The Bulldogs were at their dominant best on Friday night when they demolished Parramatta 46-12 in front of a
blockbuster crowd of 28,214 at ANZ Stadium.
The Eels came into the match in last place, but came in on a wet sail after five tries in the last 11 minutes in their last
game saw them come close to stealing the result against Wests Tigers. And the Eels were competitive early. An early
knock-on gave the Eels field position, with Jarryd Hayne coming perilously close to the line before being pulled down.
Parramatta had the run of play in the early exchanges, but a solo run up the wing by Josh Morris saw the Bulldogs first
to score; an unconverted try in the corner. But the Eels bounced back almost immediately, with Ryan Morgan flying
high to pull down a bomb for a Parramatta try. And on the half hour mark, Ken Sio chased a Jarryd Hayne kick to
score; and the Eels were 12-4 ahead.
But the last ten minutes of the half ended all thoughts of a Parramatta revival. Kris Keating, playing against his old
club, broke through the defensive line before offloading to Josh Morris. Then Tim Lafai burst through a hole in the Eel
defence and raced to the line to add another. And as the half-time siren sounded, Sam Kasiano made a break, with
Ben Barba tying the Eel defence in knots before a quick off-load saw Dene Halatau add another try and give the
Bulldogs a 22-12 lead at the break.
As if that ten minutes from the Bulldogs had sunk Parramatta’s confidence, the Eels had an appalling start to the
second half. Three knock-ons in a row saw the Bulldogs put the Eels under pressure, and Josh Reynolds capitalised,
chasing his own chip kick to score in the corner. Josh Morris brought up his hat-trick a few minutes later after a well-
weighted kick by Keating. And on the hour, Jonathan Wright ran rings around the Eel defenders to score; and with a
38-12 lead, victory was assured.
Bryson Goodwin had enjoyed a successful game with the boot, and a penalty goal further added to the Bulldogs’
lead. But Goodwin’s work wasn’t done yet, and with a few minutes to go Goodwin pulled off an intercept to add a
try to his output for the night, and put the icing on the Bulldog cake.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 46 def Parramatta Eels 12
Bulldogs : Tries – J Morris 3, D Halatau, J Wright, B Goodwin, J Reynolds, T Lafai. Goals – B Goodwin
7/9.
Eels : Tries – R Morgan, K Sio. Goals – L Burt 2/2.
Referees – A Klein, B Suttor. Crowd – 28,214 at ANZ Stadium.
North Queensland returned to the winning list on Friday night, recording a 30-6 win over a strangely subdued St
George side at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
The Cowboys were over to score in their first set of the game, with Johnathan Thurston making a break before being
pulled down; and in the next tackle the ball was passed out to Brent Tate who off-loaded to Ray Thompson.
Thurston missed the conversion, but the Cowboys had taken first blood.
Back to back penalties gave the Cowboys field position, and the second penalty was close enough for Thurston to
take the penalty goal. And Thurston was pivotal a few minutes later, bursting through a woefully inadequate St
George tackle before throwing the ball for Matt Bowen to score under the posts and give the Cowboys a 12-0 lead.
The Cowboys were finding plenty of run, forcing the Dragons into a drop-out after 20 minutes. And in the ensuing
set, Kane Linnett found a way over the line to add another try. And when James Segeyaro kicked the ball out wide
for Brent Tate to gather and score, the Cowboys were well on top. And although Thurston was unable to convert
Tate’s try, he added a penalty goal on half time to give the Cowboys a 22-0 lead at the break.
Brett Morris got a try back for the Dragons early in the second half, taking advantage of some creative lead-up work
by Jason Nightingale. But it was a rare highlight for the Dragons. And the visitors would find themselves a man down a
few minutes later after Matt Prior landed an elbow onto Johnathan Thurston, with the referee having no hesitation in
sending Prior off. A penalty was awarded, and with Thurston feeling groggy, Matt Bowen added two points to the
scoreboard.
blockbuster crowd of 28,214 at ANZ Stadium.
The Eels came into the match in last place, but came in on a wet sail after five tries in the last 11 minutes in their last
game saw them come close to stealing the result against Wests Tigers. And the Eels were competitive early. An early
knock-on gave the Eels field position, with Jarryd Hayne coming perilously close to the line before being pulled down.
Parramatta had the run of play in the early exchanges, but a solo run up the wing by Josh Morris saw the Bulldogs first
to score; an unconverted try in the corner. But the Eels bounced back almost immediately, with Ryan Morgan flying
high to pull down a bomb for a Parramatta try. And on the half hour mark, Ken Sio chased a Jarryd Hayne kick to
score; and the Eels were 12-4 ahead.
