| NRL |
Parramatta's season of woe went from bad to worse when the Eels were thrashed 40-8 by a red-hot Brisbane
lineup at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
The Eels had an early opportunity when Jarryd Hayne pounced on a bomb, only to drop the ball over the line and
the scoring chance went begging. And the Broncos made them pay from the next set, with Justin Hodges
outmuscling two defenders to cross the Parramatta line and open the scoring. Karmichael Hunt and Antonio
Winterstein also crossed over in the first half to give the Broncos a 16-0 lead at the break.
A brief Parramatta revival after the break saw the Eels score twice, but neither try was converted and the
Broncos held a 22-8 lead. But any hopes of a Parramatta comeback were thwarted by the attack of Karmichael
Hunt, twice more scoring to complete a hat-trick and turn the game into a one-sided rout.
Brisbane Broncos 40 def Parramatta Eels 8
Broncos : Tries - K Hunt 3, J Hodges, A Winterstein, N Kenny, I Folou. Goals - C Parker 6/7.
Eels : Tries - E Uiasele, T Tautai. Goals - L Burt 0/2.
Referees - J Maxwell, B Suttor. Crowd - 30,887 at Suncorp Stadium.
Souths got off to a flying start in their match against Cronulla, but had to hold on for dear life during the closing
stages as a resurgent Sharks threatened to pull off a remarkable comeback.
Everything looked to be going according to plan for the Rabbitohs when they were leading 22-6 after just half an
hour. A 20-minute burst had seen Kidwell, Champion, Fa'alongo and Asotasi having already crossed the
Sharks' line, interrupted only by a solo effort against the run of play by Paul Gallen. But the Sharks weren't
beaten yet, with Covell and Simmons going over shortly before the break to cut the margin to just 4 points.
Again in the second half, the Rabbitohs scored the first 2 tries and looked to have the game won with a 32-18
lead and just 15 minuts to go. But the Sharks continued to fight, going over twice within 5 minutes and throwing
everything at the tiring Souths' defence during the frantic final stages of the game before the Rabbitohs were
saved by the bell.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 32 def Cronulla Sharks 26
Rabbitohs : Tries - B Champion 2, D Kidwell, R Asotasi, D Fa'alongo, N Merritt. Goals - C Sandow 4/6.
Sharks : Tries - L Covell 2, P Gallen, D Simmons, B Pomeroy. Goals - L Covell 3/5.
Referees - B Cummins, A Shortall. Crowd - 11,208 at ANZ Stadium.
The traditional ANZAC Day blockbuster at the SFS turned into a one-sided affair, as St George dominated from
start to finish to thrash the Sydney Roosters 29-0.
It took just 5 tackles for the Dragons to get on the board. After the 5th tackle from the first set of the game, Jamie
Soward's kick bounced off the Roosters' defence, only for Soward to re-gather and pass to Ben Morris who went
over in the corner. A conversion and a penalty goal increased the lead to 8 points, and a field goal on the
half-time siren gave the Dragons a 9-0 lead at the break.
Soward, a former Rooster, was the dominant player on the park; and his one-man show continued in the
second half when the helmetted half-back scored twice, converting both tries. A late individual effort by Jason
Nightingale completed the demolition, the Dragons holding the Roosters scoreless to take out a
comprehensive victory.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 29 def Sydney Roosters 0
Dragons : Tries - J Soward 2, B Morris, J Nightingale. Goals - B Soward 6/6. Field Goals - B Soward 1/1.
Roosters : Tries - Nil.
Referees - S Hayne, T De las Heras. Crowd - 28,926 at Sydney Football Stadium.
lineup at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
The Eels had an early opportunity when Jarryd Hayne pounced on a bomb, only to drop the ball over the line and
the scoring chance went begging. And the Broncos made them pay from the next set, with Justin Hodges
outmuscling two defenders to cross the Parramatta line and open the scoring. Karmichael Hunt and Antonio
Winterstein also crossed over in the first half to give the Broncos a 16-0 lead at the break.
