In front of a capacity crowd at Kogarah, St George bounced back from last week’s shocker against the Bulldogs to
record a comfortable 36-12 win over Wests Tigers on Friday night.
Among the local St George fans, Tigers’ fullback Tim Moltzen was public enemy number one after Moltzen had signed
for the Dragons mid-season but walk away from that deal to re-sign with the Tigers. And the Dragons’ supporters had
plenty to cheer about as Moltzen had a shocker, struggling to control the ball and conceding numerous penalties.
After nine minutes, the Dragons were first to get on the board, with Mitch Rein caught the Tiger defence out with a
well-timed dummy before crashing over to score under the posts. A few minutes later, Brett Morris off-loaded to set
up Dan Hunt; and with Jamie Soward converting both tries, the Dragons were 12-0 ahead.
The Tigers got a try back, as Beau Ryan grabbed the ball as he crossed the line in the corner. The ball was hard to
control, with Ryan fumbling the ball but regathering before it hit the ground, but after viewing the video several
times, the video referee awarded the try. It was a tight angle from the sideline, but Benji Marshall made no mistake.
Much of the first half saw the ball run end to end, a mainly evenly-matched contest. But the final two minutes before
half time were critical in the outcome of the game. There were only two minutes to go in the first half when Trent
Merrin made a break to set up Nathan Fien. And as the half time siren blew, Ben Hornby put in a blistering run to
score under the posts. With Soward converting both the tries, the Dragons led 24-6 at the break.
If the Tigers were to have any hope of getting back into the contest, they needed to get the first try of the second
half; and they attacked hard in the early minutes of the half. The clock was ticking, and the Dragons took advantage
of a silly penalty to add a further two points to their buffer.
Fifteen minutes passed, but eventually the Tigers did get a try back, with an imaginative pass by Chris Lawrence
sending Joel Reddy to the line for a try in the corner, Marshall’s conversion making the score 26-12.
The Tigers had the Dragons under pressure, forcing some drop-outs. But Robbie Farah’s knock-on when 15 metres
from the St George line cost the Tigers a key attacking option. And with ten minutes to go, any hope of a late
comeback was gone when Daniel Vidot found room to move out wide to score his first try in Dragons’ colours since
defecting from Canberra last year. And with two minutes to go, Ben Creagh put the icing on the cake to wrap up a
36-12 win.
For the Dragons, it was a welcome reversal of form after they were so badly thrashed by the Bulldogs last week. But
it was another shock for the Tigers; premiership favourites as the season started, they have won just one of their first
three matches.
Click here to see Harboursport’s photo gallery from this match.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 36 def Wests Tigers 12
Dragons : Tries – B Creagh, B Hornby, N Fien, D Hunt, D Vidot, M Rein. Goals – J Soward 6/7.
Tigers : Tries – J Reddy, B Ryan. Goals – B Marshall 2/2.
Referees – T Archer, P Haines. Crowd – 18,726 at WIN Jubilee Oval.
Newcastle had their second home game for the season, with coach Wayne Bennett again coaching against one of his
old clubs. And for the second time, the Knights would be defeated at home, this time being beaten by a well-drilled
Brisbane side 24-10 on Friday night.
The Knights were on the attack from the start, a penalty after 20 seconds sending them deep into Brisbane territory.
But the Broncos were able to hold the Knights out in that set, and them work to build field position. And in the sixth
minutes, Alex Glenn managed to make a break and run 40 metres to give the Broncos the opening try of the match.
They could have got another two minutes later, but were denied by the video referee.
record a comfortable 36-12 win over Wests Tigers on Friday night.
Among the local St George fans, Tigers’ fullback Tim Moltzen was public enemy number one after Moltzen had signed
for the Dragons mid-season but walk away from that deal to re-sign with the Tigers. And the Dragons’ supporters had
plenty to cheer about as Moltzen had a shocker, struggling to control the ball and conceding numerous penalties.
After nine minutes, the Dragons were first to get on the board, with Mitch Rein caught the Tiger defence out with a
well-timed dummy before crashing over to score under the posts. A few minutes later, Brett Morris off-loaded to set
up Dan Hunt; and with Jamie Soward converting both tries, the Dragons were 12-0 ahead.
The Tigers got a try back, as Beau Ryan grabbed the ball as he crossed the line in the corner. The ball was hard to
control, with Ryan fumbling the ball but regathering before it hit the ground, but after viewing the video several
times, the video referee awarded the try. It was a tight angle from the sideline, but Benji Marshall made no mistake.
