| ROUND 14 FIXTURES: (All times shown are Sydney time) Friday 10th June St George v Gold Coast (7:30pm, WIN Jubilee Stadium) Saturday 11th June Manly v North Queensland (7:30pm, Brookvale Oval) Sunday 12th June Brisbane v Canberra (2:00pm, Suncorp Stadium) NZ Warriors v Wests Tigers (2:00pm, Mt Smart Stadium) Monday 13th June Melbourne v Sydney Roosters (7:00pm, AAMI Park) BYE - Canterbury, Cronulla, Newcastle, Parramatta, Penrith, South Sydney |
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| Round 13 started off with a thriller, with Parramatta and St George playing out a 14-all draw at Parramatta Stadium on Friday night. The Dragons went into the game as the hottest of favourites, but found themselves on the defensive early as the Eels made the early attacking. Forcing the Dragons into defence, the Eels earned themselves a series of line drop- outs; and after nine minutes on the attack, the Dragon defence gave way. Big Parramatta prop Fui Fui Moi Moi crashed over the Dragon defenders to score the opening try. Luke Burt added the extras, and shortly afterwards a penalty goal put the Eels 8-0 ahead. On 24 minutes, the Dragons hit back when a quick pass found Adam Cuthbertson, who crashed through the Parramatta defenders to score. But it took only four minutes for the Eels to reply, with an individual effort from Taniela Lasalo reaping a try under the posts to put the Eels 14-6 to the good; a scoreline that would remain intact till half time. The Dragons were stunned, eight points in arrears at the break. And they came out firing in the second half, an early 40-20 by Jamie Soward giving them field position. The Dragons pressed the Parramatta line, but the Eel defenders were equal to the task and it took 20 minutes after half time for the Dragons to finally score. It came when Ratu Tagive, filling in for the injured Brett Morris, made a break and ran 30 metres along the sideline to score in the corner. The try was followed up by a sensational conversion from the sideline by Jamie Soward. With nine minutes to go, the Eels were penalised for taking too long to get off a tackle. Electing to take the penalty goal, Jamie Soward levelled the scores at 14-14. Neither side was able to trouble the scorers during the remaining time, so an additional ten minutes were called on. A period in which both sides traded field goal attempts, but neither could get the drop goal to land. And so, at the half-way point of the season, the first draw of the season. Although a draw, it would have been a moral victory for Parramatta. Struggling for much of the season, they took the fight right up to the defending champions and were only the second team all season to take points from the Dragons, a feather in their cap that may get the Eels back into the finals race. Parramatta Eels 14 drew St George-Illawarra Dragons 14 after golden point extra time. Eels : Tries – F Moimoi, T Lasalo. Goals – L Burt 3/3. Dragons : Tries – A Cuthbertson, R Tagive. Goals – J Soward 3/3. Referees – A Klein, G Sutton. Crowd – 16,066 at Parramatta Stadium. Going into Friday night’s match at Shark Park, Cronulla went in on the back of a win last week and Brisbane on a three-game losing streak. But the order from earlier in the season was restored as the Broncos went back into form with a 34-16 win over the Sharks. The Sharks and the Broncos spent the early exchanges feeling each other out, and the game remained scoreless for the first 15 minutes. It would be the Sharks who would draw first blood, with Jason Bukaya chasing down down a grubber from Chad Townsend for a try in the corner; but Nathan Stapleton was unable to convert. The Broncos quickly hit back, with Dale Copley scoring out wide; Corey Parker’s conversion giving the Broncos the lead. Then on the half hour, Alex Glenn pounced on a speculative pass by Peter Wallace and, facing minimal resistance, burst over the line to score. And it didn’t take long for Glenn to make it a double, the video referee giving the benefit of the doubt after a scramble on the goal-line. But the Sharks fought back on the stroke of half time. As if the Broncos had already clocked off for their break, John Mannah was unchallenged as he strolled over for the easiest of tries; and with Townsend landing the conversion, the Broncos’ lead was cut to 16-10 at half time. |
Only six points in it at the break, but the Sharks were unable to bridge that gap. And twelve minutes after the
break, the Broncos added to their lead; when Sam Thaiday set up Corey Parker. Jack Reed out wide added
another try on the hour, and a penalty goal shortly afterwards put the Broncos 30-10 ahead and the game was
safely won.