A brief Parramatta revival after the break saw the Eels score twice, but neither try was converted and the
Broncos held a 22-8 lead. But any hopes of a Parramatta comeback were thwarted by the attack of Karmichael
Hunt, twice more scoring to complete a hat-trick and turn the game into a one-sided rout.
Brisbane Broncos 40 def Parramatta Eels 8
Broncos : Tries - K Hunt 3, J Hodges, A Winterstein, N Kenny, I Folou. Goals - C Parker 6/7.
Eels : Tries - E Uiasele, T Tautai. Goals - L Burt 0/2.
Referees - J Maxwell, B Suttor. Crowd - 30,887 at Suncorp Stadium.
Souths got off to a flying start in their match against Cronulla, but had to hold on for dear life during the closing
stages as a resurgent Sharks threatened to pull off a remarkable comeback.
Everything looked to be going according to plan for the Rabbitohs when they were leading 22-6 after just half an
hour. A 20-minute burst had seen Kidwell, Champion, Fa'alongo and Asotasi having already crossed the
Sharks' line, interrupted only by a solo effort against the run of play by Paul Gallen. But the Sharks weren't
beaten yet, with Covell and Simmons going over shortly before the break to cut the margin to just 4 points.
Again in the second half, the Rabbitohs scored the first 2 tries and looked to have the game won with a 32-18
lead and just 15 minuts to go. But the Sharks continued to fight, going over twice within 5 minutes and throwing
everything at the tiring Souths' defence during the frantic final stages of the game before the Rabbitohs were
saved by the bell.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 32 def Cronulla Sharks 26
Rabbitohs : Tries - B Champion 2, D Kidwell, R Asotasi, D Fa'alongo, N Merritt. Goals - C Sandow 4/6.
Sharks : Tries - L Covell 2, P Gallen, D Simmons, B Pomeroy. Goals - L Covell 3/5.
Referees - B Cummins, A Shortall. Crowd - 11,208 at ANZ Stadium.
The traditional ANZAC Day blockbuster at the SFS turned into a one-sided affair, as St George dominated from
start to finish to thrash the Sydney Roosters 29-0.
It took just 5 tackles for the Dragons to get on the board. After the 5th tackle from the first set of the game, Jamie
Soward's kick bounced off the Roosters' defence, only for Soward to re-gather and pass to Ben Morris who went
over in the corner. A conversion and a penalty goal increased the lead to 8 points, and a field goal on the
half-time siren gave the Dragons a 9-0 lead at the break.
Soward, a former Rooster, was the dominant player on the park; and his one-man show continued in the
second half when the helmetted half-back scored twice, converting both tries. A late individual effort by Jason
Nightingale completed the demolition, the Dragons holding the Roosters scoreless to take out a
comprehensive victory.
St George-Illawarra Dragons 29 def Sydney Roosters 0
Dragons : Tries - J Soward 2, B Morris, J Nightingale. Goals - B Soward 6/6. Field Goals - B Soward 1/1.
Roosters : Tries - Nil.
Referees - S Hayne, T De las Heras. Crowd - 28,926 at Sydney Football Stadium.
Melbourne Storm were stunned in last year's finals when they were defeated by the New Zealand Warriors,
and again the Storm were to be denied at home by their nemesis when the Storm were held to a 14-14 draw
by the Warriors on Saturday evening.
Denan Kemp landed an early penalty goal for the Warriors, but the Storm were making the front-running, and
Steve Turner and Billy Slater crossed the Warriors' line in the first 20 minutes to give the Storm a 10-2 lead.
Manu Vatuvei got one back for the Warriors, but when Will Chambers crossed for the Storm 2 minutes after
half-time, the Storm looked in control.
But the Warriors refused to concede. Vatuvei scored his 2nd try before Stacey Jones set up Patrick Ah Van;
but neither try was converted and the scores remained locked at 14-14. And so it was to remain, as neither
side was able to set up field position during the final minutes of regulation time, or during the golden point
period; and all attempts at game-breaking field goals failed to find the mark.
