It was a close contest, as the ball travelled from end to end for 20 entertaining but scoreless minutes. But
eventually the drought was broken with ten minutes left on the clock, with Gerard Beale crossing the line out wide
for a try in the corner to put the Broncos in front for the first time. And in the final minutes of the game, Beale
brought up his double to put the issue beyond doubt.
And so the Broncos’ strong start to the season continued; but for the Rabbitohs, they have just one win from
their first four games.
Brisbane Broncos 20 def South Sydney Rabbitohs 12
Broncos : Tries – G Beale 2, M Gillett, J Hoffman. Goals – P Wallace 2/4.
Rabbitohs : Tries – A Everingham 2. Goals – A Reynolds 2/3.
Referees – A Klein, C James. Crowd – 15,599 at NIB Stadium.
The New Zealand Warriors broke through for their first home win of 2012 when they completed a comfortable 26-
6 win over a disappointing Gold Coast side at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Warriors went on the attack early, and nearly went over for an early try but Jerome Ropati was bundled out
wide just centimetres short of the try line. But the Titans were powerless to stop Kevin Locke from batting a
bomb back in the 12th minute for Elijah Taylor to cross for the opening try.
The home side was looking the stronger. Manu Vatuvei had a try disallowed by the video referee, but shortly
afterwards went flying in for a try in the corner. And on the stroke of half time, the Titans were looking to attack
when Scott Prince put up a bomb. Shaun Johnson was first to get the ball, and offloaded to Vatuvei who ran 35
metres before being tackled on the half-way line. A quick play the ball saw it go back to Johnson at dummy half,
who ran 50 metres outrunning the desperate Titan chasers to score and put the Warriors 14-0 ahead at half time.
Ten minutes after half time, James Maloney burst through a line of Titan defenders and found himself tackled 15
metres short of the line. The ball was played back quickly to Ropati, who threw the ball quickly out to Simon
Mannering who crashed over to score under the posts. And the Warriors, thanks to a 40-20 by Maloney a few
minutes later, remained on the attack.
With 12 minutes to go, Shaun Johnson intercepted and ran 50 metres to score, putting the result well and truly
beyond doubt. Luke O’Dwyer scrambled a late consolation try for the Titans, but it was little more than academic
interest by then as the Warriors had done enough to ensure an easy win.
New Zealand Warriors 26 def Gold Coast Titans 6
Warriors : Tries – S Johnson 2, S Mannering, M Vatuvei, E Taylor. Goals – J Maloney 3/5.
Titans : Tries – L O’Dwyer. Goals – S Prince 1/1.
Referees – J Maxwell, G Morris. Crowd – 12,915 at Mt Smart Stadium.
The premiership sides of the last two seasons clashed at Kogarah on Saturday night, and it was the 2010
champions who defeated the reigning premiers 17-6.
A blockbuster crowd of nearly 18,000 was on hand, and they saw the Dragons waste little time in getting on the
scoreboard. Big prop Michael Weyman was too strong for the Sea Eagle defenders, crashing through them to
power his way to the line and score. Jamie Soward converted, and the Dragons were 6-0 ahead after just three
minutes.
The Dragons went close to scoring again a few minutes later, but Jason Nightingale was denied by the video
referee. But shortly before half time, Nightingale swooped on a loose ball near the Manly line and scrambled his way
over to put the ball down. It was a messy try, and it took some time for the video referee to award it; but when
the converted try was awarded, the Dragons took a 12-0 lead at the break.
Manly had barely looked like scoring in the first half, but the Sea Eagles came out firing in the second half. Forcing a
line drop-out after just a few minutes, the Sea Eagles got the ball back and threw it out wide for David Williams to
go over in the corner. A sensational conversion by Jamie Lyon saw the margin reduced to just six points.
The pressure was on, and for nearly half an hour the ball travelled from end to end with no further scoring. Both
sides created chances, but the defences were magnificent; and errors were forced at critical times to prevent the
scoreboard from ticking over.
