Recap | The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup - Round Four

Souths pull off shock win of the season to end Penrith’s unbeaten start to 2022

Stewart Moses

Game summary

Penrith Panthers have suffered their first loss of the season after South Sydney Rabbitohs pulled off an upset 20-18 win against the competition favourites at BlueBet Stadium.

Despite the late inclusion of NRL squad members Lindsay Smith and J’maine Hopgood, the Panthers trailed at the main break for the first time this season 10-6. The visitors deserved their victory after never surrendering the lead at any stage despite late tries to John Faiumu and Eddie Blacker.

Souths opened their account in the 13th minute through five eighth Jack Campagnolo, who backed up a line break from winger Izaac Thompson after he was put in the clear down Penrith’s right edge from 40m out.

Six minutes later, Souths enjoyed more joy down the same side when hooker Peter Mamouzelos scored out wide from close range to extend the lead to 10-0.

Penrith were often their own worst enemy, squandering possession when in good attacking position, but they finally opened their account five minutes out from halftime, after back-rower Preston Riki crashed over from close range. Kurt Falls converted to reduce the deficit to four points.

Having weathered several opportunities from the Panthers, Souths hit back when a deft cross field chip kick from Souths No.7 Dean Hawkins enabled winger Josh Mansour to outmuscle Thomas Jenkins and score in the north-east corner in the 55th minute.

Rabbitohs fullback Jacob Gagai then finished off a long-range effort to score in the ensuing set three minutes later, with the away team blowing the game wide open to suddenly push the lead beyond a two converted try margin.

Penrith reduced the gap to eight points when backrower Faiumu crashed over from close range with nine minutes remaining and when Blacker reached out to score his second try of the 2022 season with three minutes remaining, the home side trailed by just two points.

However, time ran out for the Panthers with the Rabbitohs hanging on for the upset win.

Talking points

The match represented the return to BlueBet Stadium of former Panthers winger Josh Mansour for the first time since making the switch to South Sydney for the 2021 season. Mansour marked the occasion with a try in the 56th minute.

Souths’ try to Jack Campagnolo in the 13th minute represented the first time in 253 minutes of the 2022 season the Panthers had fallen behind on the scoreboard. It also represented the first time in four rounds that Penrith were unable to keep their opponents scoreless in the first half.

Penrith conceded as many tries (four) tonight as they had in the previous opening three rounds, an uncharacteristic performance from a team that normally prides itself on its defensive efforts.

Key moment

Just when the Panthers looked a chance of taking the lead for the first time early in the second half, back-to-back tries to Mansour and Gagai turned the game on its head with Souths in control at 20-6.

What's next?

The Panthers play away from BlueBet Stadium for the first time in 2022, when they head to CommBank Stadium to take on the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs on Sunday April 10. South Sydney will be looking to continue their winning ways when they host the St George Illawarra Dragons at Accor Stadium on Saturday April 9.

Mounties v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Bulldogs score 22 unanswered points to stay undefeated

Andrew McEnallay

Game Summary

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have staged an incredible comeback to defeat Mounties 28-18 at Aubrey Keech Reserve. 

Their first try was arguably their best and was started from deep inside their own end by centre Jacob Kiraz, who put on some nice footwork to beat several defenders and get an offload away to Kyle Flanagan. After some more offloads, Flanagan pushed up through the middle to support Declan Casey and score next to the posts.

Not long after, Mounties hooker Josh Daley capitalised on some retreating defence and broke through and linked up with Jarrett Subloo who scored his sides first try.

After a penalty, Mounties found themselves in attacking field position and five-eighth Josh Ralph played deep into the line, linking up with back-rower Dean Matterson who put his side in front. Subloo converted and Mounties led 12-6 heading into the break.

The Bulldogs started the second half down a player after Casey was sent to the bin and Mounties were able to take full advantage when Ben Seufale crashed over off the back of some slick ball playing from Ralph.

Mounties continued to attack the Bulldogs line, forcing a repeat set and they very nearly putting the game beyond doubt, until an error and a penalty gave the Bulldogs their opportunity.

Again, it was Flanagan who linked up with winger Aaron Schoupp to put his side within striking distance and after a successful conversion, the Bulldogs trailed 18-12.