But the last ten minutes of the half ended all thoughts of a Parramatta revival. Kris Keating, playing against his old
club, broke through the defensive line before offloading to Josh Morris. Then Tim Lafai burst through a hole in the Eel
defence and raced to the line to add another. And as the half-time siren sounded, Sam Kasiano made a break, with
Ben Barba tying the Eel defence in knots before a quick off-load saw Dene Halatau add another try and give the
Bulldogs a 22-12 lead at the break.
As if that ten minutes from the Bulldogs had sunk Parramatta’s confidence, the Eels had an appalling start to the
second half. Three knock-ons in a row saw the Bulldogs put the Eels under pressure, and Josh Reynolds capitalised,
chasing his own chip kick to score in the corner. Josh Morris brought up his hat-trick a few minutes later after a well-
weighted kick by Keating. And on the hour, Jonathan Wright ran rings around the Eel defenders to score; and with a
38-12 lead, victory was assured.
Bryson Goodwin had enjoyed a successful game with the boot, and a penalty goal further added to the Bulldogs’
lead. But Goodwin’s work wasn’t done yet, and with a few minutes to go Goodwin pulled off an intercept to add a
try to his output for the night, and put the icing on the Bulldog cake.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 46 def Parramatta Eels 12
Bulldogs : Tries – J Morris 3, D Halatau, J Wright, B Goodwin, J Reynolds, T Lafai. Goals – B Goodwin
7/9.
Eels : Tries – R Morgan, K Sio. Goals – L Burt 2/2.
Referees – A Klein, B Suttor. Crowd – 28,214 at ANZ Stadium.
North Queensland returned to the winning list on Friday night, recording a 30-6 win over a strangely subdued St
George side at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
The Cowboys were over to score in their first set of the game, with Johnathan Thurston making a break before being
pulled down; and in the next tackle the ball was passed out to Brent Tate who off-loaded to Ray Thompson.
Thurston missed the conversion, but the Cowboys had taken first blood.
Back to back penalties gave the Cowboys field position, and the second penalty was close enough for Thurston to
take the penalty goal. And Thurston was pivotal a few minutes later, bursting through a woefully inadequate St
George tackle before throwing the ball for Matt Bowen to score under the posts and give the Cowboys a 12-0 lead.
The Cowboys were finding plenty of run, forcing the Dragons into a drop-out after 20 minutes. And in the ensuing
set, Kane Linnett found a way over the line to add another try. And when James Segeyaro kicked the ball out wide
for Brent Tate to gather and score, the Cowboys were well on top. And although Thurston was unable to convert
Tate’s try, he added a penalty goal on half time to give the Cowboys a 22-0 lead at the break.
Brett Morris got a try back for the Dragons early in the second half, taking advantage of some creative lead-up work
by Jason Nightingale. But it was a rare highlight for the Dragons. And the visitors would find themselves a man down a
few minutes later after Matt Prior landed an elbow onto Johnathan Thurston, with the referee having no hesitation in
sending Prior off. A penalty was awarded, and with Thurston feeling groggy, Matt Bowen added two points to the
scoreboard.
The Cowboys added to their score thanks to a grubber from Ray Thompson, which bounced off the upright and sat
up for Tariq Sims to score under the posts. Bowen added the extras and a 30-6 win was complete.
For the Cowboys, a solid but unspectacular performance sums up their season to date; and although they are still
well short of their best, they find themselves in the top four. But through the night, the Dragons showed little of
the attacking flair that has defined them in recent seasons. Jamie Soward, normally so brilliant, had little influence on
the game; and the team looked flat and lacklustre in one of their worst performances in recent years.
North Queensland Cowboys 30 def St George-Illawarra Dragons 6
Cowboys : Tries – B Tate, M Bowen, T Sims, K Linnett, R Thompson. Goals – J Thurston 3/6, M Bowen
2/2.
St George : Tries – B Morris. Goals – J Soward 1/1.
Referees – T Archer, G Badger. Crowd – 15,006 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
The New Zealand Warriors returned to the winning list, ending Brisbane’s six-game winning streak with a well-earned
30-20 win at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday night.
An early knock-on by the Broncos gave the Warriors a scrum feed in an attacking position, and in the sixth minute
Ben Henry went over untouched in the corner for the opening try of the game; with James Maloney landing a
magnificent conversion.
up for Tariq Sims to score under the posts. Bowen added the extras and a 30-6 win was complete.
For the Cowboys, a solid but unspectacular performance sums up their season to date; and although they are still
well short of their best, they find themselves in the top four. But through the night, the Dragons showed little of
the attacking flair that has defined them in recent seasons. Jamie Soward, normally so brilliant, had little influence on
the game; and the team looked flat and lacklustre in one of their worst performances in recent years.
North Queensland Cowboys 30 def St George-Illawarra Dragons 6
Cowboys : Tries – B Tate, M Bowen, T Sims, K Linnett, R Thompson. Goals – J Thurston 3/6, M Bowen
2/2.