But with five minutes remaining, the deadlock was broken, as Ben Hornby kicked a grubber from the 20 metre line,
and Jason Nightingale outran the Sea Eagle defenders to win the race for the ball and score. Soward was unable to
convert, but the Dragons had opened up a match-winning lead. To absorb just a bit more time and prevent any
hopes of a miracle comeback by the Sea Eagles, Soward put a field goal over at the end of the next set; and the
17-6 scoreline was complete.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 17 def Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 6
Dragons : Tries – J Nightingale 2, M Weyman. Goals – J Soward 2/3. Field Goals – J Soward 1/1.
Sea Eagles : Tries – D Williams. Goals – J Lyon 1/1.
Referees – S Hayne, A Devcich. Crowd – 17,893 at WIN Jubliee Stadium.
A boilover at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday night saw Cronulla win their second game of the season, the
Sharks knocking off the highly-fancied Cowboys 20-14 in front of a crowd of 11,364.
After a Shark player was obstructed behind the play, the Sharks elected to take the two and get to an early lead.
But the Cowboys took the lead in the 18th minute, with Gavin Cooper going up high in the corner to grab a bomb
and put the ball down to score. Johnathan Thurston added the extras, and the Cowboys continued to attack. Six
minutes later, Ashley Graham went for a run and planted the ball in the corner to give the home side a 10-2 lead.
On the half hour mark, the Cowboys went closer to increasing their lead, but were denied when James Segeyaro’s
scoring attempt was denied by the video referee.
The Sharks had struggled to make an impact, but with two minutes to go before half time, against the run of play,
the visitors were on the scoreboard. A grubber by Jeff Robson was successfully chased down by Andrew Fifita,
who gathered the ball and ran around to score under the posts. Todd Carney added the extras. Only a few
seconds remained as the Cowboys kicked off, but that was enough for Todd Carney to make a break before
sending Ben Pomeroy through a gap to score and give the Sharks a 14-10 lead at half time.
The half time break gave the Cowboys a chance to regroup, and four minutes after the break Matt Bowen wrong-
footed the Cronulla defenders as he threw a dummy before charging forward to score in the corner. But Thurston,
having a rare off day with the boot, failed to convert the try; and with a missed penalty goal attempt a few
minutes later, the score was still 14-14.
Scores were tied up, and it was a nervous period of play as both sides tried in vain to create scoring chances; and
as the weather closed in, the ball became increasingly slippery and the knock-ons became more frequent.
But with five minutes to go, Paul Gallen used his strength to drag Cowboy defenders with him as he crashed over
for what would be the match-winning try. It was three tries apiece, but with Todd Carney adding the conversion
to finish with four goals from four attempts, the Sharks had a six point lead that they would hang on to through
the final minutes to complete a remarkable win.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 20 def North Queensland Cowboys 14
Sharks : Tries – P Gallen, B Pomeroy, A Fifita. Goals – T Carney 4/4.
Cowboys : Tries – M Bowen, A Graham, G Cooper. Goals – J Thurston 1/4.
Referees – G Sutton, T De las Heras. Crowd – 11,364 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
Melbourne maintained their unbeaten run to start the season when the Storm put on a display of complete
dominance to thrash the Sydney Roosters 44-4 at AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon.
The procession started in the Storm’s first set of the day, with Cooper Cronk getting through an enormous gap in
the Roosters’ defensive line to set up Dane Neilsen. But having gone 6-0 ahead, it took some time for the Roosters
to add to that scoreline, as the Roosters defended grimly for the next 20 minutes, desperately trying to hold back
the inevitable Melbourne tide.
But after 20 minutes of tight defence, the Rooster resistance could last no longer, and Kevin Proctor burst through
a gap and ran 40 metres to score. And five minutes later, Billy Slater put on a solo effort to give the Storm a 16-0
lead, which they would maintain till half time.
It took just two minutes of the second half for the Storm to add to their lead, with Todd Lowrie chased down and
tackled two metres short of the line, but from the play-the-ball, the ball was passed out to an unmarked Ryan
Hoffman who strolled through for the easiest of tries. Five minutes later, some more heroics from Billy Slater saw
the fullback bring up his double; and a unique milestone of scoring two tries in each of his club’s first four games of
the season.
The try-scoring avalanche continued. Cooper Cronk chased down a grubber to score under the posts, and then a
few minutes later Will Chambers cruised through some incredibly soft Rooster defending to add another try.