Melbourne Storm 14 drew New Zealand Warriors 14 after golden-point extra time.
Storm : Tries - S Turner, B Slater, W Chambers. Goals - C Smith 1/3. Field Goals - C Cronk 0/3, B Slater 0/1.
Warriors : Tries - M Vatuvei 2, P Ah Van. Goals - D Kemp 1/4. Field Goals - S Jones 0/3.
Referees - T Archer, M Cecchin. Crowd - 15,200 at Olympic Park.
No Stewart no Manly. So it would seem after the Sea Eagles, without their star fullback who was out injured,
again struggled and were comprehensively beaten 26-12 by North Queensland.
Ben Farrar wasted no time in opening the scoring, going over in just the 3rd minute to give the home side the
lead; but Glen Hall replied just a few minutes later to level the scores. But the Cowboys, gaining superior
field position, quickly regained the lead through Scott Bolton, and a penalty goal to Johnathan Thurston gave
the home side a 14-6 lead at the break.
Just 6 minutes after the restart, Chris Bailey crossed for Manly and the game was again in the balance. For a
desperate 20 minutes both sides defended furiously, holding out the other's attacks. But it was the Sea
Eagles who would crack, with Matthew Bowen penetrating the line to restore the 8-point half-time advantage
before his second try on the final whistle put the icing on the cake.
North Queensland Cowboys 26 def Manly Sea Eagles 12
Cowboys : Tries - M Bowen 2, B Farrar, S Bolton. Goals - J Thurston 5/5.
Sea Eagles : Tries - G Hall, C Bailey. Goals - J Lyon 2/2.
Referees - G Badger, S Lyons. Crowd - 16,153 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
On a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon at Canberra Stadium, the Bulldogs continued their 2009 revival with a
30-20 win over Canberra.
The Raiders made the early running, keeping pace with the clock to lead 12-0 after just 12 minutes; with Troy
Thompson and Joel Monaghan going over. Daryl Millard replied for the Bulldogs, but when Adrian Purtell
scored on 24 minutes, the Raiders were leading 16-6 and looking comfortable.
But the Bulldogs came back late in the half, tries to Hannant and Goodwin in the final minutes being
converted by Hazem El Masri to give the Bulldogs the lead. Two more tries in the second half, along with El
Masri's unstoppable form with the boot, were enough to give the Bulldogs the points. Were it not for the
2-point penalty for the interchange bungle against Penrith, the Bulldogs would now be top of the table - a far
cry from last year's wooden spoon season.
Bulldogs 30 def Canberra Raiders 20
Bulldogs : Tries - D Millard, B Hannant, B Goodwin, M Ennis, H El Masri. Goals - H El Masri 5/5.
Raiders : Tries - T Thompson, J Monaghan, A Purtell, A Tongue. Goals - J Dugan 2/4.
Referees - A Klein, C James. Crowd - 10,240 at Canberra Stadium.
Wests Tigers were celebrating a remarkable win, while Newcastle were lamenting the one that got away,
after the Tigers pulled off an amazing come-from-behind 26-24 victory at Campbelltown on Sunday.
Leading 18-6 at the break, Newcastle looked well set for victory. Even after absorbing a try from John Morris,
Jarrod Mullen scored what looked to be the match-winning try to give the Knights a 24-10 lead with just 20
minutes remaining.
But it was then that Benji Marshall swung into action. Firstly Marshall weaved sideways around a string of
Newcastle defenders before finding Beau Ryan unmarked within scoring range of the corner. On 70 minutes,
Marshall bombed across field to set up Dean Collis. Finally, with just 5 minutes left on the clock, Marshall
again passed to Collis who brought up his hat-trick, scoring in the corner to level the scores. From the
sideline, Marshall made no mistake with the conversion to give the Tigers an unlikely win and move into the
top 8.
Wests Tigers 26 def Newcastle Knights 24
Tigers : Tries - D Collis 3, J Morris, B Ryan. Goals - B Marshall 3/5.