Gerard Beale added another try to ice the cake in the final minutes, and Colin Best added a consolation try for
the Sharks in the final play of the game. For the Broncos, it was a welcome return to form after a disastrous
month of May. But conversely for the Sharks, the onset of winter has seen an unwelcome return to the losing list.
Brisbane Broncos 34 def Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 16
Broncos : Tries – A Glenn 2, C Parker, G Beale, D Copley, J Reed. Goals – C Parker 5/7.
Sharks : Tries – C Best, J Mannah, J Bukuya. Goals – C Townsend 2/2, N Stapleton 0/1.
Referees – M Cecchin, T De las Heras. Crowd – 14,436 at Toyota Stadium.
Bottom side Gold Coast etched another chapter in their 2011 tale of woe when the Titans were humbled 23-10
by Penrith at Skilled Park on Saturday night.
Desperate to end their three-game losing streak and get off the bottom of the ladder, the Titans went on the
attack early, and after just six minutes they were on the scoreboard, David Mead flying high to grab a bomb from
Preston Campbell for a try in the corner; and despite Scott Prince being unable to land the conversion, the Titans
were 4-0 ahead.
The Titans, at home and with an early lead, were looking dangerous. But at the 15 minute mark, Trent
Waterhouse charged down a kick from Scott Prince, enabling Michael Jennings to gather the ball and run 70
metres to score in the corner and level the match. Ten minutes later, after a set deep in attack, Kevin Kingston
barged his way over the line to score and give the Panthers a 10-4 advantage.
The Titans finished the first half strongly, earning repeat sets but being unable to penetrate the Penrith line. But
four minutes into the second half, scores were level; Preston Campbell chasing down a grubber to score under
the posts. But the Panthers wasted little time in regaining the lead, with Lachlan Coote running rings around the
Gold Coast defenders before off-loading to Adrian Purtell for a try and a 16-10 lead.
With time running out and the Panthers six points ahead, a field goal gave the Panthers an additional buffer and
all but ensured victory. And with the last play of the day, Travis Burns scored for the Panthers to make the win a
comfortable one; a result that keeps the Panthers within striking distance of the top eight, but one that sees
the struggling Titans condemned to another week at the foot of the ladder.
Penrith Panthers 23 def Gold Coast Titans 10
Panthers : Tries – T Burns, A Purtell, M Jennings, K Kingston. Goals – T Burns 3/3, L Walsh 0/1.
Field Goals – L Walsh 1/1.
Titans : Tries – P Campbell, D Mead. Goals – S Prince 1/2.
Referees – T Archer, L Phillips. Crowd – 12,262 at Skilled Park.
A healthy crowd of nearly 20,000 was on hand at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night as the Bulldogs hosted Manly.
But the performance of the Bulldogs was far from healthy; as they were never in the contest against a red-hot
Manly side, with the Sea Eagles taking out an easy 38-4 win.
The Sea Eagles after eight minutes opened the scoring, with Daly Cherry-Evans off-loading to send George Rose
into a yawning gap in the Bulldogs’ defence. And at the 15 minute mark, the Stewart brothers drew the Bulldog
defenders, who left Jamie Lyon unattended; and Lyon’s try in the corner put the Sea Eagles 10-0 ahead.
And the Sea Eagle attacks kept coming. Daly Cherry-Evans capitalised on some soft defending to score under the
posts. And the Sea Eagle raids kept coming, with David Williams joining in the try-scoring action before half time.
At the break, the Sea Eagles led 22-0, a margin that could have been even greater. The Sea Eagles had enjoyed
the vast majority of the play, the best of the field position and the Bulldogs could do nothing but watch the Sea
Eagle domination.
Rising star Will Hopoate turned on his pace as he raced down the sideline to add another try after just five
minutes of the second half. And as Jamie Lyon brought up his double shortly before the hour, it had turned into
a one-sided rout.
The unstoppable Manly juggernaut rolled along as Anthony Watmough joined the party, crashing over the line
and the video referee awarded the try after checking the grounding. Ahead 38-0, the Sea Eagles had been the
only competitive team all evening, while the Bulldogs had engaged in a litany of errors, turnovers, drop ball and
poor decision-making. Even with Ben Barba scoring a late consolation try, it was a rotten night for the Bulldogs as
they showed themselves incapable of matching it against the red-hot Sea Eagles.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 38 def Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 4
Sea Eagles : Tries – J Lyon 2, A Watmough, G Rose, D Williams, W Hopoate, D Cherry-Evans.
