Here's A Wrap Up Of All The Epic NRL Action From Round 2

By Danielle Smith

It was another cracking weekend of rugby league. Here's your Monday glimpse of every game from the round.

Melbourne Storm 15 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 14

This game had it all even before kick-off - it was coach Craig Bellamy's 500th match, the Storm's first game back in Melbourne since Covid and the return of Latrell Mitchell.

It was all purple for most of the game, with the Storm leading 14-0 and Souths looking lost and disinterested. The Bunnies finally clicked with 12 minutes left, scoring three quick tries to get them within striking distance. Latrell missed all three of his conversions but managed to kick a spectacular 48m two-point field goal to send the match into Golden Point.

Ryan Papenhuyzen returned serve in the 84th minute with a field goal of his own, securing the win for the Storm and gifting Bellamy a gritty win for his huge milestone.

Penrith Panthers 20 - St George Illawarra Dragons 16

The Panthers made it 2/2 after their win against the Dragons on Friday night.

Penrith streaked away to a 20-6 lead at halftime, and despite a late comeback by the Dragons, the reigning premiers were able to hold out the home team.

Viliame Kikau ensured his 100th game was memorable, scoring two tries and providing solid in defence to help his team secure victory.

It was a frustrating night for the Dragons, with Jaydn Su'A and Zac Lomax both spending time in the sin bin. While Dragons fans in the crowd made their thoughts known on a few dubious referee decisions including the binning's, in the end the Red V proved to be their own worst enemy with poor discipline and low completion rates.

Both teams walked away with injury concerns, with Dragon's hooker Andrew McCollough leaving the field after suffering a dislocated elbow during the match. Penrith stars James Fisher-Harris and Brian To'o nights also finishing early with shoulder and knee injuries respectively.

Sydney Roosters 26 - Manly Sea Eagles 12

After a shock loss to the Knights in round one, the Roosters bounced back with a strong performance to secure a win against the Sea Eagles.

James Tedseco won the much hyped 'battle of the fullbacks' against his opposing number one Tom Trbojevic, who seemed quiet and restricted throughout the match. Roosters' halves Sam Walker and Luke Keary also had brilliant games, both guiding the tri-colours around the park.

Trailing 22-0 at half time, two tries to Manly's Rueben Garrick in the 54th and 75th minutes made the score line look a lot more flattering for the out of form Sea-Eagles.

It's back to the drawing board for coach Des Hasler, whose team once again made too many errors and looked frustrated out on the field.

Gold Coast Titans 20 - New Zealand Warriors 18

Ash Taylor was hoping for a different outcome against his old club, with the Warriors going down to the Titans on Saturday.

It was a hot day on the Gold Coast, with Warriors forward Matt lodge succumbing to heat stroke and having an unsightly moment in front of the cameras on the sideline.

It was an exciting first half with lots of attack, and five tries scored between the sides. The Titans scored the only try in the second half that won them the game.

Decisions from the referee and bunker were again in the spotlight, with many fans frustrated with some of their calls.

AJ Brimson was one of the best on field, setting up two tries for the Gold Coast and scoring one of his own.

David Fifita had a quiet game with little impact, once again proving you never know which version of Fifita is getting off the bus that day.

It wasn't the prettiest of wins, but in the end the Titans got the job done.

Cronulla Sharks 18 - Parramatta Eels 16

It was a perfect way to welcome everyone back to Shark Park after two years, with the home side winning a thrilling game in the dying seconds against the Eels.

The match was a real arm wrestle, with both sides throwing everything they had at their opponents.

Cronulla's defence was outstanding, with the Sharks holding strong despite the Eels receiving multiple set restarts in the Shark's half.

Eels' hooker Reed Mahoney had a great game for the Blue and Gold. Halfback Mitchell Moses, who was not at full strength, did his best to steer his side, but he seemed to have a target on his back with the Sharks giving the injured half a lot of extra attention during the match.

Sharks' winger Ronaldo Mulitalo had an impressive first half before having to leave the field with a nasty head gash.

Cronulla's Tieg Witon was solid throughout the entire match and was rewarded with the final try to level the scores with seconds to spare. He does have an anxious wait after being put on report for a nasty tackle on Moses.

Sharks star recruit Nicho Hynes had a shocker with the boot missing his first three conversion attempts but kicked the one that counted securing a two-point victory for the home side.

North Queensland Cowboys 26 - Canberra Raiders 6

Jason Taumalolo was back in top form, leading his Cowboys to a brilliant 26-6 win over the Raiders on Saturday night.

Everyone played their roles perfectly in the home sides victory, with the forwards solid and strong in defence and running metres, and the attack able to keep Canberra under constant pressure.

It was just not the Raiders night, with poor discipline, ball control and fifth tackle options proving costly. Canberra completed only 18 of their 32 sets, led the error tally 15 to 9, and the Cowboys capitalised on the sin binning of Hudson Young in the second half with a try that extended their lead.

Cowboys centre Peta Hiku was heavily involved in the success of the night, and young rookie Jeremiah Nanai showed why he is a star of the future. He was strong up the middle and leaped high to score the final try of the match.

The win was unfortunately tarnished with Cowboys Mitch Dunn suffering a season ending ACL injury during the game.

Newcastle Knights 26 - Wests Tigers 4

Even without Kayln Ponga, it was all Newcastle in their win against the Tigers on Sunday, with the home team proving too strong for their opponents.

The Knight's young halves Jake Clifford and Adam Clune took total control of the game, guiding their team around the park. Tyson Frizzell was also strong, leading from the front and scoring one of Newcastle's first tries.

Dane Gagai put in another outstanding performance, showing how valuable he is back in the red and blue.

There were some dicey calls that didn't go the Tigers way, but Wests were their own worst enemy with only 40% of the ball and a 63 per cent completion rate. 17 errors compared to the Knights 7 also proved hard to overcome.

New recruit Jackson Hastings was one of the best for the Tigers, running the most metres from either side with 205, and constantly trying to spark something from his team. Teammate Jake Simpkin also put in a strong effort, topping the tackle count with 43.

This loss makes it 0/2 for the Tigers and tightens the screws just that little bit more on poor Michael Maguire.

Brisbane Broncos 16 - Canterbury Bulldogs 10

Last season there was no way you would have thought this game would have been one of the matches of the round!

Both teams put on an exciting display in a game that could have gone either way right until the end.

Trailing 16-10 with 15 minutes left on the clock, the Dogs never gave up and threw everything they could at the Broncos. In the final minute Josh Addo-Carr made a dash up the sideline that got the Bulldogs crowd to their feet. He put in a kick trying to find one of his inside players, but it was swooped on by Albert Kelly as he secured the win for Brisbane.

Bronco's Herbie Farnworth was a standout in his side, scoring two tries with one from a brilliant one-on-one steal.

Adam Reynolds finally debuted for his new club and didn't disappoint.

Extremely impressive in his team's win, he guided the Broncos around the park, giving them a solid kicking game, even the ability to adapt with a tunnel-ball style dummy half attempt that almost led to a Kotoni Staggs try.

Matt Burton was one of the best for the Dogs. Like Reynolds for the Broncos, Burton provided his side with a much-needed kicking game that included desperately needed smart 5th tackle options that his side lacked last season.

The win sees the Broncos go 2/2 and coach Kevin Walters looking very relieved.

Topics: Australia