Boyd Cordner got a late consolation try for the Roosters for the visitors to at least avoid being held scoreless. But
they were unable to stop Cooper Cronk bringing up his double, capping off a convincing one-sided display by the
Storm to maintain their position at the top of the ladder.
Melbourne Storm 44 def Sydney Roosters 4
Storm : Tries – C Cronk 2, B Slater 2, R Hoffman, W Chambers, K Proctor, D Neilsen. Goals – C
Smith 5/7, G Widdop 1/1.
Roosters : Tries – B Cordner. Goals – B Anasta 0/1.
Referees – G Archer, G Badger. Crowd – 11,879 at AAMI Park.
Newcastle’s season to date has been a roller-coaster, but the Knights’ season took a turn for the better when
they pulled off an upset 20-6 win over the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulldogs were on the back foot in the second minute, when Sam Kasiano knocked on 20 metres out from his
own line. And from the ensuing scrum, Richard Fa’aoso crashed over to give the Knights the opening try of the
game and a 6-0 lead. And it didn’t take long before Jarrod Mullen from dummy half ran around the Bulldog
defenders to double the Newcastle score.
The 12-0 scoreline would remain for the remainder of the half. The Knights had the bulk of possession, but the
Bulldog defence was equal to the task. But the Bulldogs’ sets were ineffective, rarely getting anywhere near the
Newcastle line and the Knights’ defence had little pressure on them. And five minutes into the second half, a
penalty goal gave another two points to the Knights, pushing the lead beyond two converted tries.
The Bulldogs weren’t completing enough sets to put the Knights under sustained pressure, and the longer the
clock kept ticking the more the Bulldogs tended to panic and make poor attacking choices. Newcastle pressed the
Bulldog line when they had the ball, threatening to deliver the knockout blow that would end Canterbury’s chance
of a comeback once and for all.
But it took till the 72nd minute for the killer punch to come. But finally the Bulldogs could resist the Knight charge
no longer; and Alex McKinnon strolled through a gaping hole that had opened up in the Bulldogs’ line to score the
try that would put the result beyond doubt. Joel Romelo scored a consolation try for the Bulldogs with two
minutes to go; but by then the damage was done.
Newcastle Knights 20 def Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 6
Knights : Tries – J Mullen, R Fa’aoso, A McKinnon. Goals – K Gidley 4/4.
Bulldogs : Tries – J Romelo. Goals – S Turner 1/1.
Referees – B Cummins, P Haines. Crowd – 21,701 at ANZ Stadium.
Title favourites at the start of the season, Wests Tigers’ season is in disarray after slumping to their third loss in a
row; demolished 30-16 by Canberra at Campbelltown Stadium on Monday night.
The Raiders opened the scoring with a rather soft try by Josh McCrone, after Terry Campese caught the Tigers’
defence napping with a well-planned dummy. But the Tigers fought back just two minutes later when Gareth Ellis
found a hole in the Canberra line and penetrated it to score under the posts.
The Tigers took the lead at the half hour mark, when Jacob Miller pounced on the ball after a scramble on the
Raiders’ line, with the video referee giving Miller the benefit of the doubt to score. Benji Marshall added the extras.
But with two minutes to go till half time, the Raiders ran the ball the length of the field, with the last pass finding
Jarrod Croker for a try in the corner. The try was too tight an angle for Croker to convert, and the teams went
into the rooms at half time with the Tigers 12-10 ahead.
Five minutes after the break, Sam Mataora turned on his strength, dragging three Tiger defenders with him as he
crossed the line and planted the ball down to put the Raiders back in front.
The Raiders were putting the Tigers under pressure. Jarrod Croker was denied his double by the video referee, but
on the hour Croker landed a penalty goal to extend the Canberra lead. Five minutes later, Terry Campese from
dummy half shook off the attentions of the Tiger defenders to run to the line and score under the posts, putting
the Raiders 24-12 ahead.
Croker found his double with ten minutes on the clock, putting the result of the game beyond doubt. Tim Moltzen
scored a late try for the Tigers, but it wasn’t enough to get the Tigers anywhere near a competitive score. Far
from the lofty pre-season expectations, the Tigers have just one win so far this season, and even that win was
from a lucky call in golden point.