Much of the first half saw the ball run end to end, a mainly evenly-matched contest. But the final two minutes before
half time were critical in the outcome of the game. There were only two minutes to go in the first half when Trent
Merrin made a break to set up Nathan Fien. And as the half time siren blew, Ben Hornby put in a blistering run to
score under the posts. With Soward converting both the tries, the Dragons led 24-6 at the break.
If the Tigers were to have any hope of getting back into the contest, they needed to get the first try of the second
half; and they attacked hard in the early minutes of the half. The clock was ticking, and the Dragons took advantage
of a silly penalty to add a further two points to their buffer.
Fifteen minutes passed, but eventually the Tigers did get a try back, with an imaginative pass by Chris Lawrence
sending Joel Reddy to the line for a try in the corner, Marshall’s conversion making the score 26-12.
The Tigers had the Dragons under pressure, forcing some drop-outs. But Robbie Farah’s knock-on when 15 metres
from the St George line cost the Tigers a key attacking option. And with ten minutes to go, any hope of a late
comeback was gone when Daniel Vidot found room to move out wide to score his first try in Dragons’ colours since
defecting from Canberra last year. And with two minutes to go, Ben Creagh put the icing on the cake to wrap up a
36-12 win.
For the Dragons, it was a welcome reversal of form after they were so badly thrashed by the Bulldogs last week. But
it was another shock for the Tigers; premiership favourites as the season started, they have won just one of their first
three matches.
Click here to see Harboursport’s photo gallery from this match.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 36 def Wests Tigers 12
Dragons : Tries – B Creagh, B Hornby, N Fien, D Hunt, D Vidot, M Rein. Goals – J Soward 6/7.
Tigers : Tries – J Reddy, B Ryan. Goals – B Marshall 2/2.
Referees – T Archer, P Haines. Crowd – 18,726 at WIN Jubilee Oval.
Newcastle had their second home game for the season, with coach Wayne Bennett again coaching against one of his
old clubs. And for the second time, the Knights would be defeated at home, this time being beaten by a well-drilled
Brisbane side 24-10 on Friday night.
The Knights were on the attack from the start, a penalty after 20 seconds sending them deep into Brisbane territory.
But the Broncos were able to hold the Knights out in that set, and them work to build field position. And in the sixth
minutes, Alex Glenn managed to make a break and run 40 metres to give the Broncos the opening try of the match.
They could have got another two minutes later, but were denied by the video referee.
Adam Cuthbertson made a break in the 14th minute, before off-loading to Akuila Uate for a try in the corner, but
Wes Naiqama was unable to convert and the Broncos maintained their 6-4 lead.
The video referee again denied the Broncos a try; but there was no doubt on the half hour mark when Justin
Hodges broke through some soft defence betore running 40 metres to score under the posts. Peter Wallace’s
conversion put the Knights 12-4 ahead.
Eight points down at half time, and looking down the barrel of their second home loss, the Knights came out hard
in the second half. But it took 15 minutes for them to be rewarded with a score; and it came in style with James
McManus gathering the ball in the in-goal after a Bronco kick forward, and then running the length of the field to
score and reduce the deficit to just two points.
But that was as close as the Knights could get. Ten minutes later, Gerard Beale scored out wide to give the
Broncos a six-point buffer. Matt Gillett took the ball and scored five minutes later, and the contest was all over. A
disappointing result for the Knights, losing both their home games to date, the appointment of Wayne Bennett
not enough on its own to turn the Novocastrian side’s fortunes around.
Brisbane Broncos 24 def Newcastle Knights 10
Broncos : Tries – J Hodges, M Gillett, A Glenn, G Beale. Goals – P Wallace 4/5.
Knights : Tries – J McManus, A Uate. Goals – M Hilder 1/1, W Naiqama 0/1.
Referees – S Hayne, G Morris. Crowd – 23,894 at Hunter Stadium.
Gold Coast took on Melbourne at Skilled Park in the Saturday early evening game, the second game in that timeslot
already this year for both clubs. And the game saw the Storm’s big guns in sparkling form to spearhead the
Melbourne side to a comprehensive 30-6 win over the Titans.
The heavens had opened, a warm, wet and sticky evening was in prospect as the game kicked off. And in just the
second minute, Matt Duffie chased down a kick from Cooper Cronk to score in the corner; and the Storm had the
lead already.