Goals – J Lyon 5/7.
Bulldogs : Tries – B Barba. Goals – S Turner 0/1.
Referees – S Hayne, A Devcich. Crowd – 19,830 at ANZ Stadium.
A wet Saturday night at the Sydney Football Stadium saw the Sydney Roosters bring a rare ray of happiness into
what’s been a disappointing season to date when they defeated the New Zealand Warriors 13-6.
In the wet conditions, both sides struggled to control the ball through an opening half hour of numerous
handling errors. Knock-ons were plentiful, as the slippery ball found the ground all too frequently. But the last five
minutes of the half saw the game turned on its head.
At 35 minutes, Jake Friend at dummy half elected to run himself, catching the Warriors’ defence off-guard.
Belatedly drawing the defenders, Friend then off-loaded to an unmarked Aiden Guerra who dived over to score.
And three minutes later, on the last tackle, Shaun Kenny-Dowall chased down a grubber from Braith Anasta to
score. For most of the first half, it looked like the two teams were destined to return to the sheds with scores
locked on zero; but instead the Roosters found themselves with a shock 12-0 lead.
A break in the weather when the second half started saw some brighter play, and three minutes in both sides
were claiming a try. A kick forward for the Warriors by Shaun Johnson was fumbled by the Roosters’ Keith Leilua
before Simon Mannering attempted to put downward pressure on it. Leilua than gathered the crumbs and ran
the length of the field to claim a possible Roosters try. The video referee, after extensive deliberation, ruled a
knock-on against Leilua and that Mannering had grounded the ball, awarding the try to the Warriors.
The Warriors went close to levelling the scores a few minutes later, but the video referee wasn’t so generous
this time and refused Krisnan Inu’s attempt. The rain returned shortly afterwards, and with a heavy track and a
slippery ball, it was a battle of tired defences as both sides hung on resolutely. The clock ticked down, with
neither side looking like scoring another try. With three minutes to go, Todd Carney put a field goal over, giving
the Roosters a seven-point buffer and assuring them of victory. It was a welcome result for the Roosters, just
their fourth win of the season to date. But the Warriors were disappointed, their five-game winning streak is over.
Sydney Roosters 13 def New Zealand Warriors 6
Roosters : Tries – S Kenny-Dowall, A Guerra. Goals – B Anasta 2/2. Field Goals – T Carney 1/1.
Warriors : Tries – S Mannering. Goals – J Maloney 1/1.
Referees – J Robinson, A Shortall. Crowd – 10,116 at Sydney Football Stadium.
After a dismal start to the season, Canberra went into their home game against North Queensland on Sunday
afternoon on a two-game winning streak; and going out to a big lead early, the Raiders had hopes of building on
their momentum. But they would be denied by the superior fitness and stamina of the Cowboys, who would
finish the stronger side to take out a 40-24 victory.
A cross-field bomb by Josh Dugan found Blake Ferguson for an early try to the Raiders; and in the 11th minute,
Jarrod Croker found the space to move and score out wide and put the Raiders 10-0 ahead.
The Raiders were on fire, and the pressure on the Cowboys was intense. Joe Picker was next to score, finding a
gap in the besieged Cowboys’ line and running through to score. Josh McCrone from a scrum gathered the ball
and ran unchallenged past the shell-shocked Cowboys to score under the posts. The game was only 22 minutes
old, but the Raiders had gone at a point per minute and were already 22-0 ahead.
But the destiny of the game changed when Josh Dugan was injured in a tackle with ten minutes to go in the
first half, and without his drive the Raiders were unable to conjure up any more of the attacking flair they had
shown thus far. Shortly afterwards, some individual magic from Johnathan Thurston led to the Cowboys getting
their first try, with Thurston adding the extras.
The final few minutes before half time saw Glenn Hall crash over from close range and then Tariq Sims walking
through some lax defending by the Raiders. The imposing Canberra lead was being eroded, and although they still
held a 22-18 lead at half time, the game was far from the one-sided contest it had appeared earlier.