Knights : Tries - M Hilder, C Houston, D Wicks, J Mullen. Goals - K Gidley 4/4.
Referees - J Robinson, G Sutton. Crowd - 17,898 at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
A flying start by Penrith gave the Panthers a handy advantage that Gold Coast never looked like pegging back
during the Monday night match at CUA Stadium.
It took just 6 minutes for Luke Walsh to penetrate the Gold Coast line, with Lachlan Coote following suit just
5 minutes later. Scott Prince got one back for the Titans, but a double to Jarrod Sammut within 2 minutes
shortly before half-time saw the Panthers in a dominant position. The Titans continued to fight, and won the
second half, but it was too little too late as Penrith recorded a useful victory, one which puts them within
reach of the top 8 while dislodging the Titans from top spot.
Penrith Panthers 34 def Gold Coast Titans 20
Panthers : Tries - J Sammut 2, L Walsh, L Coote, M Jennings, S Elford. Goals - M Gordon 5/6.
Titans : Tries - S Prince, B Delaney, K Gordon, W Zillman. Goals - S Prince 2/4.
Referees - B Cummins, J Maxwell. Crowd - 9,769 at CUA Stadium.
and again the Storm were to be denied at home by their nemesis when the Storm were held to a 14-14 draw
by the Warriors on Saturday evening.
Denan Kemp landed an early penalty goal for the Warriors, but the Storm were making the front-running, and
Steve Turner and Billy Slater crossed the Warriors' line in the first 20 minutes to give the Storm a 10-2 lead.
Manu Vatuvei got one back for the Warriors, but when Will Chambers crossed for the Storm 2 minutes after
half-time, the Storm looked in control.
But the Warriors refused to concede. Vatuvei scored his 2nd try before Stacey Jones set up Patrick Ah Van;
but neither try was converted and the scores remained locked at 14-14. And so it was to remain, as neither
side was able to set up field position during the final minutes of regulation time, or during the golden point
period; and all attempts at game-breaking field goals failed to find the mark.
Melbourne Storm 14 drew New Zealand Warriors 14 after golden-point extra time.
Storm : Tries - S Turner, B Slater, W Chambers. Goals - C Smith 1/3. Field Goals - C Cronk 0/3, B Slater 0/1.
Warriors : Tries - M Vatuvei 2, P Ah Van. Goals - D Kemp 1/4. Field Goals - S Jones 0/3.
Referees - T Archer, M Cecchin. Crowd - 15,200 at Olympic Park.
No Stewart no Manly. So it would seem after the Sea Eagles, without their star fullback who was out injured,
again struggled and were comprehensively beaten 26-12 by North Queensland.
Ben Farrar wasted no time in opening the scoring, going over in just the 3rd minute to give the home side the
lead; but Glen Hall replied just a few minutes later to level the scores. But the Cowboys, gaining superior
field position, quickly regained the lead through Scott Bolton, and a penalty goal to Johnathan Thurston gave
the home side a 14-6 lead at the break.
Just 6 minutes after the restart, Chris Bailey crossed for Manly and the game was again in the balance. For a
desperate 20 minutes both sides defended furiously, holding out the other's attacks. But it was the Sea
Eagles who would crack, with Matthew Bowen penetrating the line to restore the 8-point half-time advantage
before his second try on the final whistle put the icing on the cake.
North Queensland Cowboys 26 def Manly Sea Eagles 12
Cowboys : Tries - M Bowen 2, B Farrar, S Bolton. Goals - J Thurston 5/5.
Sea Eagles : Tries - G Hall, C Bailey. Goals - J Lyon 2/2.
Referees - G Badger, S Lyons. Crowd - 16,153 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
On a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon at Canberra Stadium, the Bulldogs continued their 2009 revival with a
30-20 win over Canberra.
The Raiders made the early running, keeping pace with the clock to lead 12-0 after just 12 minutes; with Troy
Thompson and Joel Monaghan going over. Daryl Millard replied for the Bulldogs, but when Adrian Purtell
scored on 24 minutes, the Raiders were leading 16-6 and looking comfortable.
