It was five tries apiece in a hard-hitting and sometimes spiteful clash at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday night. The boot of James Maloney was
the difference between the two sides, as the New Zealand Warriors completed a 30-26 win over the Sydney Roosters.
The Warriors went on the attack early, and butchered several scoring chances. At one stage, Konrad Hurrell crossed the line, but the video
referee ruled he was held up and the try was disallowed.
Against the run of play, it would be the Roosters who would open the scoring. 22 scoreless minutes had elapsed before Aiden Guerra launched
a grubber, which Joseph Leilua won the race for to get a fingertip to the ball and score the try. And three minutes later, Guerra had another
opportunity. This time he decided to go himself, and the Roosters had a second try. Braith Anasta was unable to convert either, and so the
Roosters’ lead stayed at 8-0.
The Warriors were back in the contest at the half hour mark, as Konrad Hurrell turned on some pace to run 60 metres, beating the Rooster
defenders in the race to the line. And after Simon Mannering had the Rooster defenders beaten with a dummy, he threw an off-load for Hurrell
to bring up his double and give the Warriors the lead after James Maloney converted both tries.
Braith Anasta scored a penalty goal for the Roosters as the half time siren sounded to reduce the margin to 12-10. And three minutes into the
second half, Tautau Moga pulled off an intercept and ran 70 metres to score and put the Roosters back in front.
The lead changed hands as the game opened up. Shaun Johnson gave the Warriors the lead back, but a few minutes later Jared Waera-
Hargreaves restored the lead for the Roosters. And shortly after the hour, Shaun Johnson pounced on a cross-field kick by Maloney to bring up
his double; and with a 24-20 scoreline, the Warriors were back in front.
With ten minutes to go, the Warriors made a move towards wrapping up the points when big Manu Vatuvei dragged two defenders with him
as he crashed to the line to score. But the Roosters bounced back, with Anthony Minichiello pulling down a bomb from Mitchell Pearce to score.
Four points in it with five minutes to play, and the Roosters continued to attack. But with two minutes to go, and just a few metres for the
Roosters to make in the last tackle, Anthony Minichello was penalised for an incorrect play-the-ball, and the Warriors were off the hook as they
maintained possession to take the ball too far out for the Roosters to make up in the final set; and the game was safe for the Warriors.
New Zealand Warriors 30 def Sydney Roosters 26
Warriors : Tries – S Johnson 2, K Hurrell 2, M Vatuvei. Goals – J Maloney 5/5.
Roosters : Tries – A Minichiello, J Waera-Hargreaves, A Guerra, J Leilua, T Moga. Goals – B Anasta 3/6.
Referees – S Lyons, H Perenara. Crowd – 16,220 at Mt Smart Stadium.
North Queensland retained their position in the top eight on Saturday night, winning their second game on the trot with a 32-12 win over a
disappointing Newcastle at Hunter Stadium.
The Knights got the ball off a Cowboy error 40 metres from the Cowboys’ line, the players pulled up but the referee called a zero tackle; and
Junior Sau took advantage of the Cowboys having stopped to run to the line and score the opening try.
But it was a rare highlight for the Knights, as the Cowboys powered into action. They had to wait for their opening try, with Matt Bowen and
then Kane Linnett denied by the video referee. But on 27 minutes, finally the Cowboys penentrated the Knights’ line, with Ashley Graham
crossing over out wide and Johnathan Thurston landing the conversion to level the scores at 6-6.
Shortly afterwards, Brent Tate made a break and off-loaded to Ray Thompson to put the Cowboys in front. But the Knights fought back, as
Chris Houston crashed through the Cowboy defenders to score under the posts and level the scores at 12-12 at half time.
The Cowboys forced a couple of drop-outs in the early stages of the second half, but scores remained deadlocked until the 57th minute. But
eventually sheer weight of possession took its toll and the floodgates opened. Michael Morgan grabbed onto a cross-field kick by Thurston and
ran to the line to score. And Thurston was again in the thick of the action as he set up Ashley Graham for another.
Matt Bowen attempted a field goal to add another point to the lead but the kick was unsuccessful. But it barely mattered as a penalty goal a
few minutes later had the desired effect of putting the margin beyond two converted tries. And in the dying minutes of the game, with the
Cowboys having the Knights on the ropes, Matt Bowen twice soccered the ball forward and Gavin Cooper grabbed the ball for a benefit-of-the-
doubt try.