Injuries weren’t helping the Raiders’ cause. Dugan had already departed injured, and he was joined on the
sidelines by Terry Campese and Shaun Fensom. And only a few minutes into the second half, the Raiders’
defending went missing in action allowing Tariq Sims to bring up his double with a try out wide; and although
Thurston was unable to convert, scores were level.
The game then became an arm-wrestle, with both sides keeping each other out for 20 scoreless minutes. Jarrod
Croker broke the deadlock with a penalty goal, putting the Raiders back in front, but a two-point margin would
prove too hard to defend with such limited interchange options.
With five minutes to go, Tariq Sims worked his way through the tiring Raiders’ defence before offloading to
Aaron Payne who ran 35 metres to score under the posts. The Raiders had given it their all, but found
themselves behind on the scoreboard for the first time in the final minutes. But the home side had nothing more
to give, and the Cowboys dominated the final stages, with Kalifa Fai-Fai Loa facing minimal resistance to score a
double in the final two minutes of the match.
North Queensland Cowboys 40 def Canberra Raiders 24
Cowboys : Tries – T Sims 2, K Fai-Fai Loa 2, A Payne, J Thurston, G Hall. Goals – J Thurston 6/7.
Raiders : Tries – J Picker, J Croker, B Ferguson, J McCrone. Goals – J Croker 4/5.
Referees – G Badger, P Haines. Crowd – 11,128 at Canberra Stadium.
Greg Inglis took the field against his former team-mates when his South Sydney side met Melbourne at ANZ
Stadium on Sunday afternoon. But it was his old club who would emerge with the spoils, the Storm maintaining
second place on the table with a hard-fought 16-6 win over the struggling Rabbitohs.
Big things had been expected of the Rabbitohs this season after the signing of Inglis, but results to date had not
gone to plan; and the club was under pressure. But the Rabbitohs responded early, tackling hard and forcing a
few turnovers, putting themselves into attacking position. And after nine minutes, Dave Taylor pounced on a
cross-field bomb by Chris Sandow to open the scoring, Sandoe’s conversion putting the Rabbitohs 6-0 ahead.
But the Storm quickly fought back, with Cooper Cronk kicking forward to enable Maurice Blair to score in the
corner; but on the tight angle, Cameron Smith was unable to convert and the Rabbitohs remained 6-4 ahead.
The Rabbitohs worked hard, but James Roberts’ scoring attempt was denied by the video referee. At the other
end, it was better news for the Storm as Jesse Bromwich out-ran Eddie Pettybourne to score under the posts
and give the Storm the lead, a 10-6 margin that would remain intact to half time.
The Rabbitohs piled on the pressure in the second half, but were unable to capitalise. They were unlucky, as
three times they crossed the line only to be denied by the video referee. The penalty count went the Rabbitohs’
way, the field position and possession favoured the Rabbitohs, but the Storm hung on for dear life. And for all
the Rabbitohs’ trying, there was no way through. Instead, in the final minute, it was Cameron Smith who scored
after a dummy wrong-footed the Rabbitoh defenders; a try against the run of play, but one which ensured the
Storm would emerge victorious after a day of vigorous defence to deny the Rabbitoh charge.
Melbourne Storm 16 def South Sydney Rabbitohs 6
Storm : Tries – C Smith, M Blair, J Bromwich. Goals – C Smith 1/2, G Widdop 1/1.
Rabbitohs : Tries – D Taylor. Goals – C Sandow 1/1.
Referees – B Cummins, C James. Crowd – 11,528 at ANZ Stadium.
Monday night saw a cracker of a clash at Leichhardt Oval, where a capacity crowd of 18,021 saw Wests Tigers
edge out Newcastle 17-16 during golden point extra time.
The Tigers suffered an early body blow when Lote Tuqiri was stretchered off after just five minutes, with the
dual international playing no further part in the game. But the Tigers had the better of the early exchanges, and
after 18 minutes Robbie Farah sent Robert Lui through a gap to burrow over the try-line and score the opening
try. Benji Marshall had no trouble adding the extras, putting the Tigers 6-0 ahead.
But as the half went on, the Knights began to take the initiative. Throwing the ball around, frequently catching
the Tigers unawares, the Knights looked dangerous throughout the remainder of the half; and the scoreboard
soon gave them reward for effort, with Neville Costigan diving over to score. Kurt Gidley kicked the conversion
and the Knights went on the attack again. A kick that originally looked to have been weighted too well sat up in
the in-goal, for Junior Sau to knock it back for James McManus to score. The video referee awarded the try, but
Gidley’s conversion bounced off the upright and sailed wide.
