Canterbury Cup NSW Rd 1 – scores, highlights, reports

Robert Crosby

Knights down Warriors in Canterbury Cup NSW season opener

A classy performance from Mason Lino has helped the Newcastle Knights record a hard-fought 20-16 win over the Warriors at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Opening the 2020 Canterbury Cup NSW season at home, the Knights showed plenty of strike across the park in a match where goal kicking proved the difference and a significant improvement from their 2019 campaign.

Converting three from three, setting up the opening try and controlling the match with his precise kicking game, Lino showcased his strong talents and drove his side to a win against a hungry Warriors outfit.

In rain-affected conditions the Knights struck an early blow through Zac Hosking to open the scoring in the fifth minute following a well-placed grubber from Lino.

Hitting back in the 15th minute through Adam Keighran, the Warriors halfback latched onto an intercept before streaking 50 metres to touch down underneath the black dot.

Reclaiming the lead in the 26th minute via a Lino penalty from close range, the advantage proved to be short lived as returning Warriors junior, Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard marked his return to the club with a bulldozing run over Knights defence and scored, gifting the visitors a 12-8 lead.

Striking back on the stroke of halftime through Jack Cameron, the Newcastle interchange forward showed a surge of determination to carry several defenders over the line to give the Knights a 14-12 lead at the change of ends.

Producing the try of the match in the 65th minute through late inclusion Matt Cooper, a tremendous break by Chris Randall and flick pass from Tyronne Roberts-Davis set up the Newcastle winger for his first try in the Canterbury Cup NSW.

Holding on in the dying stages despite a late left side raid finished off by Warriors fullback Rocco Berry in the 74th minute, the Knights prevailed with a 20-16 victory.

Penrith Panthers v North Sydney Bears

Stewart Moses

Wallace caps coaching debut with a first up win

Peter Wallace’s head coaching career started off on the right foot with his Penrith Panthers giving the former skipper a 20-6 win over North Sydney despite the slippery conditions on offer at Panthers Stadium.

The former hooker would have been particularly impressed with the first up efforts of a new look Panthers side, especially with his rake, Brendan Hands.

Hands turned in an industrious performance for the Panthers and was a constant threat to the Bears with his darts from dummy half and ability to put others into gaps, before leaving the field with 15 minutes remaining.

The game was in the balance for most of the first half before some Daine Laurie brilliance split the game wide open for the Panthers and the home side were never headed from there, with the Bears offering little in attack once they fell behind on the scoreboard on the stroke of half-time.

The Bears weren’t assisted either before the game by the loss of centre Matt Ikuvalu, replaced by former Bulldog, Josh Bergamin, while promising prop forward Posoa Faamausili was another late withdrawal.

Conversely, Penrith were bolstered by the inclusion of up-and-coming playmaker Matt Burton, while Kaide Ellis and Jed Cartwright took their place in the side as expected.

Penrith opened the scoring through Pat Hollis, courtesy of a quick play the ball and some smart work from Hands, who saw the Bears were short on numbers on their right edge which enabled the back-rower to crash over from close range. With the successful conversion from Hands, the Panthers led 6-0 after 14 minutes.

On the half hour mark, it would be the visitors who would open their account with a smart try to winger Christian Tuipulotu, who won the race to a kick ahead from his team mates, to ground the ball in the south-eastern corner of Panthers Stadium and with a terrific conversion from the Eastern touchline by Drew Hutchinson, scores were level.

Just when it appeared scores would remain locked up at the break, some brilliant footwork in and behind the ruck by Laurie enabled the Panthers fullback to split the Bears defence down the middle from inside his own half, before putting his winger Jake Tago away to score underneath the posts to restore Penrith’s six-point advantage at the break.

A simple penalty goal to Hands 12 minutes into the second half saw the Panthers extend their lead to 14-6, before the Panthers would score again in the very next set.

After rolling down field with effortless ease, some quick thinking from Charlie Staines, enabled his trailing back-rower, John Faiumu, who picked up the ball low to the ground and dived over in the same movement to score out wide. Hands continued to land the goals, the Panthers pushed the lead out beyond two converted tries.

Despite the rain continuing to hold off at a cold and damp Panthers Stadium, neither side was able to add to the 20-6 final score in favour of the Panthers.

