Live Coverage | The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Round 14

Rabbitohs hold off Warriors for hard-fought win

Pranav Harish

Game summary

The South Sydney Rabbitohs toughed out a 24-22 win over the Warriors in Round 14 of the Knock On Effect New South Wales Cup.

Only a penalty goal separated the two sides in a contest that went down to the wire.

The Warriors scored first when fullback Setu Tu dived over within minutes after a break down the left edge. Five-eighth Eiden Ackland converted for a 6-0 lead.

South Sydney responded when Cody Hodge intercepted a wayward Warriors pass and raced away. The hosts then capitalised on the play with a try for Tom Carr in the eighth minute.

After several repeat sets an opportunity came for Peter Mamouzelos in the 23^rd minute, barging over and keeping the ball free to score from close range.

The Warriors hit back to take a 12-10 lead when Ali Leiataua went over.  

Souths levelled the scores late in the first half after Dean Hawkins kicked a penalty goal from in front. A second penalty goal gave the Rabbitohs a 14-12 advantage at halftime.

Josiah Karapani opened the scoring in the second half to help extend the Rabbitohs’ lead to 18-12.

Despite the six-point deficit, the Warriors hung on and produced another try when Leiataua scored his second for the afternoon. Ackland missed the chance to level the scores as the visitors trailed 18-16.

The Rabbitohs replied to with a try to Maila-Chan Foon after the back-rower made a break down the left edge, brushing past the retreating Warriors defence to score. Hawkins nailed his kick at goal to lead by eight points.

The Warriors would not go away and hit back with a try to Selumiela Halasima, but the home side had done enough to earn the two points in front of the Redfern Oval faithful.

Talking points

Jaxson Rahme produced some big plays for South Sydney, forcing several errors with his defensive efforts.

Ali Leiataua also put in a strong performance for the Warriors. He was hard to handle carrying the football and came up with some big tackles.  

Key moment

The Warriors made several breaks down the left edge throughout the match, but couldn’t always convert those opportunities into points. It may have allowed the Warriors to come away with victory in the end.

What’s next?

The Rabbitohs are up against St George Illawarra Dragons on Friday at Kogarah, while the Warriors will take on the Canberra Raiders in Canberra.

North Sydney Bears v Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles

Sea Eagles victorious in 13-try thriller

Anthony Eltarraf

Game summary

The Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles produced a nail-biting victory over the North Sydney Bears in a try-fest at North Sydney Oval on Saturday afternoon.

The Sea Eagles started fast with two tries in the first ten minutes. A well-worked shift saw Clayton Faulalo score before Morgan Harper powered his way over on the right edge, which had the Sea Eagles leading 8-0.

The hosts hit back with four unanswered tries. A left-side shift allowed Tui Katoa to showcase his aerial skill by planting the ball in the corner.

Zach Dockar-Clay then levelled the scores with a crash play, before Ben Stevanovic’s successful conversion put the Bears 10-8 in front.

Alfred Smalley extended the lead with a first-half double, scoring his first in the right corner, then the second by collecting a Toa Mata’afa offload after catching onto a kick.

The Sea Eagles ended the half on a high when five-eighth Brad Abbey was on the end of a Josh Stuckey offload and raced away to shorten the deficit to 20-14.

The second half began the visitors scoring two more tries through Josh Stuckey and Jackson Ferris, regaining the lead at 24-20

The Bears levelled the game at 24-all with Smalley’s third try for the match after finishing off a chip kick from Stevanovic.

The tries kept coming as the Sea Eagles went a converted try in front after Jackson Ferris’ second, touching down in the corner.

Morgan Harper then secured his double, extending the visitors’ lead to 36-24.

A 13^th try came with just four minutes to go through Zach Dockar-Clay, finding his way to the line with a right-foot step and setting up a grandstand finish. The Bears were unable to secure a match-levelling try, going down in a thrilling 66-point contest.

Talking points

It was an entertaining bout in North Sydney, with both teams showcasing their brilliance in attack.