The Titans had been under pressure, with rumours of crippling debts and disharmony within the club; and the club
had announced that if they didn’t win this game, every fan in attendance would receive a free ticket to the next
home game. But, although the team was under pressure, they rose to the challenge for the remainder of the half;
defending grimly and holding the Storm out. They could have even equalised, but Jordan Rankin and Matt White
both had tries disallowed by the video referee.
It was 4-0 at half time, the Titans’ dogged defence keeping them in the contest. But ten minutes after the break,
a short pass by Cooper Cronk set up Sika Manu for a try. And with that try, the floodgates opened and Matt Duffie
was in for another try just three minutes later.
The Titans did get one try back on the hour, throwing the ball several times on the last tackle before Steve
Michaels found an opening to score in the corner. But it was a rare moment of respite against the Storm
juggernaut. The big three combined, with Smith from dummy half offloading to Cronk, who found Billy Slater.
Slater made it a double with a solo effort a few minutes later, and in the final moments of the game Anthony
Quinn broke through the demoralised Titan defence to add one more try and add further insult to the Titan misery.
Melbourne Storm 30 def Gold Coast Titans 6
Storm : Tries – B Slater 2, M Duffie 2, A Quinn, S Manu. Goals – C Smith 3/6.
Titans : Tries – S Michaels. Goals – S Prince 1/1.
Referees – J Robinson, G Reynolds. Crowd – 11,254 at Skilled Park.
It was a wet and stormy night in Townsville, as the North Queensland Cowboys played host to Parramatta. And in
the tropical downpour, Parramatta’s hopes were washed away as the Cowboys went along swimmingly to
complete an easy 42-6 victory.
In the atrocious conditions, both sides found it hard to maintain control of the ball, with the early exchanges being
filled with fumbles, knock-ons and turnovers. The game remained scoreless for 18 minutes, a period of time in
which few sets were completed and the penalty count was flowing thick and fast.
But eventually, on 18 minutes, the deadlock was broken. Aaron Payne from dummy half threw a quick pass that
Matthew Scott managed to hold on to before running through to score under the posts. Johnathan Thurston
added the extras.
Not long afterwards, Ashley Graham made a break and put the ball down in the corner. The video referee was
called for, and replays gave enough to allow the try to be awarded. Shortly after that try, Jason Taumalolobreezed
though some terrible defence to score another. And although neither try was converted, they have the Cowbots
the confidence and momentum to assert they’redominance.
Matt Bowen, with minutes to go before half time, got through a yawning gap to add another as the half time
Giants showe a glimpe of the play they will become dominant as the lead blew out to 20-6 at half time.
The rain was even heavier in the second half, and play became a tough slog. Pat O’Hanlon got a try back for the
Eels but it was a rare highlight for the lamentable Eels. Kane Linnett put in an individual effort to score; and then
Ashley brought up his hat-trick. And in the final minutes, Gavin Cooper scored to make the final margin eight tries
to one, a reflection of the one-sided nature of this game.
North Queensland Cowboys 42 def Parramatta Eels 6
Cowboys : Tries – A Graham 3, M Bowen, M Scott, G Cooper, K Linnett, J Taumalolo. Goals – J
Thurston 5/8.
Eels : Tries – P O’Hanlon. Goals – C Sandow 1/1.
Referees – A Devcich, C James. Crowd – 8,239 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
The early Sunday game in Auckland saw the Bulldogs maintain their unbeaten record in 2012 when they recorded
a 32-18 win over the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium.
The Bulldogs went on the start, and Ben Barba crossed the line in the second minute, but the video referee ruled
the ball had been knocked on and the try was disallowed. But Barba went over again just three minutes later and
this time the try was scored. Steve Turner added the extras and it was a 6-0 lead to the Bulldogs.
On 12 minutes, Hodkinson slipped a tackle and kicked to the corner, where a flying Steve Turner got to the ball to
put the ball down and score. Three minute later, Ben Barba burst through a yawning gap and off-loaded to
Jonathan Wright; and the Bulldogs found themselves 16-0 ahead.
The Bulldogs had been doing all the attacking, but on the half hour mark, against the run of play James Maloney
put on a good run to score and get the Warriors on the board. Sione Lousi from dummy half crashed over to score
another, reducing the margin to just four points; and the teams returned to the sheds at half time with the
Bulldogs having easily been the better side in the first half but with only a 16-12 lead to show for it.
