NRL Round-Up: Finals Week Two
BRISBANE BRONCOS 13 PENRITH PANTHERS 6
England boss Wayne Bennett is a very happy man following the weekend’s action in the NRL.
His Brisbane Broncos outfit edged past Penrith Panthers 13-6 in a nail-biter at the Suncorp Stadium on Friday.
Blockbusting winger Corey Oates fired the Broncos in front after sprinting 60-metres to score and the home side were 6-0 to the good at half-time.
The highly-rated Kodi Nikorima assisted James Roberts who extended Brisbane’s lead shortly after the restart.
Penrith hit back though in the 70th minute through Reagan Campbell-Gillard though which set up a nervy finish.
However, the Panthers were dealt a blow just a minute later when Jordan Kahu added a drop-goal which put the Broncos in a seven-point advantage.
The hosts held on for a 13-6 victory and will make a visit to Melbourne Storm for the penultimate weekend of the Premiership.
Storm are heavy favourites for the title with Australian sports bet brands like Unibet, while the Broncos are currently third favourites behind Sydney Roosters.
PARRAMATTA EELS 16 NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS 24
The Cowboys are just 80 minutes away from booking their place in another Grand Final.
They beat Parramatta Eels 16-24 at the ANZ Stadium on Saturday.
Paul Green’s North Queensland side looked dead and buried earlier in the year when it was confirmed that co-captains Jonathan Thurston and Matt Scott had season-ending injuries.
And the Cowboys started the play-offs after finishing in eighth position in the league ladder.
It was Parramatta who took the lead though through a length of the field effort from Semi Radradra but Kyle Feldt levelled the score in the 11th minute.
The Eels led 10-6 at the interval though thanks to a length of the field effort from Will Smith.
But the visitors scored twice through John Asiata and Coen Hess within 10 minutes of the second half getting underway which saw the Cowboys 10-18 ahead.
Michael Morgan stretched North Queensland’s lead in the 74th minute before Michael Jennings scored a consolation try for Parramatta at the death, with the Cowboys running-out 16-24 winners.
North Queensland will travel to the Allianz Stadium on Saturday as they face Sydney Roosters in the preliminary final.