Recap | The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup - Round 26

Canberra Raiders v Penrith Panthers

Raiders keep season alive with dominant win over Panthers

Tahlie Gavin

Match summary

The third match of the triple-header at GIO Stadium felt like elimination finals had come early as the Canberra Raiders produced a monster 34-8 victory to knock the Penrith Panthers out of finals contention.

The opening 40 minutes delivered plenty of excitement as both sides showed incredible discipline. The Raiders’ halves withstood the pressure, as the Raiders produced three tries to two taking them into half-time with a 16-8 lead. A dominant second half from the Raiders in all aspects of the game saw them score 18 unanswered points to keep their season alive.

It was the Raiders who found the try-line first in this do-or-die Saturday night clash. A bold run from prop Vena Patuki-Case saw him crash over next to the post to get the first points on the board. A successful conversion from Adam Cook saw the Raiders with an early six-point lead.

The Panthers answered back seven minutes later through NSW Cup debutant Jirah Liddiard. A perfectly timed kick to the corner from halfback Tylor Bunting, saw Liddiard contest the ball over the line to score. An unsuccessful conversion saw the Raiders hold the lead 6-4.

Hungry in attack, the Panthers showcased desperation in their efforts for a second try. Quick passes and frantic offloads saw the ball go through three pairs of hands before landing with centre Sialetili Faeamani to score. Another unsuccessful conversion from the Panthers saw them in front 8-6.

The Raiders started to find their feet as Matty Nicholson found the line in his return to Rugby League after recovering from a syndesmosis injury. A grubber kick to the line from Cook saw Nicholson chasing as he grounded the ball over the line. Cook added the extras as the Raiders reclaimed the lead, 12-8.

Just minutes later, the Raiders found one more try before half-time to further their lead. A loopy cut-out pass from Adam Cook to winger Jensen Taumoepeau saw him find his feet and get the ball over the line. Cook failed to convert the try, but the Raiders entered the sheds 16-8.

Raiders prop Mitchell Prest charged his way through defence to open the scoring in the second half. The door opened for Prest in the 58th minute with a powerful run that saw him break his way over the try-line. Cook successfully converted as Raiders now led 22-8.

Late inclusion Trey Mooney was next to find the line for the Raiders. A break from Mooney saw him fighting his way through Penrith’s defence. A quick look to his inside saw Ethan Sanders backing up as Mooney got the pass inside and Sanders had a clear run to the try-line. Cook added the extras taking the Raiders’ lead to 28-8.

A lost ball from the Panthers saw Raiders skipper Adam Cook pick up the crumbs and make a break. Looking up at what was in front of him Cook saw an 80-metre run for the try-line, he passed off to Taumoepeau on the wing who stepped and fended his way to score. Cook converted the try and the siren sounded keeping the Raiders’ season alive.

Talking points

- Penrith’s Sam Lane was placed on report for a high shot on Chevy Stewart, while Canberra’s Adam Cook was also placed on report.

- Myles Martin was taken from the field for a HIA but later returned.

- The Penrith Panthers’ season has come to an end in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup, as the Raiders roll on into the finals.

Key moment

The Canberra Raiders dominant second half was the standout in this match. The eyes-up footy from Trey Mooney to get halfback Ethan Sanders over the line sealed the deal for the Raiders. A strong run from Mooney saw him almost shake off a second tackle as he passed inside to Sanders who ran his way to the line. With 12 minutes still to play, this try boosted the Raiders’ confidence as they caried out the 26-point victory.

What’s next?

With the finals draw yet to be announced, it is certain that after seven wins in a row, the Raiders will be playing in week one of finals. Unfortunately for the Panthers, their season has come to an end.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs v St George Illawarra Dragons

Dogs end 2025 on a high as Dragons finals bound

George Al-Akiki

Match summary

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have finished their 2025 season on a high in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup with a resounding final round win over the high-flying St George Illawarra Dragons, running away 46-10 victors.

An early St George Illawarra error off a kick gave the home side prime field position, which led to a quick shift from the middle of the park to the right to send Enari Tuala over for Canterbury-Bankstown’s first points (6-0).

The Dogs were in again, this time going 60m as winger Jethro Rinakama found himself in open space down the left-hand side before finding Jonathan Sua back on the inside to finish the move off (12-0).

The Dragons wasted no time bouncing back, their halfback Lachlan Ilias orchestrating a decoy that fooled defenders and created an overlap which allowed speedy winger Jesse Williams to run through untouched (12-4).