Ten minutes into the second half, Feleti Mateo ducked under a tackle and stormed to the line, going over in the
corner, and the Warriors were back in the game. James Maloney, with a magnificent conversion from the sideline,
gave the Warriors the lead.
The Bulldogs were back in front on the hour, Sam Kasiano burrowing under the Warriors’ defensive line to score.
Turner was unable to convert, but the Bulldogs were back in front with a 20-18 lead. Kevin Locke went close to
restoring the lead for the Warriors, but it was disallowed by the video referee.
With eight minutes to go, the Bulldogs picked up the ball on their own 10 metre line to start a new set; and Ben
Barba made a break, running 80 metres before finally being brought down just short of the line. Joel Reynolds from
dummy half off-loaded to Wright for his second try. And a few minutes later, Joel Romelo found the line, and the
Bulldogs had wrapped up their win.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 32 def New Zealand Warriors 18
Bulldogs : Tries – J Wright 2, S Turner, B Barba, J Romelo, S Kasiano. Goals – S Turner 4/6.
Warriors : Tries – F Mateo, J Maloney, S Lousi. Goals – J Maloney 3/3.
Referees – M Cecchin, A Klein. Crowd – 17,067 at Mt Smart Stadium.
It wasn’t a match that reached any great heights, but the Sydney Roosters returned to the winning list with two
valuable points after completing a dour 14-8 win over Canberra at the SFS on Sunday afternoon.
The Roosters were on the back foot after their bad loss to Penrith last week, and again found themselves under
pressure early as the Raiders scored twice. The first came after a bomb to the corner, which Ferguson was unable
to control but the ball spilled free to Shaun Berrigan who claimed the try; and after considerable deliberation the
video referee awarded it.
A few minutes later, Jarrod Croker made a break to score in the corner. But, although Croker showed some speed
to create the scoring opportunity, he was unable to make any impact from the kicking tee, with both conversion
attempts being unsuccessful.
The Roosters had been dismal early, with a series of dropped balls and missed tackles; and it seemed inevitable that
the Raiders would add further misery to the Roosters. But, against the run of play, the Roosters got a try back
shortly before half time after a solo effort by Braith Anasta to create some space out wide and score in the corner;
Anasta continuing his heroics as he curled the conversion home to cut the half time deficit to just two points.
On the hour, the Roosters took the lead after Shaun Kenny-Dowell went for a run, drew the defenders and found
Daniel Mortimer in support, with the former Eel completing the play to score under the posts. Anasta’s conversion
gave the Roosters a 12-8 lead; and a penalty goal in the closing minutes of the game would get the final margin
out to six points.
Blake Ferguson went close to levelling the scores, and the video referee was called for, but it was no try; and the
Roosters had enough in the tank to close the game down and record what was an ugly but valuable win.
Sydney Roosters 14 def Canberra Raiders 8
Roosters : Tries – B Anasta, D Mortimer. Goals – B Anasta 3/3.
Raiders : Tries – S Berrigan, J Croker. Goals – J Croker 0/2.
Referees – S Lyons, A Shortall. Crowd – 10,434 at Allianz Stadium.
South Sydney broke through for their first win of 2012 when the Rabbitohs completed a 40-24 win over Penrith in
a high-scoring contest at Penrith Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Panthers were under the pump early after knocking on from the kick-off. The Rabbitohs had possession within
scoring range, and Matt King off-loaded to Andrew Everingham out wide, who crossed over for a try in the first set
of the game. Adam Reynolds’ conversion gave the Rabbitohs an early 6-0 lead.
Three minutes later the Rabbitohs were in again, with John Sutton crashing through the Panthers’ line before a
quick off-load put Roy Asotasi in under the posts. And the Panthers were left shell-shocked just a few minutes
afterwards as big Dave Taylor grubbered and chased the ball down to score just in front of the dead ball line; and
already the Rabbitohs held an 18-0 lead.
The Panthers were stunned, already a long way behind. But against the run of play, they did get a try back, when
Lachlan Coote burst through the Rabbitohs’ line to set up Kevin Kingston. And on the half hour mark, Travis Burns
put on an individual effort to weave around the Rabbitoh defenders and score under the posts; and despite the
Rabbitohs having had the run of play, the Panthers had closed the gap to just six points.