Canberra Raiders 30 def Wests Tigers 16
Raiders : Tries – J Croker 2, T Campese, J McCrone, S Mataora. Goals – J Croker 5/6.
Tigers : Tries – T Moltzen, G Ellis, J Miller. Goals – B Marshall 2/3.
Referees – J Robinson, B Suttor. Crowd – 14,388 at Campbelltown Stadium.
eventually the drought was broken with ten minutes left on the clock, with Gerard Beale crossing the line out wide
for a try in the corner to put the Broncos in front for the first time. And in the final minutes of the game, Beale
brought up his double to put the issue beyond doubt.
And so the Broncos’ strong start to the season continued; but for the Rabbitohs, they have just one win from
their first four games.
Brisbane Broncos 20 def South Sydney Rabbitohs 12
Broncos : Tries – G Beale 2, M Gillett, J Hoffman. Goals – P Wallace 2/4.
Rabbitohs : Tries – A Everingham 2. Goals – A Reynolds 2/3.
Referees – A Klein, C James. Crowd – 15,599 at NIB Stadium.
The New Zealand Warriors broke through for their first home win of 2012 when they completed a comfortable 26-
6 win over a disappointing Gold Coast side at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Warriors went on the attack early, and nearly went over for an early try but Jerome Ropati was bundled out
wide just centimetres short of the try line. But the Titans were powerless to stop Kevin Locke from batting a
bomb back in the 12th minute for Elijah Taylor to cross for the opening try.
The home side was looking the stronger. Manu Vatuvei had a try disallowed by the video referee, but shortly
afterwards went flying in for a try in the corner. And on the stroke of half time, the Titans were looking to attack
when Scott Prince put up a bomb. Shaun Johnson was first to get the ball, and offloaded to Vatuvei who ran 35
metres before being tackled on the half-way line. A quick play the ball saw it go back to Johnson at dummy half,
who ran 50 metres outrunning the desperate Titan chasers to score and put the Warriors 14-0 ahead at half time.
Ten minutes after half time, James Maloney burst through a line of Titan defenders and found himself tackled 15
metres short of the line. The ball was played back quickly to Ropati, who threw the ball quickly out to Simon
Mannering who crashed over to score under the posts. And the Warriors, thanks to a 40-20 by Maloney a few
minutes later, remained on the attack.
With 12 minutes to go, Shaun Johnson intercepted and ran 50 metres to score, putting the result well and truly
beyond doubt. Luke O’Dwyer scrambled a late consolation try for the Titans, but it was little more than academic
interest by then as the Warriors had done enough to ensure an easy win.
New Zealand Warriors 26 def Gold Coast Titans 6
Warriors : Tries – S Johnson 2, S Mannering, M Vatuvei, E Taylor. Goals – J Maloney 3/5.
Titans : Tries – L O’Dwyer. Goals – S Prince 1/1.
Referees – J Maxwell, G Morris. Crowd – 12,915 at Mt Smart Stadium.
The premiership sides of the last two seasons clashed at Kogarah on Saturday night, and it was the 2010
champions who defeated the reigning premiers 17-6.
A blockbuster crowd of nearly 18,000 was on hand, and they saw the Dragons waste little time in getting on the
scoreboard. Big prop Michael Weyman was too strong for the Sea Eagle defenders, crashing through them to
power his way to the line and score. Jamie Soward converted, and the Dragons were 6-0 ahead after just three
minutes.
The Dragons went close to scoring again a few minutes later, but Jason Nightingale was denied by the video
referee. But shortly before half time, Nightingale swooped on a loose ball near the Manly line and scrambled his way
over to put the ball down. It was a messy try, and it took some time for the video referee to award it; but when
the converted try was awarded, the Dragons took a 12-0 lead at the break.
Manly had barely looked like scoring in the first half, but the Sea Eagles came out firing in the second half. Forcing a
line drop-out after just a few minutes, the Sea Eagles got the ball back and threw it out wide for David Williams to
go over in the corner. A sensational conversion by Jamie Lyon saw the margin reduced to just six points.