North Queensland Cowboys 32 def Newcastle Knights 12
Cowboys : Tries – A Graham 2, G Cooper, R Thompson, M Morgan. Goals – J Thurston 6/6. Field Goals – M Bowen 0/1.
Knights : Tries – C Houston, J Sau. Goals – T Roberts 2/2.
Referees – M Cecchin, G Morris. Crowd – 18,191 at Hunter Stadium.
It was a battle of the attacking forces at Canberra Stadium, with defence nowhere to be seen; as the Raiders played host to Parramatta on
Sunday afternoon. And it would be the home side who would emerge with the spoils, prevailing 40-34 after an entertaining contest.
It was a sunny day, but cool; and being Mothers Day the crowd was small. But they would have plenty to get excited about during the first
half as the Raiders opened up a handy lead.
Parramatta scored first, with Ryan Morgan chasing down a perfectly-weighted grubber to score under the posts. But at the 20 minute mark,
the Raiders had equalised. Back to back penalties gave the Raiders repeat sets, and Jarrod Croker threw a pass out wide for Reece Robinson.
Two minutes later, Joel Thompson caught a cross-field kick by Josh McCrone for the easiest of tries, and the Raiders had the lead.
On the half hour mark, Blake Ferguson gathered a kick on his own ten metre line, and evading the Eel tacklers ran 90 metres to score under
the posts. And with half time approaching, Josh Dugan won a marking contest from a high bomb, and an offload to Josh Papalii resulted in
another try. A field goal attempt as the siren sounded was unsuccessful, but the Raiders went into the break with a handy 24-6 lead.
The ball travelled from end to end in the early stages of the second half, but it would be 18 minutes before the scoreboard would tick over
again. But when it did, the tries came thick and fast.
Cheyse Blair finally found the line for the Eels, and two minutes later some magic by Jarryd Hayne set up Kevin Sio for a try under the posts;
and suddenly the margin was back to two points.
But with 13 minutes to go, Joel Thompson evaded two tacklers to bring up his double. And Reece Robinson then strolled through a gaping
hole in the Parramatta defensive line to get his double; and with a 36-18 lead, the Raiders were looking safe.
But there was another twist in this tale. There were seven minutes to go when Ryan Morgan crashed over the line, and the video referee
awarded the try. Importantly, Luke Burt missed the conversion, the first unsuccessful kick with the tee by either side for the afternoon.
But the Eels had build some momentum. Jarryd Hayne twice threw out creative passes, with Kevin Sio and Chris Sandow capitalising. Three
tries in four minutes had seen the margin back to two points, and suddenly the Eels had a chance to pull off an unlikely win. But a knock-on
with 50 seconds left on the clock ended their chances; and from the ensuing scrum win Jack Wighton ran all the way to the line for try in the
final seconds of the game to put the result beyond doubt.
Canberra Raiders 40 def Parramatta Eels 34
Raiders : Tries – R Robinson 2, J Thompson 2, B Ferguson, J Papalii, J Wighton. Goals – J Croker 6/7. Field Goals – S
Williams 0/1.
Eels : Tries – R Morgan 2, K Sio 2, C Sandow, C Blair. Goals – L Burt 5/6.
Referees – G Badger, A Devcich. Crowd – 9,210 at Canberra Stadium.
One of the highlights of the season to date has been the rise of battlers Cronulla to genuine contenders. And the Sharks put a major feather in
their cap at Shark Park on Sunday afternoon with a stirring 12-10 win over the previously undefeated Melbourne Storm.
The win was even more meritorious with the Sharks being without captain Paul Gallen, a late withdrawal through injury. And it wasn’t looking
too good for the Sharks in the early exchanges, with the Storm pressing the Cronulla line.
The Storm would be first on the scoreboard after 13 minutes. It was a try that looked inevitable with the weight of possession running their
way. On the last tackle, Cooper Cronk put a bomb up, and Dane Nielsen was there to dive on the loose ball and score close to the posts.
Cameron Smith added the extras.
But against the run of play, the game was back on level terms almost immediately, after a knock-on from the kick-off gifted the Sharks a set in
attacking position. And on the last tackle, with the Storm expecting a kick, Isaac Gordon caught them off-guard as he ran to the corner and
scored. A sensational conversion from the sideline by Todd Carney levelled the scores.