Ilias was at it again firing a bomb chased hard by Cody Ramsey, whose pressure was enough to throw opposite number Blake Taaffe off and put the ball on a platter for the fullback (12-10).

The Bulldogs took the long route once more, this time from a moment of brilliance from Sua who broke the Dragons’ line with some slick stepping to run 80 metres, leaving five defenders in his wake to go under the posts and close out the half 18-10.

The Bulldogs picked up where they left off in the second, this time Mitch Woods getting involved with an acute short ball to send a barnstorming Jed Reardon through and over (24-10).

Winger Blake Wilson was next in on the action for the Dogs, who despite being lashed to the ground by the collar managed to pick himself up and dive for the corner to give Canterbury-Bankstown their biggest lead of the game at 18 points (28-10). 

It was a case of deja vu as Woods and Reardon combined again almost identically, but this time the ball ended in the hands of Tuala to finish off the move for his second (34-10).

The home side made it a 30-point lead down the left edge as Sua and Rinakama combined once more to send the winger over, before Joseph O’Neill put the icing on the cake of a convincing 46-10 win to cap off the season.

Talking points

- Zyon Maiu’u, Daniel Suluka-Fifita and Kurtis Morrin were damaging through the middle, terrorising the Dragons’ defence and carrying their side up the park at key moments.

- The pace of both sides’ left-hand attack was lethal, with Rinakama and Sua for the Bulldogs and Williams for the Dragons causing trouble for their opposition for much of the game.

- A move for Toby Sexton to dummy-half and Jake Turpin to first receiver worked well, freeing up Mitch Woods in a key ball-playing role that terrorised the Dragons all game.

Key moment

In a wholesome moment for Dogs fans, club favourite Kurtis Morrin nailed a conversion off the post in his final game for the club before heading to the Gold Coast in 2026. Blake Wilson also got his chance, slotting his shot clean over the black dot.

What’s next?

The Bulldogs’ season comes to a close with the end of the regular season, while the Dragons, with their impressive display in 2025, will look to the first week of finals with confidence.

North Sydney Bears v Parramatta Eels

Alex Hrissis

Match summary

North Sydney Bears have pulled off a stunning 54-6 win over the Parramatta Eels in Round 26 of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup at North Sydney Oval to finish off their season in style.

It was a tight contest early, but it was veteran Bear Jesse Marschke who grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck and broke through the line to score a try and open the account. Kieran Hayman converted the try for an early 6-0 lead.

Parramatta were knocking on the door but it was North Sydney who came up with the intercept through Riley Meyn who skipped past several defenders and went on a run. The storming back-rower eventually found Kieran Hayman who blitzed past the defence to score himself a try. The centre converted his own try to double the lead.

It was one way traffic at North Sydney Oval as the Bears scored their third of the night. Some last-ditch passing from Meyn found Compton Fuatimau who fizzed the ball out to Matt Komolafe, who scored in the corner for a 16-0 lead.

Parramatta bounced back to get themselves on the scoreboard before half-time as they looked to establish their finals credentials. Veteran hooker Joey Lussick bullied his way through the line until he was able to crash over and place the ball over the try-line.

The Bears were aided in their quest for two points with a Parramatta sin bin, and they took full advantage with some slick passing down the left edge finding Israel Ogden who scored in the corner for a 20-6 lead.

North Sydney piled on the misery as they scored another try with the one-man advantage, as Komolafe made a break down the blind side before passing inside to Ethyn Martin who scored comfortably for a 24-6 lead.

The Bears picked up where they left off after half-time as Hayman made a break down the right wing before passing inside to Jake Toby who was wide open for a comfortable try. Hayman converted the try to push the lead out to 30-6.

It was double trouble for Jake Toby as he found himself with the ball before cutting through the line to score a tidy try.

Fred Pupu popped up with a try for North Sydney as he sent a dummy Parramatta’s way before cutting through the line and scoring. The try was converted for a 42-6 lead.

After a long deadlock North Sydney finally found a way through. Jake Toby put in a tidy kick which bounced through both sides before finding Ofahiki Ogden who scooped up the ball and scored a try.

North Sydney raised the bat bringing up 50 points through Matt Komolafe who pounced on a loose ball to claim a try. The four-pointer was awarded, and the try was converted to make the final score 54-6.

Key moment

North Sydney started the match how they finished it as an early try from Jesse Marschke set the tone for the game early on.