The pressure was on, and for nearly half an hour the ball travelled from end to end with no further scoring. Both
sides created chances, but the defences were magnificent; and errors were forced at critical times to prevent the
scoreboard from ticking over.
But with five minutes remaining, the deadlock was broken, as Ben Hornby kicked a grubber from the 20 metre line,
and Jason Nightingale outran the Sea Eagle defenders to win the race for the ball and score. Soward was unable to
convert, but the Dragons had opened up a match-winning lead. To absorb just a bit more time and prevent any
hopes of a miracle comeback by the Sea Eagles, Soward put a field goal over at the end of the next set; and the
17-6 scoreline was complete.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 17 def Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 6
Dragons : Tries – J Nightingale 2, M Weyman. Goals – J Soward 2/3. Field Goals – J Soward 1/1.
Sea Eagles : Tries – D Williams. Goals – J Lyon 1/1.
Referees – S Hayne, A Devcich. Crowd – 17,893 at WIN Jubliee Stadium.
A boilover at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday night saw Cronulla win their second game of the season, the
Sharks knocking off the highly-fancied Cowboys 20-14 in front of a crowd of 11,364.
After a Shark player was obstructed behind the play, the Sharks elected to take the two and get to an early lead.
But the Cowboys took the lead in the 18th minute, with Gavin Cooper going up high in the corner to grab a bomb
and put the ball down to score. Johnathan Thurston added the extras, and the Cowboys continued to attack. Six
minutes later, Ashley Graham went for a run and planted the ball in the corner to give the home side a 10-2 lead.
On the half hour mark, the Cowboys went closer to increasing their lead, but were denied when James Segeyaro’s
scoring attempt was denied by the video referee.
The Sharks had struggled to make an impact, but with two minutes to go before half time, against the run of play,
the visitors were on the scoreboard. A grubber by Jeff Robson was successfully chased down by Andrew Fifita,
who gathered the ball and ran around to score under the posts. Todd Carney added the extras. Only a few
seconds remained as the Cowboys kicked off, but that was enough for Todd Carney to make a break before
sending Ben Pomeroy through a gap to score and give the Sharks a 14-10 lead at half time.
The half time break gave the Cowboys a chance to regroup, and four minutes after the break Matt Bowen wrong-
footed the Cronulla defenders as he threw a dummy before charging forward to score in the corner. But Thurston,
having a rare off day with the boot, failed to convert the try; and with a missed penalty goal attempt a few
minutes later, the score was still 14-14.
Scores were tied up, and it was a nervous period of play as both sides tried in vain to create scoring chances; and
as the weather closed in, the ball became increasingly slippery and the knock-ons became more frequent.
But with five minutes to go, Paul Gallen used his strength to drag Cowboy defenders with him as he crashed over
for what would be the match-winning try. It was three tries apiece, but with Todd Carney adding the conversion
to finish with four goals from four attempts, the Sharks had a six point lead that they would hang on to through
the final minutes to complete a remarkable win.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 20 def North Queensland Cowboys 14
Sharks : Tries – P Gallen, B Pomeroy, A Fifita. Goals – T Carney 4/4.
Cowboys : Tries – M Bowen, A Graham, G Cooper. Goals – J Thurston 1/4.
Referees – G Sutton, T De las Heras. Crowd – 11,364 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
Melbourne maintained their unbeaten run to start the season when the Storm put on a display of complete
dominance to thrash the Sydney Roosters 44-4 at AAMI Park on Sunday afternoon.
The procession started in the Storm’s first set of the day, with Cooper Cronk getting through an enormous gap in
the Roosters’ defensive line to set up Dane Neilsen. But having gone 6-0 ahead, it took some time for the Roosters
to add to that scoreline, as the Roosters defended grimly for the next 20 minutes, desperately trying to hold back
the inevitable Melbourne tide.
But after 20 minutes of tight defence, the Rooster resistance could last no longer, and Kevin Proctor burst through
a gap and ran 40 metres to score. And five minutes later, Billy Slater put on a solo effort to give the Storm a 16-0
lead, which they would maintain till half time.