But the Tigers, against the run of play, levelled the scores on the stroke of half time. Benji Marshall made a break
before the ball finished with Mitch Brown to score in the corner. The conversion angle was too tight for Marshall’s
conversion, and scores were locked at 10-10 at half time.
Not long after the break, a creative pass by Kurt Gidley set up Antonio Kaufusi and restoring the lead for the
Knights. But it would be a tight second half, scoring proving hard to come by. In a potential blow to NSW’s Origin
hopes, Akuila Uate found himself on report, and lucky not to get 10 in the bin, after a dangerous tackle.
As the clock continued to tick down, the Knights looked to extend their lead, one point would be enough to
give a buffer of more than a converted try. Kurt Gidley and Beau Henry attempted drop goals, but the kicks
sailed agonisingly wide.
And with just six minutes to go, the game was back on level terms after Liam Fulton outran his opponent and
put the ball down next to the posts. Marshall’s conversion levelled the scores. And after Kurt Gidley made his
second unsuccessful field goal attempt in the final minute, the game went to golden point.
Robert Lui attempted a field goal from halfway, but the kick fell just short and sailed under the crossbar. But in
the second period of extra time, Robbie Farah landed the drop goal that would give the Tigers a win to
remember.
Click here to see Harboursport’s photo gallery from this match.
Wests Tigers 17 def Newcastle Knights 16 in golden point extra time.
Tigers : Tries – L Fulton, M Brown, R Lui. Goals – B Marshall 2/3. Field Goals – R Farah 1/1, R Lui
0/1.
Knights : Tries – J McManus, N Costigan, A Kaufusi. Goals – K Gidley 2/3. Field Goals – K Gidley
0/2, B Henry 0/1.
Referees – J Maxwell, S Lyons. Crowd – 18,021 at Leichhardt Oval.
break, the Broncos added to their lead; when Sam Thaiday set up Corey Parker. Jack Reed out wide added
another try on the hour, and a penalty goal shortly afterwards put the Broncos 30-10 ahead and the game was
safely won.
Gerard Beale added another try to ice the cake in the final minutes, and Colin Best added a consolation try for
the Sharks in the final play of the game. For the Broncos, it was a welcome return to form after a disastrous
month of May. But conversely for the Sharks, the onset of winter has seen an unwelcome return to the losing list.
Brisbane Broncos 34 def Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 16
Broncos : Tries – A Glenn 2, C Parker, G Beale, D Copley, J Reed. Goals – C Parker 5/7.
Sharks : Tries – C Best, J Mannah, J Bukuya. Goals – C Townsend 2/2, N Stapleton 0/1.
Referees – M Cecchin, T De las Heras. Crowd – 14,436 at Toyota Stadium.
Bottom side Gold Coast etched another chapter in their 2011 tale of woe when the Titans were humbled 23-10
by Penrith at Skilled Park on Saturday night.
Desperate to end their three-game losing streak and get off the bottom of the ladder, the Titans went on the
attack early, and after just six minutes they were on the scoreboard, David Mead flying high to grab a bomb from
Preston Campbell for a try in the corner; and despite Scott Prince being unable to land the conversion, the Titans
were 4-0 ahead.
The Titans, at home and with an early lead, were looking dangerous. But at the 15 minute mark, Trent
Waterhouse charged down a kick from Scott Prince, enabling Michael Jennings to gather the ball and run 70
metres to score in the corner and level the match. Ten minutes later, after a set deep in attack, Kevin Kingston
barged his way over the line to score and give the Panthers a 10-4 advantage.
The Titans finished the first half strongly, earning repeat sets but being unable to penetrate the Penrith line. But
four minutes into the second half, scores were level; Preston Campbell chasing down a grubber to score under
the posts. But the Panthers wasted little time in regaining the lead, with Lachlan Coote running rings around the
Gold Coast defenders before off-loading to Adrian Purtell for a try and a 16-10 lead.