The Storm were back in front shortly before the half hour mark, throwing the ball out wide for Matt Duffie to score in the corner. But Cameron
Smith’s conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
It was 10-6 to the Storm at half time, but try as they might, their attempts to add to the lead were to be frustrated by dogged Shark
defence. Time and again they would go close, getting sets within the Cronulla half, but unable to find their way to the line. Even with
penalties, drop-outs and repeat sets giving them plenty of the ball in Cronulla’s half, the try-line would elude them.
And with eight minutes to go, the Sharks finally had a chance to do what the Storm couldn’t, and get on the scoreboard. And from dummy
half, Jeremy Smith burrowed under the Storm defenders and just managed to find the line. Todd Carney converted the try, and against all
expectations the Sharks had the lead.
Now, more than ever, the Sharks had to defend grimly. It could have come unstuck for them, with Billy Slater making a break, but Slater was
pinged for a forward pass 30 metres from the Sharks’ line. It was to be Melbourne’s last roll of the dice, as the Sharks held on for a remarkable
win.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 12 def Melbourne Storm 10
Sharks : Tries – J Smith, I Gordon. Goals – T Carney 2/2.
Storm : Tries – D Nielsen, M Duffie. Goals – C Smith 1/2.
Referees – B Cummins, J Robinson. Crowd – 14,595 at Toyota Stadium.
Penrith were a club under siege after a five-game losing streak. But on Monday night at Penrith Stadium, the Panthers made their first
tentative step towards salvaging their season, pulling off a thrilling golden point win over St George.
The start of the game was an error-riddled affair, with both sides making plenty of knock-ons and silly turnovers. But the Panthers began to
exert some pressure and came perilously close to scoring. Twice in two minutes the Panthers were denied the opening try by the video
referee, but it was third time lucky when Kevin Kingston gathered the ball from a drop-out and sent Ryan Simpkins through a gap to score
under the posts. And five minutes later, Kingston ran from dummy half and caught the Dragon defenders unawares as he raced through to
score and put the Panthers 12-0 ahead.
The Dragons lifted late in the first half, pressing the Penrith line, but the Panthers were equal to the task and the lead remained intact through
till half time and for another 25 scoreless minutes in the second half.
It wasn’t for a lack of effort. Ben Hornby was denied by the video referee and Trent Merrin knocked on when he had a gap to the line in front
of him. But the Dragons suffered a blow when Michael Weyman departed with a serious knee injury, potentially season-ending.
With 15 minutes to go, Jake Marketo threw the Dragons a lifeline when he made a bust and raced to the line to score. And with six minutes to
go, Mitch Rein from dummy half burst through to score and put the game back onto level terms.
Both sides searched for a field goal in the closing minutes, but came up blank; and so overtime was called on. And in the third minute of added
time, Lachlan Coote got himself 20 metres from the Dragons’ line; and on the Panthers’ fourth attempt for the evening, put the drop goal over
to record a win that will do wonders to lift the morale at the foot of the Mountains after a disastrous run in recent weeks.
Penrith Panthers 13 def St George-Illawarra Dragons 12 in golden point extra time
Panthers : Tries – K Kingston, R Simpkins. Goals – B Austin 2/2. Field Goals – L Coote 1/2, T Burns 0/1, B Austin 0/1.
Dragons : Tries – J Marketo, M Rein. Goals – K Stanley 2/2. Field Goals – B Hornby 0/1.
Referees – G Sutton, T De las Heras. Crowd – 10,367 at Centrebet Stadium.
the difference between the two sides, as the New Zealand Warriors completed a 30-26 win over the Sydney Roosters.
The Warriors went on the attack early, and butchered several scoring chances. At one stage, Konrad Hurrell crossed the line, but the video
referee ruled he was held up and the try was disallowed.
Against the run of play, it would be the Roosters who would open the scoring. 22 scoreless minutes had elapsed before Aiden Guerra launched
a grubber, which Joseph Leilua won the race for to get a fingertip to the ball and score the try. And three minutes later, Guerra had another
opportunity. This time he decided to go himself, and the Roosters had a second try. Braith Anasta was unable to convert either, and so the
Roosters’ lead stayed at 8-0.