It took just two minutes of the second half for the Storm to add to their lead, with Todd Lowrie chased down and
tackled two metres short of the line, but from the play-the-ball, the ball was passed out to an unmarked Ryan
Hoffman who strolled through for the easiest of tries. Five minutes later, some more heroics from Billy Slater saw
the fullback bring up his double; and a unique milestone of scoring two tries in each of his club’s first four games of
the season.
The try-scoring avalanche continued. Cooper Cronk chased down a grubber to score under the posts, and then a
few minutes later Will Chambers cruised through some incredibly soft Rooster defending to add another try.
Boyd Cordner got a late consolation try for the Roosters for the visitors to at least avoid being held scoreless. But
they were unable to stop Cooper Cronk bringing up his double, capping off a convincing one-sided display by the
Storm to maintain their position at the top of the ladder.
Melbourne Storm 44 def Sydney Roosters 4
Storm : Tries – C Cronk 2, B Slater 2, R Hoffman, W Chambers, K Proctor, D Neilsen. Goals – C
Smith 5/7, G Widdop 1/1.
Roosters : Tries – B Cordner. Goals – B Anasta 0/1.
Referees – G Archer, G Badger. Crowd – 11,879 at AAMI Park.
Newcastle’s season to date has been a roller-coaster, but the Knights’ season took a turn for the better when
they pulled off an upset 20-6 win over the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulldogs were on the back foot in the second minute, when Sam Kasiano knocked on 20 metres out from his
own line. And from the ensuing scrum, Richard Fa’aoso crashed over to give the Knights the opening try of the
game and a 6-0 lead. And it didn’t take long before Jarrod Mullen from dummy half ran around the Bulldog
defenders to double the Newcastle score.
The 12-0 scoreline would remain for the remainder of the half. The Knights had the bulk of possession, but the
Bulldog defence was equal to the task. But the Bulldogs’ sets were ineffective, rarely getting anywhere near the
Newcastle line and the Knights’ defence had little pressure on them. And five minutes into the second half, a
penalty goal gave another two points to the Knights, pushing the lead beyond two converted tries.
The Bulldogs weren’t completing enough sets to put the Knights under sustained pressure, and the longer the
clock kept ticking the more the Bulldogs tended to panic and make poor attacking choices. Newcastle pressed the
Bulldog line when they had the ball, threatening to deliver the knockout blow that would end Canterbury’s chance
of a comeback once and for all.
But it took till the 72nd minute for the killer punch to come. But finally the Bulldogs could resist the Knight charge
no longer; and Alex McKinnon strolled through a gaping hole that had opened up in the Bulldogs’ line to score the
try that would put the result beyond doubt. Joel Romelo scored a consolation try for the Bulldogs with two
minutes to go; but by then the damage was done.
Newcastle Knights 20 def Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 6
Knights : Tries – J Mullen, R Fa’aoso, A McKinnon. Goals – K Gidley 4/4.
Bulldogs : Tries – J Romelo. Goals – S Turner 1/1.
Referees – B Cummins, P Haines. Crowd – 21,701 at ANZ Stadium.
Title favourites at the start of the season, Wests Tigers’ season is in disarray after slumping to their third loss in a
row; demolished 30-16 by Canberra at Campbelltown Stadium on Monday night.
The Raiders opened the scoring with a rather soft try by Josh McCrone, after Terry Campese caught the Tigers’
defence napping with a well-planned dummy. But the Tigers fought back just two minutes later when Gareth Ellis
found a hole in the Canberra line and penetrated it to score under the posts.
The Tigers took the lead at the half hour mark, when Jacob Miller pounced on the ball after a scramble on the
Raiders’ line, with the video referee giving Miller the benefit of the doubt to score. Benji Marshall added the extras.
But with two minutes to go till half time, the Raiders ran the ball the length of the field, with the last pass finding
Jarrod Croker for a try in the corner. The try was too tight an angle for Croker to convert, and the teams went
into the rooms at half time with the Tigers 12-10 ahead.
Five minutes after the break, Sam Mataora turned on his strength, dragging three Tiger defenders with him as he
crossed the line and planted the ball down to put the Raiders back in front.
The Raiders were putting the Tigers under pressure. Jarrod Croker was denied his double by the video referee, but
on the hour Croker landed a penalty goal to extend the Canberra lead. Five minutes later, Terry Campese from
dummy half shook off the attentions of the Tiger defenders to run to the line and score under the posts, putting
the Raiders 24-12 ahead.
