| HARBOURSPORT |
| NRL |
Wests Tigers moved to their new home ground, the Sydney Football Stadium; with their first home game
being against co-tenants Sydney Roosters. And it was the Roosters who made the early front-running,
With Mitchell Aubusson having a double within the first 10 minutes of the match as the Roosters took an
early 12-0 lead. But the Tigers came storming back through Dean Collis and Chris Lawrence and the
game was evenly poised for the remainder of the first half.
With 30 minutes to go, the Roosters were leading 18-12. But the final half hour was all one-way traffic as
the Tigers ran riot with 5 converted tries. Benji Marshall was magnificent, controlling the tempo of the
game as well as booting 6 goals. Taniela Tuiaki and Chris Lawrence each landed doubles as the Tigers
ran away with the game.
Wests Tigers 40 def Sydney Roosters 24
Tigers : Tries - T Tuiaki 2, C Lawrence 2, T Moltzen, D Collis, R Farah. Goals - B Marshall 6/8.
Roosters : Tries - M Aubusson 2, S Kenny-Dowall, B Anasta. Goals - C Fitzgibbon 4/4.
Referees - T Archer, G Badger. Crowd - 14,426 at Sydney Football Stadium.
The Bulldogs were reeling from being penalised their points from last week's game against Penrith due
to an interchange problem; but early in their match against Gold Coast at Robina they came out fighting.
The Bulldogs had the better of the early play, but it took them 20 minutes to turn their possession into
scoreboard pressure when Andrew Ryan crossed over in the corner.
But shortly after the half-hour, some brilliance by Preston Campbell saw a high bomb land in the corner, in
perfect position for Luke O'Dwyer to score. Campbell went himself and scored a few minutes later, and
the Titans were in front. And when Mat Rogers went over just 3 minutes after the break and Esikeli Tonga
shortly after the hour, the Titans were on their way to victory.
Gold Coast Titans 20 def Bulldogs 12
Titans : Tries - E Tonga, M Rogers, P Campbell, L O'Dwyer. Goals - M Rogers 2/5.
Bulldogs : Tries - B Goodwin, A Ryan. Goals - H El Masri 2/3.
Referees - J Maxwell, A Shortall. Crowd - 19,854 at Skilled Park.
The last two undefeated teams clashed at Mt Smart Stadium, and it was Brisbane who maintained their
winning streak to go to outright top of the table after a 26-10 win over the New Zealand Warriors.
An early burst saw the Broncos assert themselves, two tries within three minutes by Joel Clinton then
Steve Michaels gave them an early advantage. And when Israel Folau went over 3 minutes before the
break, the Broncos had opened up a 16-0 lead and it would be a long way home for the Warriors.
There was to be no comeback; with Alex Glenn going over just 4 minutes after the break and veteran
Darren Lockyer minutes later. And although the Warriors would get a couple of late tries to salvage some
respectability, this was Brisbane's night.
Brisbane Broncos 26 def NZ Warriors 10
Broncos : Tries - S Michaels, I Folau, D Lockyer, J Clinton, A Glenn. Goals - C Parker 3/6.
Warriors : Tries - S Mannering, U Ta'ai. Goals - D Kemp 1/2.
Referees - J Robinson, M Cecchin. Crowd - 24,538 at Mt Smart Stadium.
Canberra led Parramatta 6-4 after a low-scoring first half at Parramatta Stadium, but the Raiders looked to
be taking control when Jason Crocker outran the Eels defence and Joe Picker caught the Eels napping to
cross over for the softest of tries.
Parramatta looked to be drifting to defeat, but with 18 minutes to go the momentum changed, when Jarryd
Hayne intercepted and ran the length of the field to score. The try spurred the Eels into action, with
follow-up tries to Krisnan Inu and Eric Grothe enabling Parramatta to steal a win they never looked likely to
achieve; a result that sees the Eels enter the top 8 while the Raiders, still looking for their first win in 2009,
will be lamenting the one that got away.
Parramatta Eels 18 def Canberra Raiders 16
Eels : Tries - E Grothe 2, K Inu, J Hayne. Goals - L Burt 1/4.
Raiders : Tries - J Croker, J Monaghan, J Picker. Goals - T Campese 2/3.
Referees - S Lyons, C James. Crowd - 11,110 at Parramatta Stadium.
being against co-tenants Sydney Roosters. And it was the Roosters who made the early front-running,
With Mitchell Aubusson having a double within the first 10 minutes of the match as the Roosters took an
early 12-0 lead. But the Tigers came storming back through Dean Collis and Chris Lawrence and the
game was evenly poised for the remainder of the first half.