St George : Tries – B Morris. Goals – J Soward 1/1.
Referees – T Archer, G Badger. Crowd – 15,006 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
The New Zealand Warriors returned to the winning list, ending Brisbane’s six-game winning streak with a well-earned
30-20 win at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday night.
An early knock-on by the Broncos gave the Warriors a scrum feed in an attacking position, and in the sixth minute
Ben Henry went over untouched in the corner for the opening try of the game; with James Maloney landing a
magnificent conversion.
But the Broncos hit back with two tries within five minutes to take the lead. Jack Reed’s try was controversial, with the TV replays not looking
like the ball had been grounded; but the Ref’s Call ruling saw the try awarded. And then the Broncos threw the ball out wide for Alex Glenn to
fly through and ground the ball to open up a 10-6 lead.
At the half hour mark, Shaun Johnson chased his own bomb to the in-goal, to grab the ball and put the ball down to score. The Broncos
suffered a body blow a few minutes later as half-back Peter Wallace departed injured; and while the Brisbane line-up were still re-organising
themselves, Elijah Taylor grabbed the crumbs from a knock-on. And with half time approaching, Jacob Lilyman barged over the line to score and
give the home side a 24-10 lead at the break.
The Broncos were first to score in the second half, with Ben Te’o under pressure but still managing to lunge forward to just put the ball down
over the line. There were eight points in it, and the Broncos kept on coming; but the Warrior defence was equal to the task and the Brisbane
side were unable to add to their score. And eventually the tide turned, and the Warriors went on the attack, forcing the Broncos into a string
of drop-outs.
And with six minutes to go, the contest was over; with Feleti Mateo crashing through the most minute gap in the Bronco defence to score
and deliver the knock-out blow. Sam Thaiday scored a late try for the Broncos, but it wasn’t enough to put the home side under any pressure
and the Warriors were safely home, claiming the big scalp they needed to get their season back on track.
New Zealand Warriors 30 def Brisbane Broncos 20
Warriors : Tries – F Mateo, J Lilyman, E Taylor, S Johnson, B Henry. Goals – J Maloney 5/5. Field Goals – J Maloney 0/1.
Broncos : Tries – S Thaiday, A Glenn, B Te’o, J Reed. Goals – C Parker 2/4.
Referees – B Cummins, J Robinson. Crowd – 19,012 at Mt Smart Stadium.
Melbourne’s sensational undefeated streak to open the season continued on Saturday night, with the Storm dominating over a disappointing
and dis-spirited Penrith 44-10 at Penrith Stadium.
The Panthers had been under pressure after several disastrous performances in recent weeks, and there was little in the early exchanges to
suggest that anything would turn around for the Panthers in this clash. The Storm were on the attack almost from the start. An early
attempted try was stopped short when Garth Widdop was called for a forward pass; but at the ten minute mark Matt Duffie found the try-line
for the opening score of the game.
Against the run of play, the Panthers got a quick reply, with Luke Lewis delivering a quick offload to Blake Austin to score and level the match
at 6-6.
Suddenly, the Panthers sprung to life. Austin landed a 40-20 a few minutes later to put the Panthers in attacking position. And in the set that
followed, Etu Uaisele crossed over in the corner to give the Panthers the lead.
But the lead was short-lived, with Cooper Cronk after feeding a scrum racing to the line and scoring in the corner to level the game at 10-10.
Cronk was again in the thick of the action when he put a cross-field bomb up, with Ryan Hoffman bursting through to take the ball and score.
And with half time just a minute away, Justin O’Neill chased down a kick from Billy Slater to score under the posts; and give the Storm a 22-10
lead at the break.
The Panthers worked hard in the early minutes of the second half, forcing the Storm into a drop-out. But the momentum swung back the
Storm’s way after ten minutes, with Justin O’Neill making an intercept and running 90 metres to score under the posts. And three minutes
later, Billy Slater made a break before off-loading for Will Chambers to face little opposition and score another.
On the back of a 40-20 from Cronk, O’Neill brought up his hat-trick to add another and bring up his hat-trick. And Ryan Hinchcliffe put the icing
on the cake to wrap up a 44-10 win.
The Storm remain undefeated after nine games, flying high on top of the ladder. But it was another dreadful performance by the Panthers.
Five heavy losses in a row, and morale is leaking out of the struggling club as fast as the points against tally is climbing.
Melbourne Storm 44 def Penrith Panthers 10
Storm : Tries – J O’Neill 3 ,C Cronk, R Hoffman, W Chambers, R Hinchcliffe, M Duffie. Goals – C Smith 5/7, G Widdop 1/1.
Panthers : Tries – E Uaisele, J Mansour. Goals – B Austin 1/2.