For all the efforts the Panthers had made to get back into the contest, discipline would let them down in the final
stages of the first half, as the Panthers conceded two penalty goals to get the Rabbitohs to a 22-12 half time lead.
And in the opening minute of the second half, the Rabbitohs added to their lead, with Greg Inglis running the
length of the field to score under the posts.
The Rabbitohs were on fire, and Chris McQueen soon burst over to add another. A lucky bounce after a kick
forward on the last tackle enabled Travis Burns to get his second try to give the Panthers something to hope for;
but Dave Taylor’s second try shortly afterwards sealed the fate of the game. Even with Nathan Smith running 40
metres for a consolation try for the Panthers, this was a solid performance all day by the Rabbitohs; who left the
field relieved that they had finally got their season under way after losses in the first two rounds.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 40 def Penrith Panthers 24
Rabbitohs : Tries – D Taylor 2, R Asotasi, G Inglis, C McQueen, A Everingham. Goals – A Reynolds
8/8.
Panthers : Tries – T Burns 2, N Smith, K Kingston. Goals – L Walsh 4/4.
Referees – G Badger, B Suttor. Crowd – 13,876 at Centrebet Stadium.
Cronulla have pulled off the biggest upset of the season to date, when on a wet and cold Monday night they
completed a remarkable 17-14 win over defending champions Manly.
Few experts gave the home side much chance of being competitive in this game, but they started brightly; and
Nathan Gardner went close to scoring in the fifth minute, only to be denied by the video replay. But in the 11th
minute, Jason Bukuya muscled his way through the Sea Eagle defenders, and it was first blood to the Sharks.
The Sharks were confident, and after receiving a penalty in the 20th minute, Isaac de Gois found room to move
before off-loading to Nathan Gardner who crossed the line to score under the posts. Todd Carney added the
extras, and the Sharks led 12-0.
In the 32nd minute, Ben Pomeroy went over for a try in the corner to add to the Sharks’ lead; and although the
angle was too tight for Carney to land the conversion, a field goal in the final seconds before half time gave the
Sharks a 17-0 lead at the break.
The weather was even worse in the second half, but the local fans became more vocal as the clock continued to
tick down with the scoreboard not changing for 20 scoreless minutes; reducing the time available for the Sea
Eagles to come back. Eventually Michael Oldfield crossed the line to score for the Sea Eagles. Jamie Lyon was
unable to convert.
The clock kept ticking, until just five minutes remained and the Sharks remained 17-4 ahead. But the Sea Eagles
suddenly came to life in the final minutes of the game. A late double by Brett Stewart, scoring two tries within
three minutes, cut the margin back to just three points; with still two minutes for the Sea Eagles to attempt to
conjure up a late winner. And they went close, getting within centimetres of the Cronulla line, but the Sharks’
defenders held on for dear life to complete a remarkable win.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 17 def Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 14
Sharks : Tries – B Pomeroy, J Bukuya, N Gardner. Goals – T Carney 2/3. Field Goals – T Carney 1/1.
Sea Eagles : Tries – M Oldfield 2, B Stewart. Goals – J Lyon 1/3.
Referees – B Cummins, G Sutton. Crowd – 8,652 at Toyota Stadium.
Wes Naiqama was unable to convert and the Broncos maintained their 6-4 lead.
The video referee again denied the Broncos a try; but there was no doubt on the half hour mark when Justin
Hodges broke through some soft defence betore running 40 metres to score under the posts. Peter Wallace’s
conversion put the Knights 12-4 ahead.
Eight points down at half time, and looking down the barrel of their second home loss, the Knights came out hard
in the second half. But it took 15 minutes for them to be rewarded with a score; and it came in style with James
McManus gathering the ball in the in-goal after a Bronco kick forward, and then running the length of the field to
score and reduce the deficit to just two points.
But that was as close as the Knights could get. Ten minutes later, Gerard Beale scored out wide to give the
Broncos a six-point buffer. Matt Gillett took the ball and scored five minutes later, and the contest was all over. A
disappointing result for the Knights, losing both their home games to date, the appointment of Wayne Bennett
not enough on its own to turn the Novocastrian side’s fortunes around.
Brisbane Broncos 24 def Newcastle Knights 10
Broncos : Tries – J Hodges, M Gillett, A Glenn, G Beale. Goals – P Wallace 4/5.
Knights : Tries – J McManus, A Uate. Goals – M Hilder 1/1, W Naiqama 0/1.
