Another sensational weekend of the NRL, and another eight glorious games to talk about.
Here's your review of all the action from Round 11.
Brisbane Broncos 36 - Newcastle Knights 12
Advert
The Broncos showed they can still go the distance without their star halfback Adam Reynolds, after downing the Knights in Newcastle on Thursday night.
Reynolds was ruled a late scratching beforehand with an injured groin, but the rest of the team carried on as per the game plan, and got the job done.
With Tyson Frizell and Dane Gagai returning from injury, and the inclusion of Anthony Milford into the fold, the Knights came out of the gates with more effort and ticker than they had in weeks. They just couldn't keep it going for the entire match, and let the Broncos take control.
Brisbane were solid across the park, with Selwyn Cobbo and Corey Oates both putting in outstanding performances. Scintillating in attack and causing havoc for the Newcastle defence, the duo scored three tries between them and added some brilliant flare to the backline.
Advert
Kalyn Ponga was the best in a losing side and seemed to work well with the experienced Milford.
Despite the top effort from the visitors, it was overshadowed by two major Bunker blunders that changed the course of the game. With the scores levelled at 6-6, the Knights were denied a certain try just before the half time break, and with ten minutes left on the clock and only two points the difference, the Broncos were awarded a try that involved a clear obstruction and would have been called back in any other game. It knocked the wind out of the Knights sails and the Broncos ran away with the game.
To add insult to injury, centre Bradman Best went off the field with a dislocated elbow and looks set to spend a good chunk of time on the sideline for the already injury ravaged Knights.
Wests Tigers 36 v Canterbury Bulldogs 22
Advert
Despite it being a bottom of the table clash, it turned into a match full of emotion and a lot to play for. Not only were both sides desperate for competition points, but there were also other reasons to win.
The Bulldogs squad was riddled with the flu, had their coach Trent Barret stand down last Monday, and Brent Naden left the club to join the Tigers and face his old club the same week. The Tigers are still full of injuries, Alex Twal was set to play his 100th game and Fa'amanu Brown was debuting for the club after coming back from a serious injury where he was told he would never play again.
The Tigers streaked out to a 18-0 halftime lead, despite having star playmaker Jackson Hastings' sin binned for a professional foul. The Dogs hit back after the break to score three quick tries of their own and showed everyone they were well and truly in the fight.
Aaron Schoupp also earnt himself ten minutes in the naughty corner, and the home side kicked into gear, crossing for another three, two belonging to debutant Brown. Despite a late try from Schoupp once back on the field, the game was too far out of reach for the Dogs.
Advert
Interim Dogs coach Mick Potter knows there is a lot of work to be done but was glad to be back coaching for a club he was played for.
"There's some positive points out of the game but we need to rectify other things," he said.
"It's a real roller coaster ride, you get all that hope up and then it dies. I did enjoy it and I'm happy about being back".
Parramatta Eels 22 - Manly Sea Eagles 20
Advert
Eels captain Clint Gutherson chalked up a win for his 150th NRL game, after his team snatched a last-minute victory against Manly on Friday night.
The entire match was an extremely physical battle, with both sides scoring four tries each. After their horrible 38-0 loss to Brisbane, Manly looked to have bounced back, and were in front 20-16 with less than ten minutes to go.
But in the 73rd minute, their forward Sean Keppie was given an early mark for a professional foul. The Sea Eagles did their best to defend their lead, but Will Penisini crossed for the Eels and levelled the scores. In the heavy rain, Mitch Moses kicked the successful sideline conversion with a minute left on the clock and gave the home side the win.
As tough as the loss would have been for the Sea Eagles, it would not have come close the news waiting for them after the game. With their star fullback leaving the match early in obvious pain, it was later revealed that Tommy Turbo had dislocated his shoulder and will sadly miss the rest of the season.
St George Illawarra Dragons 24 - New Zealand Warriors 18
In a match which many didn't know what to expect, the Dragons got the win against the Warriors on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Kogarah. It was the perfect result for the Red V, who before the match paid tribute to club legend and immortal Johnny Raper.
The day started off bad for the visitors, when Shaun Johnson dropped the ball from the kick off, and great field position saw Zac Lomax cross for a try within the first minute. The Warriors returned serve with the next two tries and went to the break leading 14-12.
They kept the pressure mounting when Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scored three minutes into the second half, but the Dragons hit back through debutant Michael Molo as well as Lomax who bagged his second. As they did last week in their loss to the Bunnies, the Warriors threw everything they could at the Dragons in the last few minutes but once again fell short.