Referees – S Lyons, H Perenara. Crowd – 9,517 at Centrebet Stadium.
Wests Tigers made a key step towards getting their season back on track with a golden point thriller over Gold Coast at Robina on Saturday
night.
Both sides had performed below expectations so far this season, and the pressure was on. And the home side would add to the pressure on
the Tigers as the Titans found the first try of the game, with Kevin Gordon winning a marking contest to grab a bomb and put the ball over
the line in the corner or the first try. Aidan Sezer from next to the sideline added the extras.
The Titans piled on the pressure, and the Tigers buckled. A penalty goal gifted the Titans another two points; and then Lote Tuqiri was held
up in his own in-goal, forcing a drop-out. The kick was a poor one, putting the Titans within scoring range; and David Mead was there to cross
over and put the Titans 14-0 ahead.
The Tigers had been under the pump and struggled to get anywhere the Titans line for much of the half. But finally, with just a few minutes
to go before the break, the tide began to turn; and Robbie Farah conjured up a try out of nothing, throwing the Titan defenders off the
scent with a dummy and then weaving his way through the slightest of gaps to score a sensational individual try.
The Tigers had trailed 14-6 at half time, and although they played better in the second half, scores were hard to come by. Lote Tuqiri had a
try disallowed by the video referee after replays showed interference behind the play. And on the hour, the Tigers finally achieved reward for
effort with Blake Ayshford turning on some fancy footwork to score.
Gold Coast’s lead was down to two points, and they were forced to defend grimly. But the Titans were equal to the challenge, and they held
the fast-finishing Tigers out. But with two minutes to go, Phil Graham took too long to get off a tackle and earned the wrath of the referee.
Graham was marched to the sin bin, and Benji Marshall added the two points on offer to take the game to golden point.
With first use of the ball during added time, and an extra man on the field, it didn’t take long to get the ball to within field goal range. Robbie
Farah put the drop goal over, and the Tigers had completed a remarkable comeback win.
Wests Tigers 15 def Gold Coast Titans 14 in golden point extra time.
Tigers : Tries – R Farah, B Ayshford. Goals – B Marshall 3/3. Field Goals – R Farah 1/1.
Titans : Tries – K Gordon, D Mead. Goals – A Sezer 3/3.
Referees – G Sutton, A Shortall. Crowd – 14,254 at Skilled Park.
It wasn’t pretty, and it was far from convincing; but defending champions Manly had a win over Canberra at Brookvale Oval on Sunday
afternoon, taking the points 18-12.
The Sea Eagles had an early opportunity after Blake Ferguson knocked on ten metres from his own line. The Sea Eagles had a scrum feed in
attacking range; and they made the Raiders pay during the ensuing set, with Dean Whare finding the line for the opening try.
But the Raiders hit back, with Josh McCrone putting Josh Pupalii through a gap as the Sea Eagle defence opened up for a try under the posts.
Scores were level at 6-6; and that’s how it would remain through the first half. Both sides created plenty of half-chances, but made too many
errors to prevent the attacking moves being completed. Anthony Watmough went closest to breaking the deadlock as he crossed the line, but
the referee ruled the pass that gave him the ball was forward and the try was disallowed.
The Sea Eagles went close to scoring early in the second half, crossing the line; but the video referee disallowed the try. But they received a
drop-out, keeping the pressure on. The drop kick was poor, and the Sea Eagles swooped and threw the ball our wide for Whare to bring up
his double in the corner. Jamie Lyon was unable to convert.
Five minutes later, a scramble on the Manly goal-line saw Josh Dugan manage to get the ball and burrow under the pack to find the line. It
took considerable deliberation by the video referee before the try was awarded; but the try and the conversion by Jarrod Croker gave Canberra
a 12-10 lead and caused some nervous moments for the Sea Eagles.
But the Raiders lead was short-lived, as just three minutes later Steve Matai turned on a blistering break before off-loading to Jamie Lyon for a
try that restored the Sea Eagle lead. With the conversion and a penalty goal shortly afterwards, the Sea Eagles had a six-point buffer.
Try as the Raiders might, they were unable to find the equalising try, and the clock ticked down to give the Sea Eagles a win. The result was
expected, with the Sea Eagles having been hot favourites; but the work rate required to pull off the result was far greater than expected as
the Raiders had put in a strong and competitive performance, and with a bit of luck could have claimed the scalp of the defending premiers on
their turf.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18 def Canberra Raiders 12
Sea Eagles : Tries – D Whare 2, J Lyon. Goals – J Lyon 3/4.
Raiders : Tries – J Dugan, J Papalii. Goals – J Croker 2/2.
Referees – J Maxwell, T De las Heras. Crowd – 15,033 at Brookvale Oval.