Referees – S Hayne, G Morris. Crowd – 23,894 at Hunter Stadium.
Gold Coast took on Melbourne at Skilled Park in the Saturday early evening game, the second game in that timeslot
already this year for both clubs. And the game saw the Storm’s big guns in sparkling form to spearhead the
Melbourne side to a comprehensive 30-6 win over the Titans.
The heavens had opened, a warm, wet and sticky evening was in prospect as the game kicked off. And in just the
second minute, Matt Duffie chased down a kick from Cooper Cronk to score in the corner; and the Storm had the
lead already.
The Titans had been under pressure, with rumours of crippling debts and disharmony within the club; and the club
had announced that if they didn’t win this game, every fan in attendance would receive a free ticket to the next
home game. But, although the team was under pressure, they rose to the challenge for the remainder of the half;
defending grimly and holding the Storm out. They could have even equalised, but Jordan Rankin and Matt White
both had tries disallowed by the video referee.
It was 4-0 at half time, the Titans’ dogged defence keeping them in the contest. But ten minutes after the break,
a short pass by Cooper Cronk set up Sika Manu for a try. And with that try, the floodgates opened and Matt Duffie
was in for another try just three minutes later.
The Titans did get one try back on the hour, throwing the ball several times on the last tackle before Steve
Michaels found an opening to score in the corner. But it was a rare moment of respite against the Storm
juggernaut. The big three combined, with Smith from dummy half offloading to Cronk, who found Billy Slater.
Slater made it a double with a solo effort a few minutes later, and in the final moments of the game Anthony
Quinn broke through the demoralised Titan defence to add one more try and add further insult to the Titan misery.
Melbourne Storm 30 def Gold Coast Titans 6
Storm : Tries – B Slater 2, M Duffie 2, A Quinn, S Manu. Goals – C Smith 3/6.
Titans : Tries – S Michaels. Goals – S Prince 1/1.
Referees – J Robinson, G Reynolds. Crowd – 11,254 at Skilled Park.
It was a wet and stormy night in Townsville, as the North Queensland Cowboys played host to Parramatta. And in
the tropical downpour, Parramatta’s hopes were washed away as the Cowboys went along swimmingly to
complete an easy 42-6 victory.
In the atrocious conditions, both sides found it hard to maintain control of the ball, with the early exchanges being
filled with fumbles, knock-ons and turnovers. The game remained scoreless for 18 minutes, a period of time in
which few sets were completed and the penalty count was flowing thick and fast.
But eventually, on 18 minutes, the deadlock was broken. Aaron Payne from dummy half threw a quick pass that
Matthew Scott managed to hold on to before running through to score under the posts. Johnathan Thurston
added the extras.
Not long afterwards, Ashley Graham made a break and put the ball down in the corner. The video referee was
called for, and replays gave enough to allow the try to be awarded. Shortly after that try, Jason Taumalolobreezed
though some terrible defence to score another. And although neither try was converted, they have the Cowbots
the confidence and momentum to assert they’redominance.
Matt Bowen, with minutes to go before half time, got through a yawning gap to add another as the half time
Giants showe a glimpe of the play they will become dominant as the lead blew out to 20-6 at half time.
The rain was even heavier in the second half, and play became a tough slog. Pat O’Hanlon got a try back for the
Eels but it was a rare highlight for the lamentable Eels. Kane Linnett put in an individual effort to score; and then
Ashley brought up his hat-trick. And in the final minutes, Gavin Cooper scored to make the final margin eight tries
to one, a reflection of the one-sided nature of this game.
North Queensland Cowboys 42 def Parramatta Eels 6
Cowboys : Tries – A Graham 3, M Bowen, M Scott, G Cooper, K Linnett, J Taumalolo. Goals – J
Thurston 5/8.
Eels : Tries – P O’Hanlon. Goals – C Sandow 1/1.
Referees – A Devcich, C James. Crowd – 8,239 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
The early Sunday game in Auckland saw the Bulldogs maintain their unbeaten record in 2012 when they recorded
a 32-18 win over the Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium.
The Bulldogs went on the start, and Ben Barba crossed the line in the second minute, but the video referee ruled
the ball had been knocked on and the try was disallowed. But Barba went over again just three minutes later and
this time the try was scored. Steve Turner added the extras and it was a 6-0 lead to the Bulldogs.