Parramatta Eels v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 

Anthony Eltarraf

Parramatta get win in first match since 2007

The Parramatta Eels began their 2020 season with a promising win over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, with the home side dominating the first half before coming up with key defensive and attacking plays to secure their first two points of the campaign.

It was the Eels who drew first blood after just 6 minutes, through a nicely worked set piece from the scrum, finishing with winger Haze Dunster touching down in the corner. His side were able to double their lead 15 minutes later, through fellow winger George Jennings, who capped off a brilliant spread to notch his first try of the season in the opposite corner.

Penalties and errors haunted the away side, as the Eels continued their onslaught with Jai Field slicing through the middle of Canterbury’s defence to score next to the posts. The first successful conversion of the game took the Eels to a 14-point lead after half an hour of play.

 Parramatta would not slow down, with prop Daniel Alvaro barging over the line to score under the posts before Rhys Davies converted again to take the home side into the sheds with a 20-0 lead.

The second half began in contradicting fashion to the first, with the Bulldogs scoring their first points of the match, through a pin-point pass from five-eighth Jake Averillo to his centre Morgan Harper, before the young number 6 converted to lessen the margin to fourteen.

The Eels were able to answer back with a try of their own through George Jennings’ second of the game, set up by a perfectly lobbed pass from halfback Eli Levido. However another missed conversion kept the deficit at three converted tries.

The Dogs were looking better toward the backend of the game, with Tui Katoa forcing an error from Eels fullback Will Smith, before setting his five-eighth Jake Averillo up for a try in the corner. Averillo was unsuccessful in his attempt to decrease the margin to two converted tries, keeping his side fourteen points behind yet again.

It was Katoa again stealing the spotlight, finishing off a smooth backline spread with a good show of strength to get over near the sideline. Jake Averillo was able to convert, but it would prove too little too late for the Dogs, as the Parramatta Eels triumphed over Canterbury with a 24-16 victory.

Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles v Mounties 

Hannah McGrory

Mounties win 14-try thriller

In a high scoring opener, Mounties have come away with a 44-30 victory over the Blacktown Workers at Lottoland.

Tony Satini and Kai O’Donnell were instrumental after both scoring doubles, to assist with their first win of the season.

The strong attack from the visitors, proved important as they had to defend a fast finishing Blacktown outfit. Brendon Elliott impressed in the centres for Blacktown scoring a total of three tries as well as Tevita Funa who contributed with 14-points.

Mounties opened the scoring through Tony Satini following a Blacktown unforced error. The visitors made the most of the opportunity after being gifted with possession on the halfway mark as well as a penalty. Sam Williams was unable to convert with Mounties taking a 4- nil lead.

In the next set of six, Mounties applied pressure to the home side with Kai O’Donnell going in to score next to the posts. The conversion was successful as Mounties extended their lead 10-nil.

Blacktown were quick to respond with five-eighth Dylan Phythian breaking through the defensive line, finding Tevita Funa in support who quickly passed to Abbas Miski who went over to score Blacktown’s first points of the match. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful.

Mounties continued to find points with Sam Williams putting in a terrific chase, applying pressure after Blacktown misjudged the bounce allowing Williams to score next to the posts. Williams converted his try to add the extras extending their lead 16-4.

Centre Tony Satini was in for his second four-pointer, after an impressive leap managing to find space down the left sideline to score. The conversion from the sideline was successful, to extend the Mounties lead to 22-4.

Blacktown’s determination was evident after Brendon Elliott went over for two tries within three minutes after his team capitalised off multiple opportunities. Tevita Funa successfully converted the last try to add the extra two points.

The home side started off the second half strongly, as Brendon Elliott went over for his third of the match. Reading the play well, he intercepted on the Mounties 40-metre line to outrun the opposition and score under the posts. The conversion was successful to close the gap to two points, Mounties remained in front 22-20.

Blacktown continued to show determination after going over again after capitalising off a penalty. Tevita Funa found a gap in the defensive line and went over. He successfully converted his try giving Blacktown a 26-22 lead.

Things turned for Blacktown as playmaker and halfback Cade Cust came from the field for a HIA. A couple of minutes later, Mounties were down a player as Jack Murchie was sin-binned and didn’t return until the last couple of minutes of the game.

Mounties secured the 14-point victory after scoring four impressive tries to finish up the game. Reubenn Rennie, Kai O’Donnell, Vincent Rennie and Tom Starling went over to assist Mounties to the win.