Sunday afternoon at the Sydney Football Stadium saw the Sydney Roosters leap-frog Newcastle into the top eight, with the Roosters pulling
away in the latter stages of the game to record a 24-6 win over the Knights.
The coaching box had two of the game’s top tactical minds, Brian Smith and Wayne Bennett, up against each other. And it was Smith’s
Roosters who pulled off the first shock play of the day, starting the game with a short kick-off to immediately go on the attack. And the
Roosters had the Knights under pressure, forcing a series of drop-outs; but were unable to conjure up a try from the early period of dominance.
Although the Knights saw out the early stress, the Roosters continued to pile on the pressure. Shaun Kenny-Dowall had a try disallowed by the
video referee. But at the half hour mark, it was the Knights who were first on the board, with Jarrod Mullen throwing a dummy then crashing
through the Rooster defenders to score.
Five minutes later, the match was back on level terms. Mitchell Pearce, on the last tackle, fired a grubber into the in-goal; and Tinirau Arona
chased the ball down to score. Braith Anasta added the extras, and landed a penalty goal on the stroke of half time to give the Roosters an 8-
6 lead at the break.
For 20 minutes in the second half, the ball travelled end to end; with both sides throwing the ball around but making errors when in scoring
position. With two points separating the teams, the scoreless 20 minute period saw the tension rise as the sides vied for the first score of the
half, and with it the lead.
But on the hour, it was the Roosters who got on the scoreboard, with Mitchell Aubusson opening up a hole in the Knights’ defence to score.
And five minutes later, throwing the ball out wide, Sam Perrett pounced and outran the Newcastle defence to score in the corner.
The Roosters were now looking comfortable, and with eight minutes to go, Mitchell Pearce turned on a 40 metre run to score and put the
result beyond doubt. With the win, the Roosters replace the Knights in the top eight, bringing their two-match losing run to an end.
Sydney Roosters 24 def Newcastle Knights 6
Roosters : Tries – S Perrett, M Pearce, M Aubusson, T Arona. Goals – B Anasta 4/5.
Knights : Tries – J Mullen. Goals – W Naiqama 1/1.
Referees – S Hayne, G Morris. Crowd – 12,728 at Allianz Stadium.
Cronulla went into Monday night’s clash against Souths at ANZ Stadium in top form, on the back of a six-game winning streak. But the dream
run came to an emphatic end when the Rabbitohs pulled away late in the game to record a 34-28 win over the Sharks.
An early penalty gave the Rabbitohs a scoring chance. Declining the offer of two points from a penalty goal, the Rabbitohs elected to run the
ball; and were rewarded as Greg Inglis shook off the attentions of the Cronulla defenders to score. But Todd Carney quickly equalised for the
Sharks, throwing a dummy and running himself to score under the posts.
At the 15 minute mark, Nathan Merritt swooped on a loose ball and ran unchecked 50 metres to score under the posts. The video referee was
called into action to check on the play, but the all-clear was given and the Rabbitohs were back in front. Greg Inglis the turned on a piece of
individual brilliance, keeping the Sharks’ defenders guessing with a dummy and running through to score.
With half time approaching, the Sharks fought back, with Paul Gallen shrugging a tackle and off-loading to Jeff Robson who somehow managed
to just find the line and score. The Rabbitohs were leading 18-12, the game being in the balance. As the clock ticked down to half time, Greg
Inglis attempted to add another point to Souths’ score, but the drop goal attempt bounced off the upright.
The Rabbitohs managed to get a buffer shortly after half time through a penalty goal. But the Sharks were storming back into the contest.
Paul Gallen crossed the line but the try was disallowed by the video referee. Back to back drop-outs saw the Sharks putting the Rabbitohs
under pressure, and with 25 minutes to go, Stuart Mills crossed in the corner. Todd Carney was unable to convert, but with a 20-16 scoreline,
the game was in the balance.
On the hour, Adam Reynolds threw a long-pass for Greg Inglis to run through and bring up his hat-trick. And Inglis was again in the thick of the
action as he fired off a perfect pass for Nathan Merritt to bring up his second. And with Adam Reynolds doing everything right with the kicking
tee, the Rabbitohs were out to a match-winning lead.
Colin Best and Ben Pomeroy scored tries for the Sharks in the last ten minutes to restore some respectability to the scoreboard. But although
the final margin was six points, that didn’t do justice to the Rabbitohs, who had been easily the better side throughout the night. But it was
enough to bring the Cronulla winning streak to an end.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 34 def Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 28
Rabbitohs : Tries – G Inglis 3, N Merritt 2. Goals – A Reynolds 7/7. Field Goals – G Inglis 0/1.
Sharks : Tries – T Carney, B Pomeroy, C Best, J Robson, S Mills. Goals – T Carney 4/5.