On 12 minutes, Hodkinson slipped a tackle and kicked to the corner, where a flying Steve Turner got to the ball to
put the ball down and score. Three minute later, Ben Barba burst through a yawning gap and off-loaded to
Jonathan Wright; and the Bulldogs found themselves 16-0 ahead.
The Bulldogs had been doing all the attacking, but on the half hour mark, against the run of play James Maloney
put on a good run to score and get the Warriors on the board. Sione Lousi from dummy half crashed over to score
another, reducing the margin to just four points; and the teams returned to the sheds at half time with the
Bulldogs having easily been the better side in the first half but with only a 16-12 lead to show for it.
Ten minutes into the second half, Feleti Mateo ducked under a tackle and stormed to the line, going over in the
corner, and the Warriors were back in the game. James Maloney, with a magnificent conversion from the sideline,
gave the Warriors the lead.
The Bulldogs were back in front on the hour, Sam Kasiano burrowing under the Warriors’ defensive line to score.
Turner was unable to convert, but the Bulldogs were back in front with a 20-18 lead. Kevin Locke went close to
restoring the lead for the Warriors, but it was disallowed by the video referee.
With eight minutes to go, the Bulldogs picked up the ball on their own 10 metre line to start a new set; and Ben
Barba made a break, running 80 metres before finally being brought down just short of the line. Joel Reynolds from
dummy half off-loaded to Wright for his second try. And a few minutes later, Joel Romelo found the line, and the
Bulldogs had wrapped up their win.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 32 def New Zealand Warriors 18
Bulldogs : Tries – J Wright 2, S Turner, B Barba, J Romelo, S Kasiano. Goals – S Turner 4/6.
Warriors : Tries – F Mateo, J Maloney, S Lousi. Goals – J Maloney 3/3.
Referees – M Cecchin, A Klein. Crowd – 17,067 at Mt Smart Stadium.
It wasn’t a match that reached any great heights, but the Sydney Roosters returned to the winning list with two
valuable points after completing a dour 14-8 win over Canberra at the SFS on Sunday afternoon.
The Roosters were on the back foot after their bad loss to Penrith last week, and again found themselves under
pressure early as the Raiders scored twice. The first came after a bomb to the corner, which Ferguson was unable
to control but the ball spilled free to Shaun Berrigan who claimed the try; and after considerable deliberation the
video referee awarded it.
A few minutes later, Jarrod Croker made a break to score in the corner. But, although Croker showed some speed
to create the scoring opportunity, he was unable to make any impact from the kicking tee, with both conversion
attempts being unsuccessful.
The Roosters had been dismal early, with a series of dropped balls and missed tackles; and it seemed inevitable that
the Raiders would add further misery to the Roosters. But, against the run of play, the Roosters got a try back
shortly before half time after a solo effort by Braith Anasta to create some space out wide and score in the corner;
Anasta continuing his heroics as he curled the conversion home to cut the half time deficit to just two points.
On the hour, the Roosters took the lead after Shaun Kenny-Dowell went for a run, drew the defenders and found
Daniel Mortimer in support, with the former Eel completing the play to score under the posts. Anasta’s conversion
gave the Roosters a 12-8 lead; and a penalty goal in the closing minutes of the game would get the final margin
out to six points.
Blake Ferguson went close to levelling the scores, and the video referee was called for, but it was no try; and the
Roosters had enough in the tank to close the game down and record what was an ugly but valuable win.
Sydney Roosters 14 def Canberra Raiders 8
Roosters : Tries – B Anasta, D Mortimer. Goals – B Anasta 3/3.
Raiders : Tries – S Berrigan, J Croker. Goals – J Croker 0/2.
Referees – S Lyons, A Shortall. Crowd – 10,434 at Allianz Stadium.
South Sydney broke through for their first win of 2012 when the Rabbitohs completed a 40-24 win over Penrith in
a high-scoring contest at Penrith Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Panthers were under the pump early after knocking on from the kick-off. The Rabbitohs had possession within
scoring range, and Matt King off-loaded to Andrew Everingham out wide, who crossed over for a try in the first set
of the game. Adam Reynolds’ conversion gave the Rabbitohs an early 6-0 lead.
Three minutes later the Rabbitohs were in again, with John Sutton crashing through the Panthers’ line before a
quick off-load put Roy Asotasi in under the posts. And the Panthers were left shell-shocked just a few minutes
afterwards as big Dave Taylor grubbered and chased the ball down to score just in front of the dead ball line; and
already the Rabbitohs held an 18-0 lead.