With time running out and the Panthers six points ahead, a field goal gave the Panthers an additional buffer and
all but ensured victory. And with the last play of the day, Travis Burns scored for the Panthers to make the win a
comfortable one; a result that keeps the Panthers within striking distance of the top eight, but one that sees
the struggling Titans condemned to another week at the foot of the ladder.
Penrith Panthers 23 def Gold Coast Titans 10
Panthers : Tries – T Burns, A Purtell, M Jennings, K Kingston. Goals – T Burns 3/3, L Walsh 0/1.
Field Goals – L Walsh 1/1.
Titans : Tries – P Campbell, D Mead. Goals – S Prince 1/2.
Referees – T Archer, L Phillips. Crowd – 12,262 at Skilled Park.
A healthy crowd of nearly 20,000 was on hand at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night as the Bulldogs hosted Manly.
But the performance of the Bulldogs was far from healthy; as they were never in the contest against a red-hot
Manly side, with the Sea Eagles taking out an easy 38-4 win.
The Sea Eagles after eight minutes opened the scoring, with Daly Cherry-Evans off-loading to send George Rose
into a yawning gap in the Bulldogs’ defence. And at the 15 minute mark, the Stewart brothers drew the Bulldog
defenders, who left Jamie Lyon unattended; and Lyon’s try in the corner put the Sea Eagles 10-0 ahead.
And the Sea Eagle attacks kept coming. Daly Cherry-Evans capitalised on some soft defending to score under the
posts. And the Sea Eagle raids kept coming, with David Williams joining in the try-scoring action before half time.
At the break, the Sea Eagles led 22-0, a margin that could have been even greater. The Sea Eagles had enjoyed
the vast majority of the play, the best of the field position and the Bulldogs could do nothing but watch the Sea
Eagle domination.
Rising star Will Hopoate turned on his pace as he raced down the sideline to add another try after just five
minutes of the second half. And as Jamie Lyon brought up his double shortly before the hour, it had turned into
a one-sided rout.
The unstoppable Manly juggernaut rolled along as Anthony Watmough joined the party, crashing over the line
and the video referee awarded the try after checking the grounding. Ahead 38-0, the Sea Eagles had been the
only competitive team all evening, while the Bulldogs had engaged in a litany of errors, turnovers, drop ball and
poor decision-making. Even with Ben Barba scoring a late consolation try, it was a rotten night for the Bulldogs as
they showed themselves incapable of matching it against the red-hot Sea Eagles.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 38 def Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 4
Sea Eagles : Tries – J Lyon 2, A Watmough, G Rose, D Williams, W Hopoate, D Cherry-Evans.
Goals – J Lyon 5/7.
Bulldogs : Tries – B Barba. Goals – S Turner 0/1.
Referees – S Hayne, A Devcich. Crowd – 19,830 at ANZ Stadium.
A wet Saturday night at the Sydney Football Stadium saw the Sydney Roosters bring a rare ray of happiness into
what’s been a disappointing season to date when they defeated the New Zealand Warriors 13-6.
In the wet conditions, both sides struggled to control the ball through an opening half hour of numerous
handling errors. Knock-ons were plentiful, as the slippery ball found the ground all too frequently. But the last five
minutes of the half saw the game turned on its head.
At 35 minutes, Jake Friend at dummy half elected to run himself, catching the Warriors’ defence off-guard.
Belatedly drawing the defenders, Friend then off-loaded to an unmarked Aiden Guerra who dived over to score.
And three minutes later, on the last tackle, Shaun Kenny-Dowall chased down a grubber from Braith Anasta to
score. For most of the first half, it looked like the two teams were destined to return to the sheds with scores
locked on zero; but instead the Roosters found themselves with a shock 12-0 lead.
A break in the weather when the second half started saw some brighter play, and three minutes in both sides
were claiming a try. A kick forward for the Warriors by Shaun Johnson was fumbled by the Roosters’ Keith Leilua
before Simon Mannering attempted to put downward pressure on it. Leilua than gathered the crumbs and ran
the length of the field to claim a possible Roosters try. The video referee, after extensive deliberation, ruled a
knock-on against Leilua and that Mannering had grounded the ball, awarding the try to the Warriors.