Referees – M Cecchin, C James. Crowd – 13,281 at ANZ Stadium.
like the ball had been grounded; but the Ref’s Call ruling saw the try awarded. And then the Broncos threw the ball out wide for Alex Glenn to
fly through and ground the ball to open up a 10-6 lead.
At the half hour mark, Shaun Johnson chased his own bomb to the in-goal, to grab the ball and put the ball down to score. The Broncos
suffered a body blow a few minutes later as half-back Peter Wallace departed injured; and while the Brisbane line-up were still re-organising
themselves, Elijah Taylor grabbed the crumbs from a knock-on. And with half time approaching, Jacob Lilyman barged over the line to score and
give the home side a 24-10 lead at the break.
The Broncos were first to score in the second half, with Ben Te’o under pressure but still managing to lunge forward to just put the ball down
over the line. There were eight points in it, and the Broncos kept on coming; but the Warrior defence was equal to the task and the Brisbane
side were unable to add to their score. And eventually the tide turned, and the Warriors went on the attack, forcing the Broncos into a string
of drop-outs.
And with six minutes to go, the contest was over; with Feleti Mateo crashing through the most minute gap in the Bronco defence to score
and deliver the knock-out blow. Sam Thaiday scored a late try for the Broncos, but it wasn’t enough to put the home side under any pressure
and the Warriors were safely home, claiming the big scalp they needed to get their season back on track.
New Zealand Warriors 30 def Brisbane Broncos 20
Warriors : Tries – F Mateo, J Lilyman, E Taylor, S Johnson, B Henry. Goals – J Maloney 5/5. Field Goals – J Maloney 0/1.
Broncos : Tries – S Thaiday, A Glenn, B Te’o, J Reed. Goals – C Parker 2/4.
Referees – B Cummins, J Robinson. Crowd – 19,012 at Mt Smart Stadium.
Melbourne’s sensational undefeated streak to open the season continued on Saturday night, with the Storm dominating over a disappointing
and dis-spirited Penrith 44-10 at Penrith Stadium.
The Panthers had been under pressure after several disastrous performances in recent weeks, and there was little in the early exchanges to
suggest that anything would turn around for the Panthers in this clash. The Storm were on the attack almost from the start. An early
attempted try was stopped short when Garth Widdop was called for a forward pass; but at the ten minute mark Matt Duffie found the try-line
for the opening score of the game.
Against the run of play, the Panthers got a quick reply, with Luke Lewis delivering a quick offload to Blake Austin to score and level the match
at 6-6.
Suddenly, the Panthers sprung to life. Austin landed a 40-20 a few minutes later to put the Panthers in attacking position. And in the set that
followed, Etu Uaisele crossed over in the corner to give the Panthers the lead.
But the lead was short-lived, with Cooper Cronk after feeding a scrum racing to the line and scoring in the corner to level the game at 10-10.
Cronk was again in the thick of the action when he put a cross-field bomb up, with Ryan Hoffman bursting through to take the ball and score.
And with half time just a minute away, Justin O’Neill chased down a kick from Billy Slater to score under the posts; and give the Storm a 22-10
lead at the break.
The Panthers worked hard in the early minutes of the second half, forcing the Storm into a drop-out. But the momentum swung back the
Storm’s way after ten minutes, with Justin O’Neill making an intercept and running 90 metres to score under the posts. And three minutes
later, Billy Slater made a break before off-loading for Will Chambers to face little opposition and score another.
On the back of a 40-20 from Cronk, O’Neill brought up his hat-trick to add another and bring up his hat-trick. And Ryan Hinchcliffe put the icing
on the cake to wrap up a 44-10 win.
The Storm remain undefeated after nine games, flying high on top of the ladder. But it was another dreadful performance by the Panthers.
Five heavy losses in a row, and morale is leaking out of the struggling club as fast as the points against tally is climbing.
Melbourne Storm 44 def Penrith Panthers 10
Storm : Tries – J O’Neill 3 ,C Cronk, R Hoffman, W Chambers, R Hinchcliffe, M Duffie. Goals – C Smith 5/7, G Widdop 1/1.
Panthers : Tries – E Uaisele, J Mansour. Goals – B Austin 1/2.
Referees – S Lyons, H Perenara. Crowd – 9,517 at Centrebet Stadium.
Wests Tigers made a key step towards getting their season back on track with a golden point thriller over Gold Coast at Robina on Saturday
night.
Both sides had performed below expectations so far this season, and the pressure was on. And the home side would add to the pressure on
the Tigers as the Titans found the first try of the game, with Kevin Gordon winning a marking contest to grab a bomb and put the ball over
the line in the corner or the first try. Aidan Sezer from next to the sideline added the extras.
The Titans piled on the pressure, and the Tigers buckled. A penalty goal gifted the Titans another two points; and then Lote Tuqiri was held
up in his own in-goal, forcing a drop-out. The kick was a poor one, putting the Titans within scoring range; and David Mead was there to cross
over and put the Titans 14-0 ahead.