Croker found his double with ten minutes on the clock, putting the result of the game beyond doubt. Tim Moltzen
scored a late try for the Tigers, but it wasn’t enough to get the Tigers anywhere near a competitive score. Far
from the lofty pre-season expectations, the Tigers have just one win so far this season, and even that win was
from a lucky call in golden point.
Canberra Raiders 30 def Wests Tigers 16
Raiders : Tries – J Croker 2, T Campese, J McCrone, S Mataora. Goals – J Croker 5/6.
Tigers : Tries – T Moltzen, G Ellis, J Miller. Goals – B Marshall 2/3.
Referees – J Robinson, B Suttor. Crowd – 14,388 at Campbelltown Stadium.
| ROUND 5 FIXTURES: (All times shown are Sydney time) Friday 30th March Melbourne v Newcastle (7:30pm, AAMI Park) Brisbane v St George (8:30pm, Suncorp Stadium) Saturday 31st March Penrith v Cronulla (5:30pm, Centrebet Stadium) Sydney Roosters v NZ Warriors (7:30pm, Allianz Stadium) Parramatta v Manly (7:30pm, Parramatta Stadium) Sunday 1st April Gold Coast v Canterbury (2:00pm, Skilled Park) Wests Tigers v South Sydney (3:00pm, Allianz Stadium) Monday 2nd April Canberra v North Queensland (7:00pm, Canberra Stadium) |
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Parramatta took on Penrith in a Western Sydney derby on Friday night. But the game was a mismatch, as the
Panthers took control from start to finish against a woeful and seemingly disinterested Parramatta to record an easy
39-6 win.
But it wasn’t looking good for the Panthers early, as Nathan Smith was stretchered off with an ankle injury in the
fourth minute. It was a poor surface at Parramatta Stadium, with Smith departing injured and players struggling to
keep their footing all night.
In the 13th minute, the Panthers were first on the scoreboard, with Eti Iaisele bring on the end of a string of passes
to score out wide. Five minutes later, Michael Jennings charged through a yawning gap in the Parramatta line to score
in the corner. Luke Walsh converted the first try, but the second bounced off the upright to leave the Panthers 10-0
ahead.
The Panthers had the Eels on the ropes, and the tries kept coming. Travis Burns chased down a grubber and off-
loaded to Uaisele for his second try. Lachlan Coote was next on the board, running 50 metres to score under the
posts. That completed a devastating 13 minute burst in which the Panthers had run in four tries to put themselves in
a commanding position. A field goal in the final minute before half-time gave the Panthers a 23-0 lead at the break.
The Panthers continued on where they left off as the second half got under way, with Brad Tighe running through
to score another try. Travis Burns got in on the try-scoring action, bring up a four-pointer on the hour to put the
visitors 33-0 ahead.
The Eels finally got on the board with ten minutes to go, Reni Maitua charging through to salvage the Eels’ first points
of the night. But the Panthers weren’t finished yet, with Uaisele bringing up his hat-trick to complete a night of
complete control for Penrith. Another chapter in the tale of woe that has been Parramatta’s season, with the Eels
remaining without a win, a poor for-and-against, the club morale poor.
Penrith Panthers 39 def Parramatta Eels 6
Panthers : Tries – E Uaisele 3, B Tighe, T Burns, M Jennings, L Coote. Goals – L Walsh 5/7. Field
Goals – T Burns 1/1.
Eels : Tries – R Maitua. Goals – C Sandow 1/1.
Referees – M Cecchin, G Reynolds. Crowd – 13,788 at Parramatta Stadium.
Souths took their home game against Brisbane across the Nullabor, playing at NIB Stadium on Friday night. But the
loss of home ground advantage would cost the Rabbitohs, as the Broncos completed a 20-12 win over the Rabbitohs.
The Rabbitohs started strongly, with John Sutton getting into attacking position before knocking on just a few
metres short of the line. And in the seventh minute, Greg Inglis made a break and ran 30 metres before off-loading
to second-gamer Andrew Everingham for the opening try of the game. The conversion and a penalty goal shortly
afterwards put the Rabbitohs 8-0 ahead.