The Warriors were back in the contest at the half hour mark, as Konrad Hurrell turned on some pace to run 60 metres, beating the Rooster
defenders in the race to the line. And after Simon Mannering had the Rooster defenders beaten with a dummy, he threw an off-load for Hurrell
to bring up his double and give the Warriors the lead after James Maloney converted both tries.
Braith Anasta scored a penalty goal for the Roosters as the half time siren sounded to reduce the margin to 12-10. And three minutes into the
second half, Tautau Moga pulled off an intercept and ran 70 metres to score and put the Roosters back in front.
The lead changed hands as the game opened up. Shaun Johnson gave the Warriors the lead back, but a few minutes later Jared Waera-
Hargreaves restored the lead for the Roosters. And shortly after the hour, Shaun Johnson pounced on a cross-field kick by Maloney to bring up
his double; and with a 24-20 scoreline, the Warriors were back in front.
With ten minutes to go, the Warriors made a move towards wrapping up the points when big Manu Vatuvei dragged two defenders with him
as he crashed to the line to score. But the Roosters bounced back, with Anthony Minichiello pulling down a bomb from Mitchell Pearce to score.
Four points in it with five minutes to play, and the Roosters continued to attack. But with two minutes to go, and just a few metres for the
Roosters to make in the last tackle, Anthony Minichello was penalised for an incorrect play-the-ball, and the Warriors were off the hook as they
maintained possession to take the ball too far out for the Roosters to make up in the final set; and the game was safe for the Warriors.
New Zealand Warriors 30 def Sydney Roosters 26
Warriors : Tries – S Johnson 2, K Hurrell 2, M Vatuvei. Goals – J Maloney 5/5.
Roosters : Tries – A Minichiello, J Waera-Hargreaves, A Guerra, J Leilua, T Moga. Goals – B Anasta 3/6.
Referees – S Lyons, H Perenara. Crowd – 16,220 at Mt Smart Stadium.
North Queensland retained their position in the top eight on Saturday night, winning their second game on the trot with a 32-12 win over a
disappointing Newcastle at Hunter Stadium.
The Knights got the ball off a Cowboy error 40 metres from the Cowboys’ line, the players pulled up but the referee called a zero tackle; and
Junior Sau took advantage of the Cowboys having stopped to run to the line and score the opening try.
But it was a rare highlight for the Knights, as the Cowboys powered into action. They had to wait for their opening try, with Matt Bowen and
then Kane Linnett denied by the video referee. But on 27 minutes, finally the Cowboys penentrated the Knights’ line, with Ashley Graham
crossing over out wide and Johnathan Thurston landing the conversion to level the scores at 6-6.
Shortly afterwards, Brent Tate made a break and off-loaded to Ray Thompson to put the Cowboys in front. But the Knights fought back, as
Chris Houston crashed through the Cowboy defenders to score under the posts and level the scores at 12-12 at half time.
The Cowboys forced a couple of drop-outs in the early stages of the second half, but scores remained deadlocked until the 57th minute. But
eventually sheer weight of possession took its toll and the floodgates opened. Michael Morgan grabbed onto a cross-field kick by Thurston and
ran to the line to score. And Thurston was again in the thick of the action as he set up Ashley Graham for another.
Matt Bowen attempted a field goal to add another point to the lead but the kick was unsuccessful. But it barely mattered as a penalty goal a
few minutes later had the desired effect of putting the margin beyond two converted tries. And in the dying minutes of the game, with the
Cowboys having the Knights on the ropes, Matt Bowen twice soccered the ball forward and Gavin Cooper grabbed the ball for a benefit-of-the-
doubt try.
North Queensland Cowboys 32 def Newcastle Knights 12
Cowboys : Tries – A Graham 2, G Cooper, R Thompson, M Morgan. Goals – J Thurston 6/6. Field Goals – M Bowen 0/1.
Knights : Tries – C Houston, J Sau. Goals – T Roberts 2/2.
Referees – M Cecchin, G Morris. Crowd – 18,191 at Hunter Stadium.
It was a battle of the attacking forces at Canberra Stadium, with defence nowhere to be seen; as the Raiders played host to Parramatta on
Sunday afternoon. And it would be the home side who would emerge with the spoils, prevailing 40-34 after an entertaining contest.
It was a sunny day, but cool; and being Mothers Day the crowd was small. But they would have plenty to get excited about during the first
half as the Raiders opened up a handy lead.