The Tigers had been under the pump and struggled to get anywhere the Titans line for much of the half. But finally, with just a few minutes
to go before the break, the tide began to turn; and Robbie Farah conjured up a try out of nothing, throwing the Titan defenders off the
scent with a dummy and then weaving his way through the slightest of gaps to score a sensational individual try.
The Tigers had trailed 14-6 at half time, and although they played better in the second half, scores were hard to come by. Lote Tuqiri had a
try disallowed by the video referee after replays showed interference behind the play. And on the hour, the Tigers finally achieved reward for
effort with Blake Ayshford turning on some fancy footwork to score.
Gold Coast’s lead was down to two points, and they were forced to defend grimly. But the Titans were equal to the challenge, and they held
the fast-finishing Tigers out. But with two minutes to go, Phil Graham took too long to get off a tackle and earned the wrath of the referee.
Graham was marched to the sin bin, and Benji Marshall added the two points on offer to take the game to golden point.
With first use of the ball during added time, and an extra man on the field, it didn’t take long to get the ball to within field goal range. Robbie
Farah put the drop goal over, and the Tigers had completed a remarkable comeback win.
Wests Tigers 15 def Gold Coast Titans 14 in golden point extra time.
Tigers : Tries – R Farah, B Ayshford. Goals – B Marshall 3/3. Field Goals – R Farah 1/1.
Titans : Tries – K Gordon, D Mead. Goals – A Sezer 3/3.
Referees – G Sutton, A Shortall. Crowd – 14,254 at Skilled Park.
It wasn’t pretty, and it was far from convincing; but defending champions Manly had a win over Canberra at Brookvale Oval on Sunday
afternoon, taking the points 18-12.
The Sea Eagles had an early opportunity after Blake Ferguson knocked on ten metres from his own line. The Sea Eagles had a scrum feed in
attacking range; and they made the Raiders pay during the ensuing set, with Dean Whare finding the line for the opening try.
But the Raiders hit back, with Josh McCrone putting Josh Pupalii through a gap as the Sea Eagle defence opened up for a try under the posts.
Scores were level at 6-6; and that’s how it would remain through the first half. Both sides created plenty of half-chances, but made too many
errors to prevent the attacking moves being completed. Anthony Watmough went closest to breaking the deadlock as he crossed the line, but
the referee ruled the pass that gave him the ball was forward and the try was disallowed.
The Sea Eagles went close to scoring early in the second half, crossing the line; but the video referee disallowed the try. But they received a
drop-out, keeping the pressure on. The drop kick was poor, and the Sea Eagles swooped and threw the ball our wide for Whare to bring up
his double in the corner. Jamie Lyon was unable to convert.
Five minutes later, a scramble on the Manly goal-line saw Josh Dugan manage to get the ball and burrow under the pack to find the line. It
took considerable deliberation by the video referee before the try was awarded; but the try and the conversion by Jarrod Croker gave Canberra
a 12-10 lead and caused some nervous moments for the Sea Eagles.
But the Raiders lead was short-lived, as just three minutes later Steve Matai turned on a blistering break before off-loading to Jamie Lyon for a
try that restored the Sea Eagle lead. With the conversion and a penalty goal shortly afterwards, the Sea Eagles had a six-point buffer.
Try as the Raiders might, they were unable to find the equalising try, and the clock ticked down to give the Sea Eagles a win. The result was
expected, with the Sea Eagles having been hot favourites; but the work rate required to pull off the result was far greater than expected as
the Raiders had put in a strong and competitive performance, and with a bit of luck could have claimed the scalp of the defending premiers on
their turf.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18 def Canberra Raiders 12
Sea Eagles : Tries – D Whare 2, J Lyon. Goals – J Lyon 3/4.
Raiders : Tries – J Dugan, J Papalii. Goals – J Croker 2/2.
Referees – J Maxwell, T De las Heras. Crowd – 15,033 at Brookvale Oval.
Sunday afternoon at the Sydney Football Stadium saw the Sydney Roosters leap-frog Newcastle into the top eight, with the Roosters pulling
away in the latter stages of the game to record a 24-6 win over the Knights.
The coaching box had two of the game’s top tactical minds, Brian Smith and Wayne Bennett, up against each other. And it was Smith’s
Roosters who pulled off the first shock play of the day, starting the game with a short kick-off to immediately go on the attack. And the
Roosters had the Knights under pressure, forcing a series of drop-outs; but were unable to conjure up a try from the early period of dominance.
Although the Knights saw out the early stress, the Roosters continued to pile on the pressure. Shaun Kenny-Dowall had a try disallowed by the
video referee. But at the half hour mark, it was the Knights who were first on the board, with Jarrod Mullen throwing a dummy then crashing
through the Rooster defenders to score.
