Love NRL: Round 5
Following NZ Warriors heavy defeat to Cronulla, coach Matt Elliott resigned and has since been replaced by his assistant Andrew McFadden.
The Sharks eased to a 37-6 win over the Kiwis, with winger Nathan Stapleton scoring four.
To round of a good weekend for Cronulla they have also announced the signing of Papua New Guinea World Cup prop Mark Mexico.
Greg Bird‘s last minute penalty saw Gold Coast pick up a thrilling 28-26 win away at Melbourne, lifting the Titans to the top of the table.
Referee Ben Cummins controversially penalised Ryan Hinchcliffe for stripping the ball, to give Gold Coast only their second win in seven away games against the Storm.
Canterbury are just behind the Titans in second, thanks to Josh Reynolds‘ first ever drop-goal. The half-back struck in the 70th minute to give the Bulldogs a 9-8 victory over Sydney Roosters – their third of the season.
Despite Sonny Bill Williams returning from suspension the reigning champions lost out in another low-scoring affair, and they sit tenth in the table.
Parramatta claimed their third win of the season with an entertaining 25-18 victory away at Brisbane. Jarryd Hayne and Chris Sandow were the Eels’ star men, with the latter adding a late drop-goal to put the result beyond doubt.
South Sydney ended a run of three straight defeats, as Englishmen Luke and Sam Burgess both crossed in a 26-6 win at St George Illawarra.
Wests raced into a 20-point half-time lead on their way to an impressive 34-18 win over Manly. Tigers captain Robbie Farah was in top form and he opened the scoring in the wet conditions, but it wasn’t all good news for head coach Mick Potter, as James Tedesco suffered an ankle injury that could keep him sidelined for six weeks.
In similar weather, Penrith and Canberra produced a much closer battle. It was the Panthers who came out on top, with debutant Dallin Watene-Zelezniak grabbing a brace to maintain his side’s 100% home record in 2014.
In the Monday fixture North Queensland earned a much needed 28-2 success over Newcastle, picking up maximum points for the first time since Round 1.
Round 5 results:
Sydney Roosters 8-9 Canterbury (Apr 04, Allianz Stadium)
Brisbane 18-25 Parramatta (Apr 04, Suncorp Stadium)
Cronulla 37-6 NZ Warriors (Apr 05, Remondis Stadium)
Penrith 12-6 Canberra (Apr 05, Sportingbet Stadium)
St George Illawarra 6-26 South Sydney (Apr 05, Sydney Cricket Ground)
Melbourne 26-28 Gold Coast (Apr 06, AAMI Park)
Wests Tigers 34-18 Manly (Apr 06, Leichhardt Oval)
North Queensland 28-2 Newcastle (Apr 07, 1300SMILES Stadium)
Round 6 fixtures:
Gold Coast v Brisbane (Apr 11, Cbus Super Stadium)
Penrith v South Sydney (Apr 11, Sportingbet Stadium)
Canberra v Newcastle (Apr 12, GIO Stadium)
Parramatta v Sydney Roosters (Apr 12, Pirtek Stadium)
Wests Tigers v North Queensland (Apr 12, Campbelltown Sports Stadium)
Manly v Cronulla (Apr 13, Brookvale Oval)
NZ Warriors v Canterbury (Apr 13, Eden Park)
Melbourne v St George Illawarra (Apr 14, AAMI Park)