Both halves pairings led their respective teams around the field and played a crucial role in each try.

The Sea Eagles’ right side was dangerous, scoring six of seven tries on that edge – Harper (2), Ferris (2), Joshua Stuckey and Brad Abbey.

Key moment

Morgan Harper’s second try proved to be the difference, with Ferris passing back on the inside whilst headed for the side-line, for his centre to score a well-deserved double.

What’s next?

The Bears look to bounce back next week as they host the Newtown Jets, while the Sea Eagles head home to face the Western Suburbs Magpies

Newcastle Knights v Parramatta Eels

Western Suburbs Magpies v Canberra Raiders

Strong second half sees Magpies to victory

Hugo Lumb

Game summary

The Western Suburbs Magpies snapped a four-game losing streak to overcome an experienced Canberra Raiders outfit, winning 26-18 at Lidcombe Oval.

Raiders hooker Danny Levi took advantage of good field position, diving over from close range for an early four-pointer.

The Magpies eventually found their feet, scoring back-to-back tries through back-rower Brandon Mansfield and hooker Manaia Cherrington to take the lead.

After a Magpies error coming out of their own end, the Raiders levelled the scores once more, with fullback Xavier Savage sneaking over in the 30^th minute.

Camped on the Magpies’ line towards the end of the half, the Raiders drew a penalty. Captain Brad Schneider had a successful kick at goal to give his side 14-12 lead at halftime.

A strong start to the second half saw the Magpies take the lead, with a penalty goal followed by a solo try from fullback Daine Laurie, putting the host six points in front with less than 30 minutes remaining.

Laurie scored another try in the 60^th minute, crashing through the Raiders’ defence close to the line.

Savage crossd for his second try in the 73^rd minute, but it proved to be a consolation for the Raiders as Schneider failed to convert from the side-line, allowing the Magpies to hold on for the eight-point win.

Talking points

The Magpies forward pack were immense despite the slow start, especially through their strong kick-chase and disciplined defence.

NRL experience was important for both sides in this contest, but it was the Magpies’ Daine Laurie who proved the difference, crossing for two second-half tries and playing a hand in many attacking raids.

Key moment

In the 49^th minute, Laurie used his speed to surge through the Raiders’ defensive line, beating speedster Xavier Savage to cross for his first four-pointer and hand his side the lead.

What’s next?

The Magpies will take on the resurgent Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles in Round 15, while the Raiders return home to take on the Warriors on Saturday afternoon.

Sydney Roosters v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Bulldogs end losing streak to go top of table

Mitchell Roese

Game Summary

Despite a slow start, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs powered home in a 20-6 victory over the Sydney Roosters at Central Coast’s Industree Group Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Bulldogs powerful right-edge wreaked havoc for the chooks, with too many missed tackles and an early exit to a key player seeing the Roosters collapse under pressure.

The Roosters' young guns combined for the opening four-pointer when Five-Eighth Joseph Taipari pulled out a deft chip kick into the in-goal and fullback Ethan King chased through on the inside to score.

Both sides showed their defensive strength in the first half, coming up with some monster efforts to keep their opposition’s attacking phases at bay.

The greasy Central Coast surface saw an error-riddled first half with poor passing and loose carries resulting in 11 errors, especially in attacking field position.

The Dogs had no issue marching downfield after the break. Taking advantage of some retreating Roosters defence, Bulldogs centre Declan Casey tipped on for winger Jeral Skelton in the corner before Casey took his side to the lead minutes later.

Bulldogs had their third not long after, when Fa’amanu Brown burst over to extend Canterbury’s lead.

Capping off a strong individual performance, Jeral Skelton finished the game in style, diving over in the corner to secure his double and the 20-6 victory.

Key Points

Skelton had himself a day out on the right-edge. Two tries and 228 total run metres proved hard to handle for the new Roosters’ right-edge pairing.