Five minutes later, the match was back on level terms. Mitchell Pearce, on the last tackle, fired a grubber into the in-goal; and Tinirau Arona
chased the ball down to score. Braith Anasta added the extras, and landed a penalty goal on the stroke of half time to give the Roosters an 8-
6 lead at the break.
For 20 minutes in the second half, the ball travelled end to end; with both sides throwing the ball around but making errors when in scoring
position. With two points separating the teams, the scoreless 20 minute period saw the tension rise as the sides vied for the first score of the
half, and with it the lead.
But on the hour, it was the Roosters who got on the scoreboard, with Mitchell Aubusson opening up a hole in the Knights’ defence to score.
And five minutes later, throwing the ball out wide, Sam Perrett pounced and outran the Newcastle defence to score in the corner.
The Roosters were now looking comfortable, and with eight minutes to go, Mitchell Pearce turned on a 40 metre run to score and put the
result beyond doubt. With the win, the Roosters replace the Knights in the top eight, bringing their two-match losing run to an end.
Sydney Roosters 24 def Newcastle Knights 6
Roosters : Tries – S Perrett, M Pearce, M Aubusson, T Arona. Goals – B Anasta 4/5.
Knights : Tries – J Mullen. Goals – W Naiqama 1/1.
Referees – S Hayne, G Morris. Crowd – 12,728 at Allianz Stadium.
Cronulla went into Monday night’s clash against Souths at ANZ Stadium in top form, on the back of a six-game winning streak. But the dream
run came to an emphatic end when the Rabbitohs pulled away late in the game to record a 34-28 win over the Sharks.
An early penalty gave the Rabbitohs a scoring chance. Declining the offer of two points from a penalty goal, the Rabbitohs elected to run the
ball; and were rewarded as Greg Inglis shook off the attentions of the Cronulla defenders to score. But Todd Carney quickly equalised for the
Sharks, throwing a dummy and running himself to score under the posts.
At the 15 minute mark, Nathan Merritt swooped on a loose ball and ran unchecked 50 metres to score under the posts. The video referee was
called into action to check on the play, but the all-clear was given and the Rabbitohs were back in front. Greg Inglis the turned on a piece of
individual brilliance, keeping the Sharks’ defenders guessing with a dummy and running through to score.
With half time approaching, the Sharks fought back, with Paul Gallen shrugging a tackle and off-loading to Jeff Robson who somehow managed
to just find the line and score. The Rabbitohs were leading 18-12, the game being in the balance. As the clock ticked down to half time, Greg
Inglis attempted to add another point to Souths’ score, but the drop goal attempt bounced off the upright.
The Rabbitohs managed to get a buffer shortly after half time through a penalty goal. But the Sharks were storming back into the contest.
Paul Gallen crossed the line but the try was disallowed by the video referee. Back to back drop-outs saw the Sharks putting the Rabbitohs
under pressure, and with 25 minutes to go, Stuart Mills crossed in the corner. Todd Carney was unable to convert, but with a 20-16 scoreline,
the game was in the balance.
On the hour, Adam Reynolds threw a long-pass for Greg Inglis to run through and bring up his hat-trick. And Inglis was again in the thick of the
action as he fired off a perfect pass for Nathan Merritt to bring up his second. And with Adam Reynolds doing everything right with the kicking
tee, the Rabbitohs were out to a match-winning lead.
Colin Best and Ben Pomeroy scored tries for the Sharks in the last ten minutes to restore some respectability to the scoreboard. But although
the final margin was six points, that didn’t do justice to the Rabbitohs, who had been easily the better side throughout the night. But it was
enough to bring the Cronulla winning streak to an end.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 34 def Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 28
Rabbitohs : Tries – G Inglis 3, N Merritt 2. Goals – A Reynolds 7/7. Field Goals – G Inglis 0/1.
Sharks : Tries – T Carney, B Pomeroy, C Best, J Robson, S Mills. Goals – T Carney 4/5.
Referees – M Cecchin, C James. Crowd – 13,281 at ANZ Stadium.
| ROUND 10 FIXTURES: (All times shown are Sydney time) Friday 11th May Brisbane v Manly (6:45pm, Suncorp Stadium) Canterbury v Gold Coast (8:45pm, Suncorp Stadium) Saturday 12th May NZ Warriors v Sydney Roosters (5:30pm, Mt Smart Stadium) Newcastle v North Queensland (7:30pm, Hunter Stadium) Sunday 13th May Canberra v Parramatta (2:00pm, Canberra Stadium) Cronulla v Melbourne (3:00pm, Toyota Stadium) Monday 14th May Penrith v St George (7:00pm, Centrebet Stadium) BYE - South Sydney, Wests Tigers |
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