A converted try to Joshua Cook brought scores level after 58 minutes and the Bulldogs were able to run away with it in the final 10 minutes through long-range tries to Creedence Toia and Jacob Kiraz.

Talking Points

Kyle Flanagan and Aaron Schoupp continued their impressive NSW Cup form for 2022. Both scored four-pointers of their own while Flanagan had a hand in several others.

Fullback Creedence Toia is certainly one to watch for the future and seeing him in full-flight will give Bulldogs fans plenty to look forward to in the coming years.

Mounties five eighth Josh Ralph had one of his best games for 2022, getting his side into the game with some pin-point kicking. Ralph set up Matterson and Seufale’s tries and also forced a few repeat sets.

Key moment

With scores locked up at 18-all, Aaron Schoupp put on some late footwork and was able to offload to Toia, who was pushing up through the middle. Showing off his footwork, speed and strength, Toia was able to fend off a would-be tackler and race away and give his side the lead after trailing for most of the game.

What’s next?

Mounties will open Round Five next Saturday against Canberra Raiders in Wagga Wagga while the Bulldogs will feature in arguably the game of the round as they take on Penrith Panthers on Sunday afternoon at CommBank Stadium.

Newtown Jets v Newcastle Knights

Jets hold on against Knights in thriller

Andrew McEnallay

Game Summary

Newtown Jets have narrowly defeated Newcastle Knights 18-16 at Leichhardt Oval, to join the Bulldogs as the only remaining undefeated team in the 2022 season.

The Knights got on the scoreboard early after an Edrick Lee intercept saw him race downfield looking almost certain to score, until a great cover tackle from Jets fullback Lachie Miller brought him down. On the very next play, the Knights shifted right and Heath Gibbs scored in the 3rd minute.

The Jets were their own worst enemy early on, making several errors. Despite the shaky start, they started to click into gear after some slick backline play had them hitting the ball at speed and it was Mawene Hiroti who was the beneficiary. Luke Metcalf converted and put his side up 6-4.

Edrick Lee got involved with a try of his own and Jets back-rower Reuben Rennie scored soon after. After plenty of back-and-forth, the Jets led 12-10 at the break.

Although errors plagued both sides in the second half, it was an exciting game with plenty of end-to-end football and strong defence, particularly by the Jets forward pack.

Pele made up for his earlier indiscretion by crashing over in the 49th minute after some nice dummy half play by Zac Woolford.

From there, the Jets started to gain ascendancy off the back of their defence. Unable to get out of their own end, the Knights halves often found themselves kicking on their own 20-metre line and with Miller’s speed and footwork returning the ball, the Jets were able to assert their dominance on the tiring Knights defence.

With the Knights attack not quite clicking at the back end of the game and trailing 18-10, a Simi Sasagi offload saw Floyd Tighe burst onto the ball and crash over in the 74th minute. Phythian added the extras putting his side behind by just two points.

Although they had opportunities to win it, the Knights proved they will be a challenge for every team in 2022.

Talking points

Franklin Pele was tough to stop all day, although he will have a nervous wait with the judiciary after a high-shot saw him sent from the field for 10 minutes.

Edrick Lee was a standout in a losing side, carrying the ball well out of his own end and having some success against a tough Newtown defence, including a 50 metre linebreak off the back of an intercept. After featuring in the 2020 State of Origin series for Queensland, Lee missed out on the entirety of the 2021 season and some more impressive performances could see him pushing for a spot in the Knights NRL side.

The Jets proved they are a tough side who work hard for each other in defence. The Knights threw everything at the Jets in the second half, building pressure off the back of repeat sets and the Jets answered every question asked.  

Key moment

The Jets were able to turn defence into attack in the second half when Knights backrower Wyatt Shaw was hit and nearly carried over the sideline by Jets winger Kayal Iro, which resulted in a turnover. In the ensuing set, Franklin Pele crashed over carrying several defenders with him.

What’s next?

The Jets will take on a desperate Magpies side in Round Five at Henson Park and the Knights will face the Sea Eagles at Cessnock Sports Ground.

Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles v Canberra Raiders

Raiders earn back-to-back wins with victory over Sea Eagles

Hugo Lumb

Game summary

Canberra Raiders have prevented a late comeback from Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles in their Round Four Knock-On Effect NSW Cup clash, winning 26-18 at HE Laybutt Field.

The Blacktown side scored first through Tyran Ott, who crossed the line with a darting run from dummy-half in the 6th minute. The Raiders were next to score through winger James Schiller, but the Sea Eagles responded with an acrobatic finish from fellow flyer Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega in the 20th minute.

The game turned into a tug of war as Raiders substitute hooker Mitchell Soulter crossed for an unlikely try at the 23-minute mark.

Following a sin-bin against Alfred Smalley for a late shot four minutes later, the Raiders were able to consolidate their lead by capitalising on the extra man with James Schiller scoring his second.

The Raiders led 14-8 heading into the sheds, after an entertaining first half.

After the break they started the second half in similar fashion to the first with two well worked tries for Jarrod Croker and Xavier Savage only 16 minutes in.

Just as Canberra seemed to have an unassailable lead at 26-8, Blacktown started to mount pressure through weight of possession and strong field position.

Following two late tries to Smalley and Vaega, the Sea Eagles trailed by eight points with five minutes to play. Unfortunately for Blacktown, the home side couldn’t build on their momentum and fell short of a Canberra side that showed great heart in defence.

Talking points

The Raiders’ most effective attacking weapon was their aerial kicking game. With the new-look halves pairing of Joshua James and Sione Vuki, the Raiders scored three of five tries on the back of intelligent kicks in behind the Sea Eagles’ defensive line. 

Despite losing the match, the Sea Eagles’ halves pairing of James Segeyaro and Jake Toby also combined well. Toby provided two try assists while Segeyaro defended strongly, forcing multiple errors and shutting down several of the Raiders’ back-line plays.

Canberra fullback Xavier Savage, despite being kept quiet in the first half, had another solid showing. He showed great strength coming out of trouble, busting tackles and using his acceleration effectively. Savage finished off with a well-earned try and recorded zero errors.

Key moment

In the 57th minute, Xavier Savage got on the end of some creative lead-up work to help the Raiders extend their lead to 18 points. In a set that had the Raiders were under pressure coming off their line, halfback Joshua James chose to run the ball on the fifth tackle before bursting through some outside defenders and offloading to Savage.

Savage handed off to Schiller, who quickly found an arm free and threw the ball back to the Canberra speedster to score.

What’s next?

The winless Blacktown side travel to Cessnock to face the Newcastle Knights on Sunday afternoon.

Canberra will be looking to score three consecutive wins when they face Mounties in Wagga Wagga on Saturday.

Parramatta Eels v St George Illawarra Dragons

Rein shines as high-scoring Eels crush Dragons

Patrick Staveley

Game summary

The St George Illawarra Dragons tough start to the season has continued after they were on the receiving end of a 44-12 defeat against the Parramatta Eels at Commbank Stadium. The two sides had already faced each other in Round One, with the Eels running out convincing 34-6 winners on that occasion too. 

The Dragons got off to the perfect start when winger Alexander Lobb found the line just two minutes in before a crash play allowed back-rower Dan Keir to level the scores for Parramatta.

Eels hooker Mitch Rein had an outstanding game, and it was all his own work for the second try after he beat the defence with a show and go to put the home team in front. 

The Eels began to turn up the heat and some hot-potato play resulted in a lovely try to edge forward Elie El-Zakhem to set up an 18-6 lead at half-time.

Line-breaks and tackle busts started to come thick and fast for Parramatta in the second half as the Dragons’ defence tired. Samuel Loizou crossed for a second half double, Matthew Komolafe, Max Lehmann and Brendan Hands also found the line while Jaiyden Hunt picked up a consolation try for the Dragons. Eels captain Jordan Rankin joined Rein as a standout in the winning side. 

Talking points

The Dragons have plenty of work to do on their defence after conceding 180 points in their first four games. Their line-up featured several NRL players in Tyrell Sloan, George Burgess, Daniel Alvaro and Billy Burns but they were unable to contain a rampant Eels outfit.

The Eels lost NRL hooker Reed Mahoney late last season to injury but Rein, who joined the club this year from the Gold Coast, showed that he will be ready to answer the call if needed. 

