Raiders beat Parramatta Eels in Canberra, Rabbitohs and Cowboys additionally win
Canberra are contained in the NRL’s high eight for the primary time in 2023 after seeing off Parramatta 26-18 in an NRL contest that has left two State of Origin candidates sweating the judiciary’s cost sheet.
Earlier, South Sydney went high of the desk courtesy of a 20-0 win over Wests Tigers and the Cowboys comfortably accounted for St George Illawarra 42-22 in Townsville.
In freezing situations, the Raiders made it 5 straight wins of their finest exhibiting of the season, with three tries within the second half serving to them maintain off the Eels.
It leaves them 6-4 for the season and solely two competitors factors from high spot, persevering with an excellent run to answer a tricky 1-4 begin to the yr.
The victory was their largest margin of the season to date, snapping a streak of 5 wins by six factors or much less.
Tempers flared all through within the nation’s capital, Canberra enforcer Corey Horsburgh sin-binned for a punch regardless of Parramatta’s Ryan Matterson receiving a penalty for beginning the scuffle with a late sort out.
Horsburgh, a Queensland Origin hopeful, did not make heavy contact with Matterson’s jaw however may nonetheless discover himself in scorching water for throwing the strike.
Parramatta and NSW powerhouse Junior Paulo additionally flirted with a 10-minute spell, reported for a cannonball sort out that left star Raider prop Joe Tapine needing medical consideration for a hyperextended knee.
However Paulo’s lack of intent to sort out Tapine’s knees may save him from a suspension.
The Eels had been fortunate to keep away from their very own first-half sin-binning, Bailey Simonsson allowed to remain on the sphere regardless of being reported and penalised for a hip-drop sort out on Jordan Rapana.
They usually capitalised on Horsburgh’s absence for the sport’s first strive on 33 minutes, J’maine Hopgood grounding a formidable kick from Matterson.
Canberra answered within the shadows of half-time, a Jack Wighton go discovering winger Albert Hopoate within the nook to stage the rating earlier than they took the lead straight after the break through NSW Origin hopeful Hudson Younger.
An ideal kick from halfback Jamal Fogarty let Sebastian Kris via to place the Raiders 12 factors clear, and so they responded to back-to-back Parramatta tries via Matt Timoko, who sealed the deal on 76 minutes.
Tapine returned from harm to finish a 174m, four-tackle bust recreation, whereas Horsburgh pushed his Origin case with 127m and 30 tackles with no miss.
With out halfback Mitchell Moses, who’s in concussion protocols, Jake Arthur steered the Parramatta ship properly though the Raiders did properly to curb the affect of key playmaker Dylan Brown.
Again-rower Shaun Lane limped off within the first half with a hamstring harm and did not return.
North Queensland Cowboys add to St George Illawarra Dragons’ ache
North Queensland have heaped extra distress on St George Illawarra and coach Anthony Griffin, consigning the Dragons to a sixth straight defeat in a 42-22 NRL win in Townsville.
The guests had been blown away on Saturday in a 10-minute, first-half Cowboys blitz after they conceded three tries whereas having a participant within the sin bin.
St George Illawarra had their second-half alternatives and located tries to Jaydn Su’a, Mikaele Ravalawa and Moses Suli however dealing with errors put an finish to any probability of a comeback win in skipper Ben Hunt’s milestone three hundredth recreation.
The Dragons’ board is predicted to satisfy on Tuesday as questions mount over Griffin’s future as coach.
However the place there may be strain on one aspect, the valve is slowly releasing on one other.
North Queensland secured back-to-back wins for the primary time this season with their dwelling victory and did so with defensive tenacity and attacking vigour.
The Dragons’ opened the scoring however they had been clinically punished by the Cowboys when Jayden Sullivan spent 10 minutes within the sin bin halfway via the primary half.
With the scores stage at 6-6 following tries to Jack De Belin and Kyle Feldt, a brief kick-off was gathered by booming second-rower Heilum Luki to ship Feldt on his approach down discipline on a 60m sprint.
Sullivan discovered himself caught up within the sort out and was penalised for knowledgeable foul which led to his sin-binning.
From there the Cowboys fired on all cylinders.
The following set noticed fullback Scott Drinkwater evade three tacklers and hand Jack Gosiewski a strive in back-to-back weeks earlier than a break by Townsend gave a flat-footed Luki some area on the suitable edge and he beat three Dragons gamers from a standing begin for the Cowboys’ third strive.
Drinkwater’s sleight of handcrafted it three tries with a person benefit within the twenty seventh minute, reversing inside to Valentine Holmes from a set-play in midfield with the centre lobbing inside to Tom Dearden to dive over untouched.
Holmes, Dearden, Drinkwater and Townsend all had stellar opening halves however the true risk was Luki who supplied spark, energy and pace to their proper edge.
The imposing second-rower hit the sheds with 109-run metres, one line break and 5 sort out breaks to go along with his first strive of the season.
Holmes slotted a 45-metre two-point discipline aim on the stroke of halftime as North Queensland equalled their highest complete factors rating this season within the opening 40 minutes.
Luki, Feldt and Dearden all crossed once more within the second half as North Queensland ran away with the sport.
Rabbitohs go high after holding toothless Wests Tigers to nil
South Sydney are again on high of the NRL ladder after grinding out a 20-0 win over Wests Tigers at Stadium Australia.
In a dour Saturday afternoon affair, Taane Milne bagged a double for Souths in a match that had one strive within the opening 70 minutes earlier than the Rabbitohs wrapped it up late.
Jason Demetriou’s males have emerged because the league’s finest staff over the previous month, bumping them into second favourites for the premiership behind Penrith.
At their finest, the Rabbitohs have probably the most harmful assaults within the competitors, with Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker each in red-hot kind.
That ruthlessness was not as crisp on Saturday afternoon as each groups accomplished at excessive charges however lacked alternatives to pile on factors.
Souths nonetheless regarded probably the most harmful after they swung the ball to their edges, however the sole first-half strive got here via Milne when he stepped Tigers fullback Jahream Bula.
The Rabbitohs prolonged their lead after the break via a penalty aim, earlier than the in-form Campbell Graham put Milne over for his second with six minutes to play.
Mitchell additionally scored late, forcing his approach over within the dying minutes.
It wasn’t thrilling however the Rabbitohs did sufficient to win after shedding prop Tom Burgess to again spasms within the heat up.
Souths have now gained six straight video games for the primary time since late of their run to the 2021 grand closing.
It additionally marks the primary time since 2018 they’ve occupied high spot this late within the yr after going above Brisbane on for-and-against.
The one concern for South Sydney was a concussion for second-rower Jed Cartwright, who was felled making an attempt to make a sort out on John Bateman.
The Tigers proceed to point out indicators of being a a lot improved staff on the one which started the season with seven straight losses.
However after two wins in opposition to Penrith and St George Illawarra, they lacked wherever close to sufficient spark to threaten the Rabbitohs.
Their two most harmful performs got here after they produced a second kick on the final sort out, whereas Luke Brooks bust via late earlier than a kick went to Damien Prepare dinner.
Alex Twal additionally went near his first NRL strive after 112 video games with a first-half surge.
However like Twal’s profession try-scoring tally, the Tigers had been destined to complete the afternoon on zero.
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