With 30 minutes to go, the Roosters were leading 18-12. But the final half hour was all one-way traffic as
the Tigers ran riot with 5 converted tries. Benji Marshall was magnificent, controlling the tempo of the
game as well as booting 6 goals. Taniela Tuiaki and Chris Lawrence each landed doubles as the Tigers
ran away with the game.
Wests Tigers 40 def Sydney Roosters 24
Tigers : Tries - T Tuiaki 2, C Lawrence 2, T Moltzen, D Collis, R Farah. Goals - B Marshall 6/8.
Roosters : Tries - M Aubusson 2, S Kenny-Dowall, B Anasta. Goals - C Fitzgibbon 4/4.
Referees - T Archer, G Badger. Crowd - 14,426 at Sydney Football Stadium.
The Bulldogs were reeling from being penalised their points from last week's game against Penrith due
to an interchange problem; but early in their match against Gold Coast at Robina they came out fighting.
The Bulldogs had the better of the early play, but it took them 20 minutes to turn their possession into
scoreboard pressure when Andrew Ryan crossed over in the corner.
But shortly after the half-hour, some brilliance by Preston Campbell saw a high bomb land in the corner, in
perfect position for Luke O'Dwyer to score. Campbell went himself and scored a few minutes later, and
the Titans were in front. And when Mat Rogers went over just 3 minutes after the break and Esikeli Tonga
shortly after the hour, the Titans were on their way to victory.
Gold Coast Titans 20 def Bulldogs 12
Titans : Tries - E Tonga, M Rogers, P Campbell, L O'Dwyer. Goals - M Rogers 2/5.
Bulldogs : Tries - B Goodwin, A Ryan. Goals - H El Masri 2/3.
Referees - J Maxwell, A Shortall. Crowd - 19,854 at Skilled Park.
The last two undefeated teams clashed at Mt Smart Stadium, and it was Brisbane who maintained their
winning streak to go to outright top of the table after a 26-10 win over the New Zealand Warriors.
An early burst saw the Broncos assert themselves, two tries within three minutes by Joel Clinton then
Steve Michaels gave them an early advantage. And when Israel Folau went over 3 minutes before the
break, the Broncos had opened up a 16-0 lead and it would be a long way home for the Warriors.
There was to be no comeback; with Alex Glenn going over just 4 minutes after the break and veteran
Darren Lockyer minutes later. And although the Warriors would get a couple of late tries to salvage some
respectability, this was Brisbane's night.
Brisbane Broncos 26 def NZ Warriors 10
Broncos : Tries - S Michaels, I Folau, D Lockyer, J Clinton, A Glenn. Goals - C Parker 3/6.
Warriors : Tries - S Mannering, U Ta'ai. Goals - D Kemp 1/2.
Referees - J Robinson, M Cecchin. Crowd - 24,538 at Mt Smart Stadium.
Canberra led Parramatta 6-4 after a low-scoring first half at Parramatta Stadium, but the Raiders looked to
be taking control when Jason Crocker outran the Eels defence and Joe Picker caught the Eels napping to
cross over for the softest of tries.
Parramatta looked to be drifting to defeat, but with 18 minutes to go the momentum changed, when Jarryd
Hayne intercepted and ran the length of the field to score. The try spurred the Eels into action, with
follow-up tries to Krisnan Inu and Eric Grothe enabling Parramatta to steal a win they never looked likely to
achieve; a result that sees the Eels enter the top 8 while the Raiders, still looking for their first win in 2009,
will be lamenting the one that got away.
Parramatta Eels 18 def Canberra Raiders 16
Eels : Tries - E Grothe 2, K Inu, J Hayne. Goals - L Burt 1/4.
Raiders : Tries - J Croker, J Monaghan, J Picker. Goals - T Campese 2/3.
Referees - S Lyons, C James. Crowd - 11,110 at Parramatta Stadium.
Despite a lopsided penalty count earlier and the Storm still not looking at their peak, they did enough to
overcome North Queensland 26-12 on a warm Townsville Saturday night.
The game was evenly poised until shortly before the break, with scores locked at 12-12. But with just a few
minutes before half time, Anthony Quinn handed the intiative to the visitors with a converted try. A penalty
goal to the ever-reliable Cameron Smith shortly after half-time extended the lead to 8 points. And on 56
minutes the Storm wrapped up the result when Billy Slater set up Steve Turner; the try being awarded by
the referee without going upstairs, although replays suggested some behind-play push and shove that
would have seen the try disallowed had it been referred. But this was Melbourne's night, as they bounced
back from their loss to Brisbane the previous week.