Talking points

- Jake Toby had himself an impressive game for the Bears as he steered the team around the park as well as scoring two tries.

- Israel Ogden was in fine form for the home side as he popped up with a try assist and a try for himself.

- The heavy loss for Parramatta was a costly one as they look to find form in the finals series.

What’s next?

The Eels head into the finals series with a comfortable third-place finish as the Bears’ season comes to an end with a 10th-place finish.

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles v Newtown Jets

Manly’s Razzle Dazzle Proves Too Much for Newtown

Mason Cernoy

Match Summary

Manly have handed the finals bound Jets a fourth straight loss, after showing up on a mission to end the year with some new additions to the highlight reel.

It was a poor start for manly, who came up with errors in their first 2 sets. Before long, Newtown capitalised on the field position. Niwhai Puru put a grubber through with a bit of pepper on it, and while Blake Metcalfe was trying to shield it over the dead ball line, Chris Vea’ila rocketed through to pounce on the ball before it could do so.

It was a good start from the Jets, but they were unable to build off of an early try when Jordin Leiu knocked it on in the set that followed. This opened the door for Manly to level scores, and they did so when young gun Joey Walsh snapped three defenders to cross the line.

Manly were looking to score from absolutely anywhere, but their next try was a gift from Dylan Coutts, who threw an intercept to the quickest man on the park, Navren Willett, who raced away to score the try, and with the conversion took Manly up by 6.

Their free flowing attack saw them double down to claim another try in the following set. Walsh, Metcalfe, and Zaidas Muagututia combined for a massive break when they exchanged a few crafty offloads. Walsh was pulled up just short of the line but Muagututia scooted out of dummy half to make it back to back tries for the Sea Eagles.

This filled them with confidence, and they continued to shift the ball around. Whilst trying to swing it from left to right well inside their own half, Sam Stonestreet picked off a pass from Brandon Wakeham to close the margin.

Manly didn’t let this discourage their adventurous attack however, and right on the stroke of halftime, a break from Ezekiel Paulo led to Muagututia scoring his second of the day when Walsh sent him over with a beautiful inside ball.

The Jets lost Niwhai Puru early into the second half, but they came out with plenty of intent, and after Pickering forced a dropout with a well placed grubber, he crossed for the first points of the half when Rajab put him through the manly defence with a great short ball.

Rajab continued stepping up in the absence of Niwhai Puru when he muscled his way over to reclaim the lead for Newtown. He over played his hand when they had their next attacking chance however, when his cutout pass hit the deck and was scooped up by Jordan Swann. Swann found Walsh inside him to work it near halfway.Stonestreet then put down a towering bomb, which was scooped up by Hugo Hart, who powered his way over the line to reclaim the lead. 

This try was followed up shortly after when a double pump from Walsh led to Willett making a 50 metre break. Back in the Jets’ red zone, the Sea Eagles shifted it to the left where Semisi Kioa broke a tackle and cut inside to score a dazzling try.

The Jets went close to scoring again, but a forward pass from Michael Gabrael gave the ball back to Manly. As they were working out of their own end, Muagututia had another big impact on the game when he produced a lovely shortball for Jacob Sykes, who broke through the line and found Hart outside him to finish the job, putting the Maroon and Whites a little too far out of reach for Newtown.

The Jets showed plenty of fight when they won a short kick off in spectacular fashion, which led to a late try scored by Felix Faatili, but it was too little too late. Manly were able to put the cherry on top of their victory when Walsh danced around the defence once more to score another great try in the final moments of the match.

Fulltime: 42-30

Talking Points:

• Joey Walsh put in another stellar performance to lead his side to victory this afternoon. He scored two brilliant individual tries off the back of his footwork, set up another,  and was constantly finding gaps in Newtown’s defence to send his teammates through. He’s a real player of the future.
• Zaidas Muagututia was another contender for best on ground today, picking up a double in the first half, and instigating Hugo Hart’s second try by putting Jacob Sykes through a gap. He was a massive contributor to most of Manly’s second phase play, and completely changed the game after getting onto the field.
• The Newtown Jets are experiencing a form slump at the worst possible time of the season. They’ll have to pick themselves up by the bootstraps to turn things around in their elimination final against the Canberra Raiders next week, which may be difficult without gun halfback Niwhai Puru, who was taken from the field this afternoon.