But the Bulldogs came back late in the half, tries to Hannant and Goodwin in the final minutes being
converted by Hazem El Masri to give the Bulldogs the lead. Two more tries in the second half, along with El
Masri's unstoppable form with the boot, were enough to give the Bulldogs the points. Were it not for the
2-point penalty for the interchange bungle against Penrith, the Bulldogs would now be top of the table - a far
cry from last year's wooden spoon season.
Bulldogs 30 def Canberra Raiders 20
Bulldogs : Tries - D Millard, B Hannant, B Goodwin, M Ennis, H El Masri. Goals - H El Masri 5/5.
Raiders : Tries - T Thompson, J Monaghan, A Purtell, A Tongue. Goals - J Dugan 2/4.
Referees - A Klein, C James. Crowd - 10,240 at Canberra Stadium.
Wests Tigers were celebrating a remarkable win, while Newcastle were lamenting the one that got away,
after the Tigers pulled off an amazing come-from-behind 26-24 victory at Campbelltown on Sunday.
Leading 18-6 at the break, Newcastle looked well set for victory. Even after absorbing a try from John Morris,
Jarrod Mullen scored what looked to be the match-winning try to give the Knights a 24-10 lead with just 20
minutes remaining.
But it was then that Benji Marshall swung into action. Firstly Marshall weaved sideways around a string of
Newcastle defenders before finding Beau Ryan unmarked within scoring range of the corner. On 70 minutes,
Marshall bombed across field to set up Dean Collis. Finally, with just 5 minutes left on the clock, Marshall
again passed to Collis who brought up his hat-trick, scoring in the corner to level the scores. From the
sideline, Marshall made no mistake with the conversion to give the Tigers an unlikely win and move into the
top 8.
Wests Tigers 26 def Newcastle Knights 24
Tigers : Tries - D Collis 3, J Morris, B Ryan. Goals - B Marshall 3/5.
Knights : Tries - M Hilder, C Houston, D Wicks, J Mullen. Goals - K Gidley 4/4.
Referees - J Robinson, G Sutton. Crowd - 17,898 at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
A flying start by Penrith gave the Panthers a handy advantage that Gold Coast never looked like pegging back
during the Monday night match at CUA Stadium.
It took just 6 minutes for Luke Walsh to penetrate the Gold Coast line, with Lachlan Coote following suit just
5 minutes later. Scott Prince got one back for the Titans, but a double to Jarrod Sammut within 2 minutes
shortly before half-time saw the Panthers in a dominant position. The Titans continued to fight, and won the
second half, but it was too little too late as Penrith recorded a useful victory, one which puts them within
reach of the top 8 while dislodging the Titans from top spot.
Penrith Panthers 34 def Gold Coast Titans 20
Panthers : Tries - J Sammut 2, L Walsh, L Coote, M Jennings, S Elford. Goals - M Gordon 5/6.
Titans : Tries - S Prince, B Delaney, K Gordon, W Zillman. Goals - S Prince 2/4.
Referees - B Cummins, J Maxwell. Crowd - 9,769 at CUA Stadium.
| ROUND 8 FIXTURES: (All times shown are Sydney time) Friday 1st May Manly v Melbourne (Brookvale Oval, 7:30pm) Parramatta v North Queensland (Parramatta Stadium, 7:30pm) Saturday 2nd May Gold Coast v South Sydney (Skilled Park, 3:00pm) Cronulla v Sydney Rooster (Toyota Park, 5:30pm) Newcastle v Brisbane (Energy Australia Stadium, 7:30pm) Canberra v Penrith (Canberra Stadium, 7:30pm) Sunday 3rd May St George-Illawarra v New Zealand Warriors (WIN Stadium, 2:00pm) Bulldogs v Wests Tigers (ANZ Stadium, 3:00pm) |
| HARBOURSPORT |
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* Bulldogs penalised 2 points for breach of interchange rule.
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