NRL Round Up – Round 3
St George Illawarra quickly got over the horrors of last week by comprehensively beating the Wests Tigers 36- 12 at Kogarah.
The Saints got out to a 24-6 halftime lead, but it was the fiery opening stanza which saw high shots from both sides, as well as a dangerous tackle by Tigers skipper Robbie Farah that got people talking.
The second period was a much more controlled affair with Dragons debutant Daniel Vidot touching down for his first try in the red and white, while the reliable boot of Jamie Soward finished off what was a dismal night for one of the preseason favourites.
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The slow start to the season for Newcastle continued on Friday night, with the Brisbane Broncos running out 24 -10 winners in what was a low quality affair in Newcastle.
The Broncos only had themselves to blame for not going in to the half leading by more than the 12-4 score line, spilling the ball over the line three times.
Knight’s winger James McManus looked to have changed the flow of the game early in the second period, collecting a cross field kick and sprinting the length of the field to touch down, only for a Gerard Beale try to cancel it out minutes later.
Tireless forward Matt Gillett sealed the match with 10 minutes to go in a win that takes the Queensland team to third on the ladder.
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Billy Slater broke the NRL all time scoring record for a Fullback on Saturday with a brace of tries, leading the Melbourne Storm to a 30-4 win over the Gold Coast Titans.
In a tight first half, Melbourne went in to the break with a narrow 4-0 margin, before Slater reminded everyone why he is considered the best in the game with a thrilling individual display.
He left the Titans speedster William Zillman in his wake with his first try, before somehow amazingly grasping the ball out of Jordan Rankin’s hands and touching down a millisecond before hitting the dead ball line for his second in the 71st minute.
The win saw the Storm firm quickly in the betting markets for the 2012 premiership and lifted them equal first in the ladder.
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The North Queensland Cowboys humiliated the hapless Parramatta Eels 42 – 6 at Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday night, running in eight tries to one.
In slippery conditions, the Jonathan Thurston directed Cowboys took control of the game leading 24-0 at half time.
And despite the Eels being first to score following the break, eventually ran away with the game that included winger Ashley Graham bagging a hat trick.
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The loss of three players in the opening half proved too much for the Canberra Raiders, as they went down to an unimpressive Sydney Roosters side 14-8.
Despite only having one man on the bench, the Raiders took an 8-6 lead going in to the second period in what was a comical display of ball handling by the Roosters.
However, a Daniel Mortimer try in the 60th minute and a penalty two minutes from time to captain Braith Anasta gave the Roosters points on the day.
The loss is felt even more for the Raiders with star fullback Josh Dugan set to be out for several weeks with a shoulder injury, and Shaun Fensom (Biceps) and Trevor Thurling (Knee) also set for some time on the sidelines.
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The Canterbury Bulldogs remain unbeaten in 2012 after stopping a New Zealand Warriors fight back in Auckland on Sunday.
The Bulldogs raced out to a 16-0 lead inside the first 15 minutes, before the Warriors got in to the game with two tries of their own to reduce the deficit to two at the break.
The Feleti Mateo inspired Warriors took the lead for the first time on 51 minutes, however it was not to be as the Dogs found their bite once again, running four tries in the final 20 minutes.
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Greg Inglis produced a Man of the Match performance for the South Sydney Rabbitohs as they trounced the Penrith Panthers 40-24.
In his first game at Fullback in almost 5 years, a free-running Inglis dominated the Penrith defence in a performance that included running 170 meters and a lovely individual try.
Enjoying a 22-12 lead going in to the second period, the Bunnies continued their razzle dazzle rugby league, with Dave Taylor snatching a skilful brace and Adam Reynolds kicking eight from eight with the boot.
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The Cronulla Sharks held off a fast finishing Manly Sea Eagles side to break a ten game winless run and record their first victory in slippery conditions at Shark Park on Monday.
The Sutherland side ran out to a 17-0 half time lead, before the Eagles scored three tries inside the final 17 minutes to take it to the wire.
Cronulla Captain Paul Gallen led courageously from the front as usual, producing an amazing 30 runs for 259 meters on top of his 35 tackles after being shifted to the front row.