Parramatta scored first, with Ryan Morgan chasing down a perfectly-weighted grubber to score under the posts. But at the 20 minute mark,
the Raiders had equalised. Back to back penalties gave the Raiders repeat sets, and Jarrod Croker threw a pass out wide for Reece Robinson.
Two minutes later, Joel Thompson caught a cross-field kick by Josh McCrone for the easiest of tries, and the Raiders had the lead.
On the half hour mark, Blake Ferguson gathered a kick on his own ten metre line, and evading the Eel tacklers ran 90 metres to score under
the posts. And with half time approaching, Josh Dugan won a marking contest from a high bomb, and an offload to Josh Papalii resulted in
another try. A field goal attempt as the siren sounded was unsuccessful, but the Raiders went into the break with a handy 24-6 lead.
The ball travelled from end to end in the early stages of the second half, but it would be 18 minutes before the scoreboard would tick over
again. But when it did, the tries came thick and fast.
Cheyse Blair finally found the line for the Eels, and two minutes later some magic by Jarryd Hayne set up Kevin Sio for a try under the posts;
and suddenly the margin was back to two points.
But with 13 minutes to go, Joel Thompson evaded two tacklers to bring up his double. And Reece Robinson then strolled through a gaping
hole in the Parramatta defensive line to get his double; and with a 36-18 lead, the Raiders were looking safe.
But there was another twist in this tale. There were seven minutes to go when Ryan Morgan crashed over the line, and the video referee
awarded the try. Importantly, Luke Burt missed the conversion, the first unsuccessful kick with the tee by either side for the afternoon.
But the Eels had build some momentum. Jarryd Hayne twice threw out creative passes, with Kevin Sio and Chris Sandow capitalising. Three
tries in four minutes had seen the margin back to two points, and suddenly the Eels had a chance to pull off an unlikely win. But a knock-on
with 50 seconds left on the clock ended their chances; and from the ensuing scrum win Jack Wighton ran all the way to the line for try in the
final seconds of the game to put the result beyond doubt.
Canberra Raiders 40 def Parramatta Eels 34
Raiders : Tries – R Robinson 2, J Thompson 2, B Ferguson, J Papalii, J Wighton. Goals – J Croker 6/7. Field Goals – S
Williams 0/1.
Eels : Tries – R Morgan 2, K Sio 2, C Sandow, C Blair. Goals – L Burt 5/6.
Referees – G Badger, A Devcich. Crowd – 9,210 at Canberra Stadium.
One of the highlights of the season to date has been the rise of battlers Cronulla to genuine contenders. And the Sharks put a major feather in
their cap at Shark Park on Sunday afternoon with a stirring 12-10 win over the previously undefeated Melbourne Storm.
The win was even more meritorious with the Sharks being without captain Paul Gallen, a late withdrawal through injury. And it wasn’t looking
too good for the Sharks in the early exchanges, with the Storm pressing the Cronulla line.
The Storm would be first on the scoreboard after 13 minutes. It was a try that looked inevitable with the weight of possession running their
way. On the last tackle, Cooper Cronk put a bomb up, and Dane Nielsen was there to dive on the loose ball and score close to the posts.
Cameron Smith added the extras.
But against the run of play, the game was back on level terms almost immediately, after a knock-on from the kick-off gifted the Sharks a set in
attacking position. And on the last tackle, with the Storm expecting a kick, Isaac Gordon caught them off-guard as he ran to the corner and
scored. A sensational conversion from the sideline by Todd Carney levelled the scores.
The Storm were back in front shortly before the half hour mark, throwing the ball out wide for Matt Duffie to score in the corner. But Cameron
Smith’s conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
It was 10-6 to the Storm at half time, but try as they might, their attempts to add to the lead were to be frustrated by dogged Shark
defence. Time and again they would go close, getting sets within the Cronulla half, but unable to find their way to the line. Even with
penalties, drop-outs and repeat sets giving them plenty of the ball in Cronulla’s half, the try-line would elude them.
And with eight minutes to go, the Sharks finally had a chance to do what the Storm couldn’t, and get on the scoreboard. And from dummy
half, Jeremy Smith burrowed under the Storm defenders and just managed to find the line. Todd Carney converted the try, and against all
expectations the Sharks had the lead.