The Warriors went close to levelling the scores a few minutes later, but the video referee wasn’t so generous
this time and refused Krisnan Inu’s attempt. The rain returned shortly afterwards, and with a heavy track and a
slippery ball, it was a battle of tired defences as both sides hung on resolutely. The clock ticked down, with
neither side looking like scoring another try. With three minutes to go, Todd Carney put a field goal over, giving
the Roosters a seven-point buffer and assuring them of victory. It was a welcome result for the Roosters, just
their fourth win of the season to date. But the Warriors were disappointed, their five-game winning streak is over.
Sydney Roosters 13 def New Zealand Warriors 6
Roosters : Tries – S Kenny-Dowall, A Guerra. Goals – B Anasta 2/2. Field Goals – T Carney 1/1.
Warriors : Tries – S Mannering. Goals – J Maloney 1/1.
Referees – J Robinson, A Shortall. Crowd – 10,116 at Sydney Football Stadium.
After a dismal start to the season, Canberra went into their home game against North Queensland on Sunday
afternoon on a two-game winning streak; and going out to a big lead early, the Raiders had hopes of building on
their momentum. But they would be denied by the superior fitness and stamina of the Cowboys, who would
finish the stronger side to take out a 40-24 victory.
A cross-field bomb by Josh Dugan found Blake Ferguson for an early try to the Raiders; and in the 11th minute,
Jarrod Croker found the space to move and score out wide and put the Raiders 10-0 ahead.
The Raiders were on fire, and the pressure on the Cowboys was intense. Joe Picker was next to score, finding a
gap in the besieged Cowboys’ line and running through to score. Josh McCrone from a scrum gathered the ball
and ran unchallenged past the shell-shocked Cowboys to score under the posts. The game was only 22 minutes
old, but the Raiders had gone at a point per minute and were already 22-0 ahead.
But the destiny of the game changed when Josh Dugan was injured in a tackle with ten minutes to go in the
first half, and without his drive the Raiders were unable to conjure up any more of the attacking flair they had
shown thus far. Shortly afterwards, some individual magic from Johnathan Thurston led to the Cowboys getting
their first try, with Thurston adding the extras.
The final few minutes before half time saw Glenn Hall crash over from close range and then Tariq Sims walking
through some lax defending by the Raiders. The imposing Canberra lead was being eroded, and although they still
held a 22-18 lead at half time, the game was far from the one-sided contest it had appeared earlier.
Injuries weren’t helping the Raiders’ cause. Dugan had already departed injured, and he was joined on the
sidelines by Terry Campese and Shaun Fensom. And only a few minutes into the second half, the Raiders’
defending went missing in action allowing Tariq Sims to bring up his double with a try out wide; and although
Thurston was unable to convert, scores were level.
The game then became an arm-wrestle, with both sides keeping each other out for 20 scoreless minutes. Jarrod
Croker broke the deadlock with a penalty goal, putting the Raiders back in front, but a two-point margin would
prove too hard to defend with such limited interchange options.
With five minutes to go, Tariq Sims worked his way through the tiring Raiders’ defence before offloading to
Aaron Payne who ran 35 metres to score under the posts. The Raiders had given it their all, but found
themselves behind on the scoreboard for the first time in the final minutes. But the home side had nothing more
to give, and the Cowboys dominated the final stages, with Kalifa Fai-Fai Loa facing minimal resistance to score a
double in the final two minutes of the match.
North Queensland Cowboys 40 def Canberra Raiders 24
Cowboys : Tries – T Sims 2, K Fai-Fai Loa 2, A Payne, J Thurston, G Hall. Goals – J Thurston 6/7.
Raiders : Tries – J Picker, J Croker, B Ferguson, J McCrone. Goals – J Croker 4/5.
Referees – G Badger, P Haines. Crowd – 11,128 at Canberra Stadium.
Greg Inglis took the field against his former team-mates when his South Sydney side met Melbourne at ANZ
Stadium on Sunday afternoon. But it was his old club who would emerge with the spoils, the Storm maintaining
second place on the table with a hard-fought 16-6 win over the struggling Rabbitohs.
Big things had been expected of the Rabbitohs this season after the signing of Inglis, but results to date had not
gone to plan; and the club was under pressure. But the Rabbitohs responded early, tackling hard and forcing a
few turnovers, putting themselves into attacking position. And after nine minutes, Dave Taylor pounced on a
cross-field bomb by Chris Sandow to open the scoring, Sandoe’s conversion putting the Rabbitohs 6-0 ahead.