Melbourne Storm 26 def North Queensland Cowboys 12
Storm : Tries - S Turner, G Inglis, A Quinn, C Cronk. Goals - C Smith 5/5.
Cowboys : Tries - J Williams, S Bolton. Goals - J Thurston 2/2.
Referees - S Hayne, C Sutton. Crowd - 21,489 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
When James McManus scored during the first set of the match, and Akuila Uate crossed not long after, it
was looking like how far Newcastle in their match against Souths in Gosford. The Knights were in control,
dominating the flow of play. But Kurt Gidley was unable to convert either try, and when the Rabbitohs
defence tightened the Knights only had an 8-point lead at the break to show for their efforts.
With a depleted side still struggling to recover from last Monday's bruising encounter against Cronulla, the
Knights appeared tired and flat in the second half. In contrast, Souths had fresh legs and threw Craig
Wing into the action. On 57 minutes Wing went over, and just 2 minutes later he set up Fetuli Talanoa and
suddenly the Rabbitohs were in front. The Knights had nothing more to give, and the Rabbitohs took
control, Wing and Isaac Luke adding further scores to blow the score out to 22/12 and take Souths to
second spot on the table.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 22 def Newcastle Knights 12
Rabbitohs : Tries - C Wing 2, F Talanoa, I Luke. Goals - C Sandow 3/3, I Luke 0/1.
Knights : Tries - J McManus, J Sau, A Uate. Goals - K Gidley 0/3.
Referees - A Klein, B Suttor. Crowd - 15,227 at Bluetongue Stadium.
St George returned to Jubilee Oval, re-opening the ground after its latest refurbishment; and a full house of
over 20,000 was on hand for the Dragons' local derby against Cronulla. And the majority would go home
happy after the Dragons took out victory in a tight, tough and low-scoring contest.
Trent Barrett, returning to a southern derby but for the first time wearing a Sharks jersey, found himself
stretchered off shortly after half-time after a sickening clash with Ben Creagh that saw Barrett suffer a
serious-looking neck injury.
Ben Hornby went over for an early converted try, which was to be the only score in the first half. But on 53
minutes, not long after Barrett's injury, David Simmons weaved his way around traffic to level the scores.
The Dragons regained the advantage 7 minutes later when Creagh was on the right end of a bomb to go
over in the corner; and in a tense final 20 minutes the Dragons repelled everything the Sharks could throw
at them to take out an important victory.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 10 def Cronulla Sharks 6
Dragons : Tries - B Hornby, B Creagh. Goals - J Soward 1/2.
Sharks : Tries - D Simmons. Goals - L Covell 1/1.
Referees - G Badger, T De las Heras. Crowd - 20,047 at Jubilee Oval.
Defending premiers Manly slumped to their third straight defeat when the Sea Eagles were defeated
12-10 by Penrith at Brookvale Oval.
The first half was a tight affair, with Chris Bailey's converted try being the only score. But after half-time, the
heavens opened and it was the visitors who handled the wet and slippery conditions better. As the Sea
Eagles began a series of knock-ons and were unable to complete sets, the Panthers worked their way
back into the contest. On the hour, Lachlan Coote went over; and 8 minutes later the Panthers were in front
when Masada Iosefa found a way past the Sea Eagles' defence. Chris Bailey went over late in the corner,
but Matt Orford was unable to convert the try and force the game into golden point.
Penrith Panthers 12 def Manly Sea Eagles 10
Panthers : Tries - L Coote, M Iosefa. Goals - M Gordon 2/2.
Sea Eagles : Tries - C Bailey 2. Goals - M Orford 1/2.
Referees - B Cummins, P Haines. Crowd - 8,667 at Brookvale Oval.
overcome North Queensland 26-12 on a warm Townsville Saturday night.
The game was evenly poised until shortly before the break, with scores locked at 12-12. But with just a few
minutes before half time, Anthony Quinn handed the intiative to the visitors with a converted try. A penalty
goal to the ever-reliable Cameron Smith shortly after half-time extended the lead to 8 points. And on 56
minutes the Storm wrapped up the result when Billy Slater set up Steve Turner; the try being awarded by
the referee without going upstairs, although replays suggested some behind-play push and shove that
would have seen the try disallowed had it been referred. But this was Melbourne's night, as they bounced
back from their loss to Brisbane the previous week.
