It was another big Saturday of NRL action with the Gold Coast pushing the Warriors down before Cronulla opened his account for Parramatta in North Queensland for 2022 with a win over Canberra.
Check out all the scores, stats and everything you need to know about each match below.
Sharks 18 def Eels 16
Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon praised his toughness as they celebrated their return to PointsBet Stadium with a dramatic 79th minute attempt by Teig Wilton to seal an 18-16 NRL victory over Parramatta.
Saturday’s game was Cronulla’s first home in over two years and has doubled as Fitzgibbon’s debut as Sharks coach after missing last week’s loss to Canberra with COVID-19.
Cronulla’s lack of discipline and Nicho Hynes’ inaccuracy with the boot (one of four attempts) almost cost her until Wilton passed at the last minute and converted Hynes when it mattered most.
“We did it the hard way,” Fitzgibbon said with a laugh.
“I was proud of the way we played. That was a quality game in my opinion.
“They (Parramatta) are a serious pedestrian team and they kept going and we probably hurt ourselves.
“To hang on, I felt we just needed a few options and when we got them, we did enough.”
In a game in which the lead changed five times, the Sharks started bright as sides Ronaldo Mulitalo and Sione Katoa shot on both sides in the opening half hour.
Unfortunately for Cronulla, Hynes was unable to convert either of Sharks’ attempts and Parramatta reduced the deficit to 8-6 as Mitchell Moses scored at halftime.
With nothing happening, Moses took advantage of a flat-footed Cronulla defensive line and chipped over the top.
Load
Eels skipper Clint Gutherson hit the ball inside on five-eighth Dylan Brown, who sent it to Moses to touch under heavy pressure from Jesse Ramien.
Moses appeared to be struggling with a thigh and Gutherson converted the attempt before adding a penalty in front of the bench early in the second half as Wilton grabbed Ray Stone off the ball.
Wilton’s poor discipline allowed Parramatta back into the game as he illegally grabbed Moses in the air while Gutherson fired the next penalty.
Fitzgibbon brought in new recruiter Cameron McInnes in the fight for a huge cheering crowd of 11,459.
His introduction seemed to be the spark that the Sharks needed, with Hynes putting Connor Tracey ahead 20 minutes ahead.
All optimism seemed short-lived as Reed Mahoney fired to put the Eles ahead 15 minutes before Cronulla’s Braden Hamlin-Uele dropped the ball over the line.
But then Wilton was dumped on a Matt Moylan pass and missed his late attempt, converted by Hynes, to send the home supporter into the frenzy.
“We’ve done enough to win the game, but we have to close it,” said Eels coach Brad Arthur.
“I did not feel like we were physically fitting them and playing on the side.
“We have to physically start and grind instead of looking for each foot.”
AAP
Team statistics
Cowboys 26 vs. Raiders 6
North Queensland skipper Jason Taumalolo made his mark on the field as the Cowboys returned with a comprehensive 26-6 NRL victory over Canberra.
Three undefeated attempts in the second half on Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Kyle Feldt and Jeremiah Nanai turned the visitors to victory as the error-fighting Raiders battled to compete in Townsville on Saturday night.
It was a great response from Todd Payten’s side after their miserable 6-4 loss in the first round to the Bulldogs.
And it was led by Taumalolo – the subject of much speculation about his relationship with Payten during the week – who ripped through the middle on his way to 141 running yards in two tackle busts.
The only downside to her performance was Randforward Mitch Dunn losing to a suspected ACL injury as he went down without contact in the first half.
Canberra completed just 61 percent of their sets as the Cowboys strangled the Raiders in defense and dominated possession, simply winning yards into the middle.
The ball bounced harmlessly off the post, though. 55 minutes into the game, Feldt had to leave the pitch due to a knee injury. In came Feldt.
On the fifth tackle, Chad Townsend struck on the left edge and Tabuai-Fidow went over his opposing number to collect and break free, twisting Hudson Young’s tackle to get out and mark.
Load
The Cowboys were soon back in when Jake Granville hit his dire dummy half-pass on the deck and Peta Hiku had the presence of mind to shoot the ball through and it set the field perfect for his first attempt of to mark the season.
Tom Dearden’s high kick in the next set then found a flying nanai, with the 19-year-old jumping to gather himself and marking under the post for the game with eight minutes to play.
In the opening penalty, North Queensland were hit first in the sixth minute to pay the Raiders for errors in their own half.
Dearden swung in a good chance from the left, but the visitors’ Murray Taulagi was on his own in the home side’s penalty area and should have scored after 37 minutes, but missed, probably due to lack of concentration.
After scoring just four points in Round 1, the message was clear at the North Queensland camp to bid for all points, and they twice struck Valentine Holmes with two penalties to tick the scoreboard.
But in the 31st minute, the Raiders found a crack in the Cowboys’ defensive line as Corey Harawira-Naera struggled through four tackles close to the line to score before converting his own attempt.
The Cowboys led 8-6 at the break.
AAP
Team statistics
Titans 20 def Warriors 18
Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook believes his team has discovered the resilience to hang hard in NRL matches after Saturday’s 20-18 victory over the Warriors.
The Titans were under a mountain of pressure at the CBUS Super Stadium but lost the Warriors points in the second half to secure their first win of the season after last week’s four-point loss to Parramatta.
Winger Greg Marzhew’s first half double put the home side in a commanding 16-6 lead before the Warriors scored two late attempts – including a controversial four-pointer awarded to Bande Adam Pompey after the bunker’s siren – for an 18 – 16 advance at the break.
AJ Brimson’s second attempt assist in his first game as a full-time NRL five-eighth allowed Phillip Sami the Titans back in the 57th.
The visitors then rushed forward but a combination of the Titans defense and a few crucial errors, including two falling balls, when the trilline waved off Nathan Brown’s team.
“I do not think we won a close match last year, so I think it’s great and a credit to, especially our forwards, through the pre-season, to get themselves in a better place for harder. to create. ” said.
“That’s what we need. To defend that will.”
In a match that was taken into account as Brimson’s return against ex-Titan Ash Taylor in his first appearance for the Warriors, it was Gold Coast No.6 who had a direct impact.
Brimson’s opening-minute line break allowed Beau Fermor to counter after just 40 seconds and while Taylor’s grubber led Pompey’s controversial attempt, it was the Titans’ five-eighths secured their ball pass to Sami’s victory.
Load
“It was great to have AJ back,” Holbrook said.
“That’s what the whole team saw the whole pre-season, just the AJ is fantastic in everything.
“Having him back is a big bonus for us.”
Warriors coach Brown was disappointed with the inability of his team to complete their attacks as they started at 0-2.
“Not good enough if you want to win games. We are far along trying to develop games, we want to win bloody games by footy and that is just not acceptable,” he said.
“We had two young outside defenders drop the ball on the line … just plain and simple because they just weren’t deep enough.
“Again, not acceptable. Not now where we want to be as a football club.”
The Warriors lost striker Matt Lodge after just 21 minutes on his return from suspension due to illness, while Gold Coast frontman Isaac Liu left late for an HIA.
AAP
Add Comment