The Bulldogs NRL experience proved too much for the young Roosters outfit with Captain Jackson Topine and Kyle Flanagan showing their class to lead their side to victory.

Roosters playmaker Hugo Savala had the ball on a string in just his third game in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup game. Savala’s short kicking and aerial raids put his side on the front foot although it wasn't enough to overcome the ladder-leading Bulldogs.

Talking Points

Roosters fullback Ethan King’s exit early in the second half deflated the tricolours. One try, 139 total run metres, and his defensive efforts meant he was sorely missed.

What’s next?

The Roosters play the Penrith Panthers on Sunday afternoon, while the Bulldogs take on the Parramatta Eels next Monday to cap off Round 15 of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup.

Penrith Panthers v St George Illawarra Dragons

Penrith make it four on the trot

Penrith Panthers have moved into fourth place as their mid-season revival continued following their 30-10 win over a determined St George Illawarra Dragons outfit at BlueBet Stadium.

The win moves the defending premiers to within two competition points of first-placed Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and just a point behind the third-placed Newtown Jets.

Both teams came into the clash on the back of a three-game winning-streak but it would be Penrith, bolstered by the late inclusions of Tyrone Peachey, Jaemon Salmon, Soni Luke and Matt Eisenhuth, that would prevail in the slippery conditions.

Early kick pressure paved the way for Penrith’s opening try with Liam Henry scoring from the ensuing set courtesy of a deft pass close to the line by Eisenhuth, to give the home side a six point advantage after just six minutes of play.

Errors and penalties inside their own 20 allowed the visitors to level the scores in the 14th minute when quick hands enabled back-rower Dylan Egan to step through the line to score out wide from close range.

Lost possession from the Dragons inside their own half proved equally crucial as the Panthers retook a 10-6 lead in the 18th minute when a quick shift right resulted in an unconverted try in the north-east corner to winger Tom Jenkins, his 11th try of the season to date.

More repeat sets inside the Dragons 20 resulted in a third try to the home side. Tyrone Peachey initially looked set to score himself only to lose possession over the try line albeit backwards and winger Jesse McLean was fortunate enough to be on the spot to dive on the loose ball to extend the lead out to 14-6 after 24 minutes.

A line-break from deep inside his own half by back-rower Dan Russell enabled the Dragons to score soon after, when some slick ball movement out to the left resulted in a second try, this time to winger Sione Finau, to reduce Penrith’s lead at the main break to four.

However, the home side scored two quick fire converted tries soon after the resumption of play to take control of the game. Chris Smith scored his first try of the season when he cut back on the inside to catch the Dragons sliding defence napping to score next to the posts in the 44th minute.

When Soni Luke cut through the line and placed a well weighted grubber kick into the in-goal for fullback Isaiah Iongi to regather and score out wide, the Panthers after 51 minutes suddenly held the biggest lead of the game to date at 26-10.

As hard as the Dragons played over the remainder of the half, resolute defence from the home side kept the visitors at bay. It would be the Panthers who would score next with some slick hands enabling Jenkins to score his second of the afternoon, to give Penrith a resounding 30-10 win.

Fifth placed Penrith and 10th placed St George Illawarra came into the game both looking for their fourth successive win.

Despite the absence of Jack Cogger and Preston Riki, Penrith boasted arguably their strongest side of the season to date with the inclusions of Tyrone Peachey, Jaemon Salmon, Matt Eisenhuth, Soni Luke and Jack Cole to compliment the likes of Tom Jenkins, Liam Henry and Luke Garner.

Key Moment

Two quick fire tries to the Panthers early in the second half put the defending premiers in control of the game. The second of those tries was the play of the game with Soni Luke making the line-break and having the presence of mind to put an angled grubber kick through for Iongi to regather and score a spectacular try.

What's Next?

Next Saturday, the Dragons will be looking to bounce back into the winners circle when they host the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Jubilee Stadium, Kogarah. The following day, the Panthers travel to Wentworth Park where they will take on the Sydney Roosters as they look to extend their winning streak to five.