Melbourne Storm 26 def North Queensland Cowboys 12
Storm : Tries - S Turner, G Inglis, A Quinn, C Cronk. Goals - C Smith 5/5.
Cowboys : Tries - J Williams, S Bolton. Goals - J Thurston 2/2.
Referees - S Hayne, C Sutton. Crowd - 21,489 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
When James McManus scored during the first set of the match, and Akuila Uate crossed not long after, it
was looking like how far Newcastle in their match against Souths in Gosford. The Knights were in control,
dominating the flow of play. But Kurt Gidley was unable to convert either try, and when the Rabbitohs
defence tightened the Knights only had an 8-point lead at the break to show for their efforts.
With a depleted side still struggling to recover from last Monday's bruising encounter against Cronulla, the
Knights appeared tired and flat in the second half. In contrast, Souths had fresh legs and threw Craig
Wing into the action. On 57 minutes Wing went over, and just 2 minutes later he set up Fetuli Talanoa and
suddenly the Rabbitohs were in front. The Knights had nothing more to give, and the Rabbitohs took
control, Wing and Isaac Luke adding further scores to blow the score out to 22/12 and take Souths to
second spot on the table.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 22 def Newcastle Knights 12
Rabbitohs : Tries - C Wing 2, F Talanoa, I Luke. Goals - C Sandow 3/3, I Luke 0/1.
Knights : Tries - J McManus, J Sau, A Uate. Goals - K Gidley 0/3.
Referees - A Klein, B Suttor. Crowd - 15,227 at Bluetongue Stadium.
St George returned to Jubilee Oval, re-opening the ground after its latest refurbishment; and a full house of
over 20,000 was on hand for the Dragons' local derby against Cronulla. And the majority would go home
happy after the Dragons took out victory in a tight, tough and low-scoring contest.
Trent Barrett, returning to a southern derby but for the first time wearing a Sharks jersey, found himself
stretchered off shortly after half-time after a sickening clash with Ben Creagh that saw Barrett suffer a
serious-looking neck injury.
Ben Hornby went over for an early converted try, which was to be the only score in the first half. But on 53
minutes, not long after Barrett's injury, David Simmons weaved his way around traffic to level the scores.
The Dragons regained the advantage 7 minutes later when Creagh was on the right end of a bomb to go
over in the corner; and in a tense final 20 minutes the Dragons repelled everything the Sharks could throw
at them to take out an important victory.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 10 def Cronulla Sharks 6
Dragons : Tries - B Hornby, B Creagh. Goals - J Soward 1/2.
Sharks : Tries - D Simmons. Goals - L Covell 1/1.
Referees - G Badger, T De las Heras. Crowd - 20,047 at Jubilee Oval.
Defending premiers Manly slumped to their third straight defeat when the Sea Eagles were defeated
12-10 by Penrith at Brookvale Oval.
The first half was a tight affair, with Chris Bailey's converted try being the only score. But after half-time, the
heavens opened and it was the visitors who handled the wet and slippery conditions better. As the Sea
Eagles began a series of knock-ons and were unable to complete sets, the Panthers worked their way
back into the contest. On the hour, Lachlan Coote went over; and 8 minutes later the Panthers were in front
when Masada Iosefa found a way past the Sea Eagles' defence. Chris Bailey went over late in the corner,
but Matt Orford was unable to convert the try and force the game into golden point.
Penrith Panthers 12 def Manly Sea Eagles 10
Panthers : Tries - L Coote, M Iosefa. Goals - M Gordon 2/2.
Sea Eagles : Tries - C Bailey 2. Goals - M Orford 1/2.
Referees - B Cummins, P Haines. Crowd - 8,667 at Brookvale Oval.
| ROUND 4 FIXTURES: (All times shown are Sydney time) Friday 3rd April Brisbane v St George-Illawarra (Suncorp Stadium, 7:30pm) Sydney Roosters v Parramatta (Sydney Football Stadium, 7:30pm) Saturday 4th Aprl Penrith v Wests Tigers (CUA Stadium, 5:30pm) Melbourne v Gold Coast (Olympic Park, 7:30pm) Sunday 5th April NZ Warriors v South Sydney (Mt Smart Stadium, 12:00pm) Bulldogs v Cronulla (ANZ Stadium, 2:00pm) Newcastle v Manly (Energy Australia Stadium, 3:00pm) Monday 6th April Canberra v North Queensland (Canberra Stadium, 7:00pm) |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
* Bulldogs penalised 2 points for breach of interchange rule.
|