Now, more than ever, the Sharks had to defend grimly. It could have come unstuck for them, with Billy Slater making a break, but Slater was
pinged for a forward pass 30 metres from the Sharks’ line. It was to be Melbourne’s last roll of the dice, as the Sharks held on for a remarkable
win.
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 12 def Melbourne Storm 10
Sharks : Tries – J Smith, I Gordon. Goals – T Carney 2/2.
Storm : Tries – D Nielsen, M Duffie. Goals – C Smith 1/2.
Referees – B Cummins, J Robinson. Crowd – 14,595 at Toyota Stadium.
Penrith were a club under siege after a five-game losing streak. But on Monday night at Penrith Stadium, the Panthers made their first
tentative step towards salvaging their season, pulling off a thrilling golden point win over St George.
The start of the game was an error-riddled affair, with both sides making plenty of knock-ons and silly turnovers. But the Panthers began to
exert some pressure and came perilously close to scoring. Twice in two minutes the Panthers were denied the opening try by the video
referee, but it was third time lucky when Kevin Kingston gathered the ball from a drop-out and sent Ryan Simpkins through a gap to score
under the posts. And five minutes later, Kingston ran from dummy half and caught the Dragon defenders unawares as he raced through to
score and put the Panthers 12-0 ahead.
The Dragons lifted late in the first half, pressing the Penrith line, but the Panthers were equal to the task and the lead remained intact through
till half time and for another 25 scoreless minutes in the second half.
It wasn’t for a lack of effort. Ben Hornby was denied by the video referee and Trent Merrin knocked on when he had a gap to the line in front
of him. But the Dragons suffered a blow when Michael Weyman departed with a serious knee injury, potentially season-ending.
With 15 minutes to go, Jake Marketo threw the Dragons a lifeline when he made a bust and raced to the line to score. And with six minutes to
go, Mitch Rein from dummy half burst through to score and put the game back onto level terms.
Both sides searched for a field goal in the closing minutes, but came up blank; and so overtime was called on. And in the third minute of added
time, Lachlan Coote got himself 20 metres from the Dragons’ line; and on the Panthers’ fourth attempt for the evening, put the drop goal over
to record a win that will do wonders to lift the morale at the foot of the Mountains after a disastrous run in recent weeks.
Penrith Panthers 13 def St George-Illawarra Dragons 12 in golden point extra time
Panthers : Tries – K Kingston, R Simpkins. Goals – B Austin 2/2. Field Goals – L Coote 1/2, T Burns 0/1, B Austin 0/1.
Dragons : Tries – J Marketo, M Rein. Goals – K Stanley 2/2. Field Goals – B Hornby 0/1.
Referees – G Sutton, T De las Heras. Crowd – 10,367 at Centrebet Stadium.
| ROUND 11 FIXTURES: (All times shown are Sydney time) Friday 18th May Wests Tigers v NZ Warriors (7:45pm, Leichhardt Oval) Saturday 19th May North Queensland v Penrith (7:30pm, Dairy Farmers Stadium) Sunday 20th May Manly v Sydney Roosters (2:00pm, Brookvale Oval) St George v South Sydney (3:00pm, WIN Jubilee Stadium) Monday 21st May Canterbury v Cronulla (7:00pm, ANZ Stadium) BYE - Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta. |
Friday night saw a double-header at Suncorp Stadium. First up, Brisbane took on defending champions Manly. And in a
thrilling and see-sawing contest, it would be the Sea Eagles who would prevail, a late try combined with a night of
poor goal-kicking by the Broncos giving the Sea Eagles a 24-22 victory.
The Sea Eagles burst out of the blocks, getting on the scoreboard in just the third minute. A break and a 60 metre
run by Daly Cherry-Evans did the hard work, and Jamie Lyon was in the spot in receive the offload and race through
for the easiest of tries. The conversion, and a penalty goal a few minutes later, got the Sea Eagles off to a flying start.
The Broncos had been under the pump during the early stages, and the possession count was running strongly Manly’
s way. But a devastating ten-minute burst by the Broncos from midway through the quarter changed the momentum.
Taking a quick tap after a penalty, Corey Parker caught the Sea Eagle defence off-guard, and a lightning pass to Jack
Reed got the Broncos on the scoreboard. Gerard Beale then pulled down a bomb and stretched his arms out to
ground the ball over the line and score in the corner. And then Alex Glenn burst through a yawning gap in the Manly
defence to score another.