The Panthers were stunned, already a long way behind. But against the run of play, they did get a try back, when
Lachlan Coote burst through the Rabbitohs’ line to set up Kevin Kingston. And on the half hour mark, Travis Burns
put on an individual effort to weave around the Rabbitoh defenders and score under the posts; and despite the
Rabbitohs having had the run of play, the Panthers had closed the gap to just six points.
For all the efforts the Panthers had made to get back into the contest, discipline would let them down in the final
stages of the first half, as the Panthers conceded two penalty goals to get the Rabbitohs to a 22-12 half time lead.
And in the opening minute of the second half, the Rabbitohs added to their lead, with Greg Inglis running the
length of the field to score under the posts.
The Rabbitohs were on fire, and Chris McQueen soon burst over to add another. A lucky bounce after a kick
forward on the last tackle enabled Travis Burns to get his second try to give the Panthers something to hope for;
but Dave Taylor’s second try shortly afterwards sealed the fate of the game. Even with Nathan Smith running 40
metres for a consolation try for the Panthers, this was a solid performance all day by the Rabbitohs; who left the
field relieved that they had finally got their season under way after losses in the first two rounds.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 40 def Penrith Panthers 24
Rabbitohs : Tries – D Taylor 2, R Asotasi, G Inglis, C McQueen, A Everingham. Goals – A Reynolds
8/8.
Panthers : Tries – T Burns 2, N Smith, K Kingston. Goals – L Walsh 4/4.
Referees – G Badger, B Suttor. Crowd – 13,876 at Centrebet Stadium.
Cronulla have pulled off the biggest upset of the season to date, when on a wet and cold Monday night they
completed a remarkable 17-14 win over defending champions Manly.
Few experts gave the home side much chance of being competitive in this game, but they started brightly; and
Nathan Gardner went close to scoring in the fifth minute, only to be denied by the video replay. But in the 11th
minute, Jason Bukuya muscled his way through the Sea Eagle defenders, and it was first blood to the Sharks.
The Sharks were confident, and after receiving a penalty in the 20th minute, Isaac de Gois found room to move
before off-loading to Nathan Gardner who crossed the line to score under the posts. Todd Carney added the
extras, and the Sharks led 12-0.
In the 32nd minute, Ben Pomeroy went over for a try in the corner to add to the Sharks’ lead; and although the
angle was too tight for Carney to land the conversion, a field goal in the final seconds before half time gave the
Sharks a 17-0 lead at the break.
The weather was even worse in the second half, but the local fans became more vocal as the clock continued to
tick down with the scoreboard not changing for 20 scoreless minutes; reducing the time available for the Sea
Eagles to come back. Eventually Michael Oldfield crossed the line to score for the Sea Eagles. Jamie Lyon was
unable to convert.
The clock kept ticking, until just five minutes remained and the Sharks remained 17-4 ahead. But the Sea Eagles
suddenly came to life in the final minutes of the game. A late double by Brett Stewart, scoring two tries within
three minutes, cut the margin back to just three points; with still two minutes for the Sea Eagles to attempt to
conjure up a late winner. And they went close, getting within centimetres of the Cronulla line, but the Sharks’
defenders held on for dear life to complete a remarkable win.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 17 def Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 14
Sharks : Tries – B Pomeroy, J Bukuya, N Gardner. Goals – T Carney 2/3. Field Goals – T Carney 1/1.
Sea Eagles : Tries – M Oldfield 2, B Stewart. Goals – J Lyon 1/3.
Referees – B Cummins, G Sutton. Crowd – 8,652 at Toyota Stadium.
| ROUND 4 FIXTURES: (All times shown are Sydney time) Friday 23rd March Parramatta v Penrith (7:30pm, Parramatta Stadium) South Sydney v Brisbane (9:00pm, NIB Stadium, Perth) Saturday 24th March NZ Warriors v Gold Coast (5:30pm, Mt Smart Stadium) St George v Manly (7:30pm, WIN Jubilee Stadium) North Queensland v Cronulla (8:30pm, Dairy Farmers Stadium) Sunday 25th March Melbourne v Sydney Roosters (2:00pm, AAMI Park) Canterbury v Newcastle (3:00pm, ANZ Stadium) Monday 26th March Wests Tigers v Canberra (7:00pm, Campbelltown Stadium) |
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