Key Moment:

Zaidas Muagututia’s first try marked the moment that Manly really claimed dominance in this match. Just moments after Navren Willett’s intercept, the brilliant team break made by Walsh, Muagututia and Metcalfe saw them roll down the field with ease, leading to back to back tries.

What’s Next?

Whilst Manly missed out on finals in 2025, they can hold their heads high after finishing the season with plenty of positive signs. The Newtown Jets on the other hand will look to turn a corner quickly as they fight for their season in an elimination final against the Canberra Raiders next week.

Sydney Roosters v Western Suburbs Magpies

Hat-Trick Hayden Leads Roosters in Dominant Demolition

Ellery Behan

Match Summary

The Sydney Roosters have dismantled the Western Suburbs Magpies in what was a triumphant close to their season, conquering the visitors 50-18 on Sunday afternoon at Wentworth Park. 

The Roosters were strutting early, slicing their way through the Magpies’ defence with a stellar effort from Toby Rodwell who fooled one defender with a dummy and fended off another. He drew in the fullback and found Hayden Barton looming in support to score, with Rodwell converting for a 6-0 advantage.

Crowing after their first try, the home side struck again just moments later. They advanced up-field off a penalty and took full advantage of the territory as Chad Townsend floated a stunning cut-out ball to winger Trey Peni who was unimpeded on his way to the try line. Rodwell steered his conversion from the sideline between the sticks, doubling Easts’ lead to 12.

Steadying the ship, the Magpies fought their way back into the contest and found points off the back of their effort. Pressing the Roosters’ line, Kurt Falls linked up with halves partner Brent Naden who noticed the outside defenders jamming in and responded with a chip to winger Charlie Staines who needed only to plant the football down. Falls added the extras from out wide to cut the deficit to six. 

But it didn’t take long for the home side to respond, as a flash of brilliance from Ethan King saw him muscle past defenders on the Magpies’ 40-metre line, setting sail into the backfield and finding Barton in support who dived over for his second of the afternoon to restore the Roosters’ double-digit lead.

The Magpies were pecking away at Easts’ defensive line early in the second stanza, and eventually found points through Tristan Hope. The crafty hooker was floating across-field and poked a grubber in behind the defensive line, leaving flat-footed defenders in his wake and swooping on the loose ball to score his tenth try of the season. Falls converted with ease, closing the gap to 16-12.

The Western Suburbs took the lead just minutes later, finding themselves upfield again and executing a brilliant fifth-tackle play. Falls placed an inch-perfect chip kick towards the corner which was fielded brilliantly by Alex Lobb, soaring through the air and coming down with the football. Falls’ conversion deflected off the upright and in, giving the Magpies a skinny two-point lead.

Despite the inspiring fightback from the Magpies outfit, the pendulum swung back in favour of the Roosters who began to spread their wings in attack. Five tries in quick succession to Tom Rodwell, Hayden Barton, Makahesi Makatoa, Zach Dockar-Clay, and Max McCathie put the home side well and truly in the box seat with a 44-18 lead and 10 minutes on the clock.

Easts landed one more fatal blow before the hooter, as a towering bomb from Townsend was fielded spectacularly by Junior Tupou who offloaded to a barnstorming Makatoa, with the front rower crossing for his second of the afternoon. Rodwell converted effortlessly, bringing up 50 points in a convincing win at Wentworth Park.

Talking Points

• The NSW Cup Roosters saved their best for last, tallying a half-century of points for the first time this season in their final match. 
• Chad Townsend was impressive in what could potentially be his final appearance in professional Rugby League, steering the ship and leading his squad to victory.
• Hayden Barton crossed for the first hat-trick of his career, doubling his previous total NSW Cup try tally in one outing.

Key Moment

Trailing by 10 and looking to wrestle their way back into what was a fast, free-flowing contest, the Magpies came out of the sheds with plenty of intent. Crossing the stripe twice early in the second stanza, a two-point lead in their favour and plenty of momentum shaped them up to be a favourable pick in a contest that seemed destined to go down to the wire. However, the red, white, and blue wasted no time in hitting back. A break down the eastern touchline from Roosters’ winger Trey Peni allowed him to draw in fullback Luke Laulilii and hand the ball off to Tom Rodwell who showcased his blistering speed on the way to the try line, putting the home side back in front. They went on to score another five unanswered tries, completely shutting their opponents out of the contest enroute to a comprehensive triumph.

What’s Next?

With both the Roosters and Magpies out of finals contention, the curtains close on their respective 2025 KOE NSW Cup campaigns.