The Broncos were 12-8 ahead, a lead that could have been even greater had Corey Parker’s kicking boots been on.
But the Bronco kicker was having a shocker of a night with the kicking tee, and all three first half conversions were
missed. And three minutes before half time, Steve Matai made the Broncos pay, being on the end of a string of
passes to score in the corner. Jamie Lyon had no trouble with the conversion, and the Sea Eagles held a 14-12 lead
at half time.
Four minutes after half time, Matt Gillett burst through an opening to score and restore the lead for the Broncos. But
again Corey Parker was unable to land the conversion. The Broncos were on top, and should have scored again only
for Corey Norman to knock on with plenty of room in front of him to score in.
Manly fullback Brett Stewart linked with David Williams for the Sea Eagles to score and get to a 20-16 lead. But the
Broncos were back in front on the hour, with Matt Gillett chasing down a kick and the video referee obliged by
awarding the try. Corey Norman took over the kicking tee and landed the conversion to put the Broncos 22-20 ahead.
The tension grew with a close game, and the clock was running down. The Broncos looked set to hang on and
record the win. But with a minute to go, Steve Matai pulled off an intercept and fired the pass to David Williams, who
ran the length of the field to score the try that would break Bronco hearts but hand the Sea Eagles a hard-earned
win on the road.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 def Brisbane Broncos 22
Sea Eagles : Tries – D Williams 2, S Matai, J Lyon. Goals – J Lyon 4/5.
Broncos : Tries – M Gillett 2, A Glenn, G Beale, J Reed. Goals – C Parker 0/4, C Norman 1/1.
Referees – T Archer, S Hayne. At Suncorp Stadium.
The second game of the Suncorp Stadium double header saw Gold Coast take control in the second half, the Titans
recording a 25-14 win over Canterbury.
The game got off to a slow start, with both sides defending resolutely at the start but putting on little attacking flair
and being prone to making errors when in the opposition half. The ball travelled from end to end for 25 scoreless
minutes before the deadlock was finally broken. Eventually something had to give, and Dene Halatau created an
opening and sent Ben Barba through space to score under the posts and give the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead.
Points were hard to come by, but in the final moments before half time Scott Prince conjured a try up out of
nothing, bursting through out wide to score. Aidan Sezer missed the conversion; and the teams returned to the
sheds at half time with the Bulldogs leading 6-4.
thrilling and see-sawing contest, it would be the Sea Eagles who would prevail, a late try combined with a night of
poor goal-kicking by the Broncos giving the Sea Eagles a 24-22 victory.
The Sea Eagles burst out of the blocks, getting on the scoreboard in just the third minute. A break and a 60 metre
run by Daly Cherry-Evans did the hard work, and Jamie Lyon was in the spot in receive the offload and race through
for the easiest of tries. The conversion, and a penalty goal a few minutes later, got the Sea Eagles off to a flying start.
The Broncos had been under the pump during the early stages, and the possession count was running strongly Manly’
s way. But a devastating ten-minute burst by the Broncos from midway through the quarter changed the momentum.
Taking a quick tap after a penalty, Corey Parker caught the Sea Eagle defence off-guard, and a lightning pass to Jack
Reed got the Broncos on the scoreboard. Gerard Beale then pulled down a bomb and stretched his arms out to
ground the ball over the line and score in the corner. And then Alex Glenn burst through a yawning gap in the Manly
defence to score another.
The Broncos were 12-8 ahead, a lead that could have been even greater had Corey Parker’s kicking boots been on.
But the Bronco kicker was having a shocker of a night with the kicking tee, and all three first half conversions were
missed. And three minutes before half time, Steve Matai made the Broncos pay, being on the end of a string of
passes to score in the corner. Jamie Lyon had no trouble with the conversion, and the Sea Eagles held a 14-12 lead
at half time.
Four minutes after half time, Matt Gillett burst through an opening to score and restore the lead for the Broncos. But
again Corey Parker was unable to land the conversion. The Broncos were on top, and should have scored again only
for Corey Norman to knock on with plenty of room in front of him to score in.
Manly fullback Brett Stewart linked with David Williams for the Sea Eagles to score and get to a 20-16 lead. But the
Broncos were back in front on the hour, with Matt Gillett chasing down a kick and the video referee obliged by
awarding the try. Corey Norman took over the kicking tee and landed the conversion to put the Broncos 22-20 ahead.