Key moment

Winger Jonathan Reuben dropped the ball before the line to bomb a certain try when the Dragons were leading 6-0. The game was still evenly poised at 6-all later in the first half before Rein nabbed his try and the Red V couldn’t pick up after that. The following try for the Eels came just two minutes after Rein’s and from that point on there was no way back. 

What's next?

The Eels are three from four to start the season and they take on the fifth-placed North Sydney Bears on Saturday.

The struggling Dragons face the South Sydney Rabbitohs, who just beat the top-of-the-table Penrith Panthers, on Saturday too. 

Western Suburbs Magpies v North Sydney Bears

Lam steps up to guide Bears to victory

Josh Spasaro

Game summary

Some Lachlan Lam brilliance helped North Sydney consolidate its undefeated start to The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup season, with the talented five-eighth playing a major part in the Bears’ 28-18 win over Western Suburbs at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday night.

The Magpies – now winless from the opening four rounds – can still take plenty of positives from the defeat in what was a fantastic game to conclude Round Four action.

Wests would have been delighted to be 12-all at half-time, with their defence continually standing up to repeated attacking raids from the Bears.

It was the Magpies who took the lead in the 10th minute after lock Rua Ngatikaura produced an impressive offload before prop Austin Dias loomed in support, showing good awareness and athleticism to spin and plant the ball down.

The visitors finally got a reward for the stack of possession they enjoyed, with Renouf Atoni crashing over from short range in the 20th minute. Adam Keighran’s conversion levelled the scores at 6-all.

The Magpies defence held tough after denying Bears centre Toa Mata’afa a try while Terrell May was also held up over the line by Billy Stapleton.

A piece of brilliance from Lam in the 36th minute broke the deadlock after he stepped through the Magpies’ line off his right foot, before angling towards the posts and beating fullback Starford Toa with a brilliant right-foot step to score.

Some excellent vision from hooker Jake Simpkin – shaping to go left and then finding second-rower Tom Freebairn on his right – led to the back-rower spinning through the goal line defence to level the scores at 12-all right on half-time.

Simpkin kept up the good work in the second half after a brilliant dart and show of strength from dummy-half – when May couldn’t stop him front-on – put the Magpies up 18-12 in the 49th minute.

The Bears levelled things up after a pinpoint cross field kick from halfback Sandon Smith was tapped back by Suaalii. Fletcher Baker then showed great skills for a prop to grubber for fullback Josh Bergamin to chase through and touch down.

Keighran’s conversion from out wide tied up the scores at 18-all.

The Bears regained the lead seven minutes later courtesy of a perfectly-timed cut-out pass from Bergamin, finding Carr for a spectacular finish in the left-hand corner.

An offload on Wests’ line from Bears prop Tuku Hau Tapuha led to a try to Brown, who backed up the play well after an impressive performance, which put to bed a sensational game of football in the 77th minute.

Talking points

Roosters young gun Joseph Suaalii made a strong case to be included in the Roosters NRL squad in the near future after his recent return from a foot injury. He provided his team with plenty of tough carries coming out of yardage, and also had a hand in a try. Lachlam Lam is a matchwinner, and Terrell May, Fletcher Baker and Nu Brown ran hard all night for the victors.

May’s teammates love playing with him and the high-energy carries he provides them with after making the switch from Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles to the Bears this season.

Magpies hooker Jake Simpkin also put forward a strong case to be part of the Wests Tigers NRL squad. His vision, constant probing runs out of dummy-half (one which led to a try through brute strength and power), passing game and leadership around the field was outstanding.

Key moment

Showing the same ability as his father Adrian Lam to break open a game when his team needs it the most, Lachlan Lam’s try to put the Roosters 12-6 up in the first half was sensational.

Lam left Magpies defenders clutching at fresh air when he evaded them with his rapid right-foot step. He then stuck his right foot in the ground again to fly past Wests fullback Starford Toa in the last line of defence.

What's next?

The winless Magpies face the undefeated Newton Jets at Henson Park on Saturday. The Bears will take plenty of confidence into their next clash against the Parramatta Eels (three wins, one loss) at North Sydney Oval on Saturday.