At the 20 minute mark, the Rabbitohs were in again, with Everingham making his way over; and after considerable
deliberation by the video referee, benefit of the doubt was awarded. But Adam Reynolds was unable to convert, the
Rabbitohs remaining 12-0 ahead.
The Broncos had been under the pump, but they gradually regained their composure and began to make up territory
to get themselves back into the contest. And shortly before half time they finally had some points, Matt Gillett
crashing over and the video referee awarded the try to get the margin back to 12-4 at half time.
Brisbane had lifted and were the stronger side as the second half got underway. And after ten minutes, the
sustained pressure they were inflicting on the Rabbitohs took its toll as Josh Hoffman crashed over next to the posts.
Peter Wallace converted the try, and it was back to 12-10.
Panthers took control from start to finish against a woeful and seemingly disinterested Parramatta to record an easy
39-6 win.
But it wasn’t looking good for the Panthers early, as Nathan Smith was stretchered off with an ankle injury in the
fourth minute. It was a poor surface at Parramatta Stadium, with Smith departing injured and players struggling to
keep their footing all night.
In the 13th minute, the Panthers were first on the scoreboard, with Eti Iaisele bring on the end of a string of passes
to score out wide. Five minutes later, Michael Jennings charged through a yawning gap in the Parramatta line to score
in the corner. Luke Walsh converted the first try, but the second bounced off the upright to leave the Panthers 10-0
ahead.
The Panthers had the Eels on the ropes, and the tries kept coming. Travis Burns chased down a grubber and off-
loaded to Uaisele for his second try. Lachlan Coote was next on the board, running 50 metres to score under the
posts. That completed a devastating 13 minute burst in which the Panthers had run in four tries to put themselves in
a commanding position. A field goal in the final minute before half-time gave the Panthers a 23-0 lead at the break.
The Panthers continued on where they left off as the second half got under way, with Brad Tighe running through
to score another try. Travis Burns got in on the try-scoring action, bring up a four-pointer on the hour to put the
visitors 33-0 ahead.
The Eels finally got on the board with ten minutes to go, Reni Maitua charging through to salvage the Eels’ first points
of the night. But the Panthers weren’t finished yet, with Uaisele bringing up his hat-trick to complete a night of
complete control for Penrith. Another chapter in the tale of woe that has been Parramatta’s season, with the Eels
remaining without a win, a poor for-and-against, the club morale poor.
Penrith Panthers 39 def Parramatta Eels 6
Panthers : Tries – E Uaisele 3, B Tighe, T Burns, M Jennings, L Coote. Goals – L Walsh 5/7. Field
Goals – T Burns 1/1.
Eels : Tries – R Maitua. Goals – C Sandow 1/1.
Referees – M Cecchin, G Reynolds. Crowd – 13,788 at Parramatta Stadium.
Souths took their home game against Brisbane across the Nullabor, playing at NIB Stadium on Friday night. But the
loss of home ground advantage would cost the Rabbitohs, as the Broncos completed a 20-12 win over the Rabbitohs.
The Rabbitohs started strongly, with John Sutton getting into attacking position before knocking on just a few
metres short of the line. And in the seventh minute, Greg Inglis made a break and ran 30 metres before off-loading
to second-gamer Andrew Everingham for the opening try of the game. The conversion and a penalty goal shortly
afterwards put the Rabbitohs 8-0 ahead.
At the 20 minute mark, the Rabbitohs were in again, with Everingham making his way over; and after considerable
deliberation by the video referee, benefit of the doubt was awarded. But Adam Reynolds was unable to convert, the
Rabbitohs remaining 12-0 ahead.
The Broncos had been under the pump, but they gradually regained their composure and began to make up territory
to get themselves back into the contest. And shortly before half time they finally had some points, Matt Gillett
crashing over and the video referee awarded the try to get the margin back to 12-4 at half time.
Brisbane had lifted and were the stronger side as the second half got underway. And after ten minutes, the
sustained pressure they were inflicting on the Rabbitohs took its toll as Josh Hoffman crashed over next to the posts.
Peter Wallace converted the try, and it was back to 12-10.
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