The tension grew with a close game, and the clock was running down. The Broncos looked set to hang on and
record the win. But with a minute to go, Steve Matai pulled off an intercept and fired the pass to David Williams, who
ran the length of the field to score the try that would break Bronco hearts but hand the Sea Eagles a hard-earned
win on the road.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 def Brisbane Broncos 22
Sea Eagles : Tries – D Williams 2, S Matai, J Lyon. Goals – J Lyon 4/5.
Broncos : Tries – M Gillett 2, A Glenn, G Beale, J Reed. Goals – C Parker 0/4, C Norman 1/1.
Referees – T Archer, S Hayne. At Suncorp Stadium.
The second game of the Suncorp Stadium double header saw Gold Coast take control in the second half, the Titans
recording a 25-14 win over Canterbury.
The game got off to a slow start, with both sides defending resolutely at the start but putting on little attacking flair
and being prone to making errors when in the opposition half. The ball travelled from end to end for 25 scoreless
minutes before the deadlock was finally broken. Eventually something had to give, and Dene Halatau created an
opening and sent Ben Barba through space to score under the posts and give the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead.
Points were hard to come by, but in the final moments before half time Scott Prince conjured a try up out of
nothing, bursting through out wide to score. Aidan Sezer missed the conversion; and the teams returned to the
sheds at half time with the Bulldogs leading 6-4.
But it was a more purposeful, attacking and adventurous Gold Coast side that emerged after half time. Throwing the
ball around and making the Bulldogs chase them, they put on an entertaining display as they tilted the game in their
favour. Matt Srama from dummy half crashed over to score, with the video referee putting up a ref’s call signal and
the try being awarded.
Jamal Idris pulled off an intercept to add another; and on the hour Scott Prince put up a bomb, which Bryson
Goodwin fumbled and Mark Minichiello was there to gather up the crumbs and score to put the Titans 20-6 ahead.
But the Bulldogs weren’t finished yet. Ben Barba made a break to score out wide; and then Josh Morris burst
through the line to score in the corner. Importantly, the conversion attempts for both tries were missed, the Titans
remaining six points clear at 20-14.
The game was there to be won, but the Bulldogs’ discipline would let them down at the critical moments, as they
twice gave away penalties within kicking range, with two penalty goals added by the Titans. And to add extra
insurance, Aidan Sezer added a field goal as time ran down and the Titans had completed an important win.
Gold Coast Titans 25 def Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 14
Titans : Tries – S Prince, M Minichiello, J Idris, M Srama. Goals – S Prince 2/3, A Sezer 2/3. Field Goals
– A Sezer 1/1.
Bulldogs : Tries – B Barba 2, J Morris. Goals – B Goodwin 1/3.
Referees – J Maxwell, B Suttor. Crowd – 41,273 at Suncorp Stadium. (double header)
ball around and making the Bulldogs chase them, they put on an entertaining display as they tilted the game in their
favour. Matt Srama from dummy half crashed over to score, with the video referee putting up a ref’s call signal and
the try being awarded.
Jamal Idris pulled off an intercept to add another; and on the hour Scott Prince put up a bomb, which Bryson
Goodwin fumbled and Mark Minichiello was there to gather up the crumbs and score to put the Titans 20-6 ahead.
But the Bulldogs weren’t finished yet. Ben Barba made a break to score out wide; and then Josh Morris burst
through the line to score in the corner. Importantly, the conversion attempts for both tries were missed, the Titans
remaining six points clear at 20-14.
The game was there to be won, but the Bulldogs’ discipline would let them down at the critical moments, as they
twice gave away penalties within kicking range, with two penalty goals added by the Titans. And to add extra
insurance, Aidan Sezer added a field goal as time ran down and the Titans had completed an important win.
Gold Coast Titans 25 def Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 14
Titans : Tries – S Prince, M Minichiello, J Idris, M Srama. Goals – S Prince 2/3, A Sezer 2/3. Field Goals
– A Sezer 1/1.
Bulldogs : Tries – B Barba 2, J Morris. Goals – B Goodwin 1/3.
Referees – J Maxwell, B Suttor. Crowd – 41,273 at Suncorp Stadium. (double header)
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