St George Illawarra Dragons v Western Suburbs Magpies 

Talau double inspires Magpies win

Blake Edwards

The Wests Magpies have kicked off their 2020 season in style with a polished 32-12 victory over the St George Illawarra Dragons in Wollongong on Sunday.

Wests were looking to start their 2020 campaign on better terms than they left their 2019 season, where they failed to qualify for the finals, whilst the Dragons were aiming to continue their 2019 momentum after falling just short of a Grand Final appearance. The youthful looking Red V were bolstered with the handy inclusion of experienced campaigner Euan Aitken, who was not selected in the NRL side for their Round 1 fixture against the Wests Tigers.

Wests finally struck within the first ten minutes, when Jock Madden slid through staggering Dragons defenders, to plant the ball down. Gifted another opportunity moments later courtesy of a penalty, front rower Matt Eisenhuth showed a great surge of strength to barge over from close range. Madden kept his perfect record intact, slotting the goal for a 12-0 lead.

The Dragons found it hard to get into the contest throughout the first quarter of the game, struggling to get out of their own end in attack, mainly due to dishing up simple errors. The Magpies made the most of this opportunity in the good ball area, with centre Tommy Talau dancing across the field before finding a gap in the sliding defence to dash through and score. Madden couldn’t convert, so the score remained at 16-0.

Treigh Stewart turned the Dragons misfortunes around late in the half, when he raced 80m  to score a brilliant try. Tristan Sailor nailed the extras to close the halftime gap to 16-6.

Despite losing a handle on the momentum prior to the intermission, the Magpies found their way across the line through ex Dragons Junior Matheson Johns, who scored a neat try out wide. Madden’s conversion was successful, pushing his sides lead out to 22-6.

The Dragons continued to struggle in attack, lacking cohesion which in turn led to errors. The new halves pairing of Tyran Wishart and Tristan Sailor was always going to take time, with big shoes to fill after the loss of stalwart Darren Nicholls and the promotion of Adam Clune into the first grade setup.

However, the Dragons found a stroke of luck inside their mishaps, when they created an overlap for young gun Jason Saab to race away to score, to keep his side in the contest at 22-12 heading into the final fifteen minutes.

The hosts fortunes were short lived with Wests responding immediately, when Talau notched his double. The extras were added by Madden, with the Magpies holding a handy 28-12 lead. A four pointer to Dylan Smith on the stroke of full time saw Wests run out 32-12 victors.

South Sydney Rabbitohs v Newtown Jets

Billy Magoulias helps NRL chances with stunning performance 

Andrew Jackson

The Newtown Jets have kicked off their premiership defence in style with a 32-12 win over the highly-fancied South Sydney Rabbitohs at Redfern Oval on Sunday.

Billy Magoulias pressed his claims for a recall to Cronulla’s bench with an impressive display at five-eighth.

Rabbitohs fullback Corey Allan had a tough afternoon under the high ball and wasn’t able to put in the breakthrough performance needed to push his way back into the South Sydney first grade side.

He was not helped by an error-prone second half from the entire seventeen as Newtown held on for a 20-point win.

Magoulias set up two tries in the opening half and was a constant threat with his combined strength and flair.

The Greek international first put in a deft grubber to force a dropout before playing it short off the following set to put Addison Demetriou over.

His other assist, right on the stroke of halftime, saw Magoulias kick back on the inside with the ball hitting the posts before being scooped up by 23.

The Jets as a whole turned entertainers despite conceding the first try of the game.

Rabbitohs halfback Blake Taaffe took on the line to open the scoring for Souths in just the fourth minute.

It would have been hard to predict that, after a dominant opening stanza to the game, the Rabbitohs would only nab another try in the dying minutes of the game.

Eventually Newtown hit back as footwork close to the line from prop Royce Hunt fooled the South Sydney defence.

Magoulias also set up a pair of tries while a spectacular flick pass in between from Jenson Taumoepeau sent Jackson Ferris flying down the sideline to score.

Rain led to poor ball handling in the second half but the Jets were still able to post one more try as Demetriou offloaded after a mistake from Allan, finding Teig Wilton in support.

Jaxson Paulo crashed over late for the Rabbitohs to add some respectability to the score line.