But the Storm quickly fought back, with Cooper Cronk kicking forward to enable Maurice Blair to score in the
corner; but on the tight angle, Cameron Smith was unable to convert and the Rabbitohs remained 6-4 ahead.
The Rabbitohs worked hard, but James Roberts’ scoring attempt was denied by the video referee. At the other
end, it was better news for the Storm as Jesse Bromwich out-ran Eddie Pettybourne to score under the posts
and give the Storm the lead, a 10-6 margin that would remain intact to half time.
The Rabbitohs piled on the pressure in the second half, but were unable to capitalise. They were unlucky, as
three times they crossed the line only to be denied by the video referee. The penalty count went the Rabbitohs’
way, the field position and possession favoured the Rabbitohs, but the Storm hung on for dear life. And for all
the Rabbitohs’ trying, there was no way through. Instead, in the final minute, it was Cameron Smith who scored
after a dummy wrong-footed the Rabbitoh defenders; a try against the run of play, but one which ensured the
Storm would emerge victorious after a day of vigorous defence to deny the Rabbitoh charge.
Melbourne Storm 16 def South Sydney Rabbitohs 6
Storm : Tries – C Smith, M Blair, J Bromwich. Goals – C Smith 1/2, G Widdop 1/1.
Rabbitohs : Tries – D Taylor. Goals – C Sandow 1/1.
Referees – B Cummins, C James. Crowd – 11,528 at ANZ Stadium.
Monday night saw a cracker of a clash at Leichhardt Oval, where a capacity crowd of 18,021 saw Wests Tigers
edge out Newcastle 17-16 during golden point extra time.
The Tigers suffered an early body blow when Lote Tuqiri was stretchered off after just five minutes, with the
dual international playing no further part in the game. But the Tigers had the better of the early exchanges, and
after 18 minutes Robbie Farah sent Robert Lui through a gap to burrow over the try-line and score the opening
try. Benji Marshall had no trouble adding the extras, putting the Tigers 6-0 ahead.
But as the half went on, the Knights began to take the initiative. Throwing the ball around, frequently catching
the Tigers unawares, the Knights looked dangerous throughout the remainder of the half; and the scoreboard
soon gave them reward for effort, with Neville Costigan diving over to score. Kurt Gidley kicked the conversion
and the Knights went on the attack again. A kick that originally looked to have been weighted too well sat up in
the in-goal, for Junior Sau to knock it back for James McManus to score. The video referee awarded the try, but
Gidley’s conversion bounced off the upright and sailed wide.
But the Tigers, against the run of play, levelled the scores on the stroke of half time. Benji Marshall made a break
before the ball finished with Mitch Brown to score in the corner. The conversion angle was too tight for Marshall’s
conversion, and scores were locked at 10-10 at half time.
Not long after the break, a creative pass by Kurt Gidley set up Antonio Kaufusi and restoring the lead for the
Knights. But it would be a tight second half, scoring proving hard to come by. In a potential blow to NSW’s Origin
hopes, Akuila Uate found himself on report, and lucky not to get 10 in the bin, after a dangerous tackle.
As the clock continued to tick down, the Knights looked to extend their lead, one point would be enough to
give a buffer of more than a converted try. Kurt Gidley and Beau Henry attempted drop goals, but the kicks
sailed agonisingly wide.
And with just six minutes to go, the game was back on level terms after Liam Fulton outran his opponent and
put the ball down next to the posts. Marshall’s conversion levelled the scores. And after Kurt Gidley made his
second unsuccessful field goal attempt in the final minute, the game went to golden point.
Robert Lui attempted a field goal from halfway, but the kick fell just short and sailed under the crossbar. But in
the second period of extra time, Robbie Farah landed the drop goal that would give the Tigers a win to
remember.
Click here to see Harboursport’s photo gallery from this match.
Wests Tigers 17 def Newcastle Knights 16 in golden point extra time.
Tigers : Tries – L Fulton, M Brown, R Lui. Goals – B Marshall 2/3. Field Goals – R Farah 1/1, R Lui
0/1.
Knights : Tries – J McManus, N Costigan, A Kaufusi. Goals – K Gidley 2/3. Field Goals – K Gidley
0/2, B Henry 0/1.
Referees – J Maxwell, S Lyons. Crowd – 18,021 at Leichhardt Oval.
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