith 1/1, M Duffie 1/1.
Tigers : Tries – B Ryan. Goals – B Marshall 0/1.
Referees – A Klein, A Devcich. Crowd – 20,486 at Leichhardt Oval.
Manly had a chance to go to top of the ladder when they took on Parramatta at Brookvale Oval on Monday
night. But the Sea Eagles found themselves pushed all the way by the Eels, and it was only in the final moments
that they took out a 22-18 win.
The Sea Eagles burst out of the block, putting on some razzle dazzle as they threw the ball around. And after
the ball went through six sets of hands, Steve Matai found Michael Robertson who charged through a gap to
score under the posts after just four minutes. Jamie Lyon’s conversion gave the Sea Eagles a 6-0 lead.
The Eels fought back at 12 minutes, with Jarryd Hayne throwing a dummy to put the Sea Eagle defenders off
the scent before offloading to Luke Burt for a try in the corner, which Burt was unable to convert. But 10
minutes later, David Williams crossed the line out wide for an unconverted try to put the Sea Eagles 10-4 ahead.
Shortly after the half hour mark, the video referee awarded Parramatta a try. Jacob Loko chipped the ball forward
on the last tackle, the ball bounced off the uprights and Loko raced forward to retrieve the ball and score. But
the Parramatta resurgency was short-lived, as two minutes before half time Brett Stewart shook off the
attentions of three Parramatta defenders to score and put the Sea Eagles 14-8 ahead at half time.
With a converted try in it at the break, the Sea Eagles took advantage of an early penalty in the second half to
add two points to their buffer. And it was a two-point buffer they needed, as shortly afterwards Ben Smith
chased down a grubber to score under the posts; with Luke Burt adding the extras to reduce the Sea Eagles’
lead to 16-14.
Shortly after the hour, Jarryd Hayne turned on some magic to weave around the Manly defenders before
throwing the ball out to Justin Horo and the Eels were in front. The Eels were high on confidence, and landed a
40-20 to put themselves in attacking position shortly afterwards. Although the Eels were unable to make
anything of that set, they continued to run down the clock and with three minutes to go looked headed for
victory.
But with just three minutes to go, David Williams put in a magnificent centreing kick, which was scooped up by
Kieran Foran, who weaved his way around the Parramatta defenders to score and take the lead. Jamie Lyon’s
conversion was successful and the final score was Manly 22-18. But the win, being only by four points, was not
enough for the Sea Eagles to go ahead of Melbourne and take top spot on the ladder.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 22 def Parramatta Eels 18
Sea Eagles : Tries – B Stewart, M Robertson, D Williams, K Foran. Goals – J Lyon 3/5.
Eels : Tries – L Burt, B Smith, J Horo, J Loko. Goals – L Burt 1/4.
Referees – T Archer, P Haines. Crowd – 13,959 at Brookvale Oval.
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