NRL Round Up – Round 10
St George-Illawarra Dragons extend their lead at the top of the NRL ladder to four points, while strugglers Canberra Raiders and Penrith Panthers post shock wins over Melbourne and Brisbane.
St George-Illawarra Dragons had to resist a second-half comeback from Canterbury Bulldogs in order to extend their lead at the top of the NRL ladder to four points.
The Dragons dominated the first half at ANZ Stadium, tries from Matt Cooper and Matt Prior along with three goals and a drop goal from Jamie Prior giving them a 15-0 advantage.
A physical second-half performance from Canterbury saw tries for Trent Hodginson and Michael Lett, but the Dragons defence did enough to post a 15-10 win.
—
Canberra broke their eight-game losing streak with a shock 20-12 victory over Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park, although the Raiders remain bottom of the NRL table with four points.
Reece Robinson and Josh McCrone crossed to give the Raiders a 12-0 lead after just 15 minutes, although Matthew Duffie’s reply left the half-time score at 12-6.
Melbourne levelled through Kevin Proctor, but Canberra edged back into the lead with a Jarrod Croker penalty, and Croker added his third conversion when Blake Ferguson crossed to seal the victory.
—
A brace of tries from Brad Tighue helped Penrith Panthers to revive their season with a 33-10 win over Brisbane Broncos on Saturday.
Michael Gordon was another key player, scoring himself and setting up tries for Tighue and Timana Tahu before suffering a knee injury late in the game that could rule him out until the end of the season.
Luke Lewis and Kevin Kingston also scored for Penrith, while the Broncos could only reply through Corey Parker and Peter Wallace.
—
Manly Sea Eagles moved to third in the table thanks to a 16-12 victory over Gold Coast Titans at Skilled Park.
First-half tries came from Michael Robertson and David Williams with Scott Prince replying for the Titans, and Manly led 10-6 at the half-time interval.
Robertson grabbed a second to extend the lead, and the Sea Eagles held out when Esikeli Tonga’s 71st-minute try inspired a comeback attempt by Gold Coast.
—
North Queensland Cowboys sit fourth on the NRL ladder after an excellent second-half comeback gave them a 40-26 victory over Parramatta Eels at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
The Eels led 16-10 at the half-time interval and maintained that lead until the 70th minute despite a brace of tries from North Queensland’s Willie Tonga.
The Cowboys took the lead through Jonathon Thurston’s try and conversion, Glen Hall crossing to seal the win a few moments later and Thurston adding a second for good measure in the last minute of time.
—
Sydney Roosters slumped to second-bottom in the NRL table – equal on four points with Canberra Raiders – after an 18-4 defeat to Cronulla Sharks at Toyota Stadium.
A brace from Ben Promeroy along with tries from Paul Gallen and Stewart Mill were too much for the Roosters, who could only reply through Linnett Kane.
Gallen struggled through much of the second half with injury, while fullback Isaac Gordon typified the Sharks defensive effort by preventing two tries in quick succession.
—
South Sydney Rabbitohs showed their attacking prowess with a 29-18 win over Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium.
Souths – who led 27-0 at half time – saw tries from Dylan Farrell, Nathan Merrit, Fetuli Talanoa, and Rhys Wesser while Chris Sandow contributing with six goals and drop goal.
Tries from Robbie Farah, Benji Marshall and Matt Utai gave the Tigers some hope of a second-half comeback, but Souths had done enough.
—
NZ Warriors posted their third straight win away from home with a 25-16 defeat of Newcastle Knights at Ausgrid Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Knights were ahead for most of the match having led 16-12 at half time, but were unable to score again in the second half.
In the final seven minutes James Maloney scored to put the Warriors ahead, Lance Hohaia extended the lead with his second of the match and Maloney added a field goal to seal a remarkable comeback.