Despite the game ending up four tries each, the goal kicking proved the difference with Lomax getting 3/4 as well as a penalty kick, and Reece Walsh only successful with one conversion for the day.
The fullback spot has been an Achilles heel for Dragon's coach Anthony Griffin, but young Cody Ramsey who was recalled to the side had a brilliant day out wearing the number one jersey. He scored a try, set up another, ran for 149 metres and made two-line breaks.
North Queensland Cowboys 36 - Melbourne Storm 6
The Cowboys wonderful season continued Saturday night, making it six wins in a row after smashing the second placed Storm. In front of a record home crowd, the Cowboys convincingly beat the competition heavy weights six tries to one, once again proving they are a force to be reckoned with.
Leading 12-6 at halftime, the Cowboys ran away with the game after the break, scoring four tries in the space of 12 minutes. Chad Townsend was once again instrumental leading the team around in the halves, with a superb kicking game that resulted in two of the Cowboy's tries.
Murray Taulagi seems to become more acrobatic every game, producing a flying jump over the corner post to score his seventh four pointer of the year. Valentine Holmes had another perfect night with the boot, converting all six of his team tries.
The Cowboys lost both Kyle Feldt in the 16th minute and Jason Taumalolo in the 27th minute to injury, but still put on a spectacular performance with only a two-man bench for a large part of the game.
After their loss to the Panthers last week, many expected the Storm to bounce back as they very rarely lose two in a row. Despite missing players like Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jahrome Hughes, the Storm still had many of their stars on the field, and would not only be very disappointed with the result, but the fact they were held scoreless in the second half.
And if you can lip read, you may have been able to translate what Storm coach Craig Bellamy was screaming from the coach's box. I think he was saying what a great time he was having in Townsville.
Penrith Panthers 32 v Sydney Roosters 12
The Panthers mission for back-to-back premierships is shaping up perfectly, after beating the Roosters 32-12 on Saturday night. Another solid performance from Penrith showing why they are at the top of the NRL ladder.
It was a physical start to the game, with both teams being denied tries early due to beautiful goal line defence. Young Rooster Joseph Suaalii put on a fantastic textbook tackle against Viliame Kikau which will be showed on highlight reels for ages.
It took until the 28th minute for the game's first try, when Jarome Luai crossed for the Panthers. He backed it up only four minutes later, followed by one from Api Koroisau, and the premiers went to the break with a 18-0 lead.
A length of the field try in the 56th minute to Stephen Crichton stretched the lead to 24-0 and the Panthers seemed too hard to catch from there. Roosters Captain James Tedesco scored a few minutes later to give them some hope, but Penrith hardman James Fisher-Harris crossed shortly after and the game was well out of reach.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was put on report for a high tackle that led to an eight point try for the Panthers, and he found himself in the sin bin after an outburst directed at the referee that involved a naughty word caught by the microphones.
Nathan Cleary's perfect night of kicking continued, getting both goals connected to the try. Rooster Paul Momirovski scored with two minutes to go but the game was well and truly over.
Canberra Raiders 32 - South Sydney Rabbitohs 12
It was very easy being Green on Sunday, where the Raiders were just too good for the Bunnies in Dubbo.
Josh Papalii notched up his 250th game in style - running for 116m, making eight tackle breaks, and crossing for a try in his team's huge win.
The Raiders shot out to a 20-0 half time lead, with their opposition having absolutely no answers. When Canberra crossed again early in the second half through Matthew Timoko, the match was well and truly locked up. Damien Cook and Alex Johnston both crossed for the Bunnies, but it was too little too late.
Jordan Rapana and Hudson Young put in huge performances for Canberra, and the team welcomed back Jack Wighton from suspension, who played a pivotal role in the win.
A low completion rate of only 65 percent once again hurt the Bunnies, along with losing both Taane Milne and Tevita Tatola to head knocks. Coach Jason Demetriou admitted after the loss that he will be looking for an explanation from the NRL on Milne's assessment, saying "Taane has next to nothing wrong with him. We will be asking some questions about that decision, that's for sure."
The Bunnies now find themselves just clinging on to their 8th spot on the NRL ladder, with Canberra now right behind them.
Cronulla Sharks 25 - Gold Coast Titans 18
Sco-Mo may have lost the election, but his Sharks would have put a smile on his face after their win against the Titans on Sunday.
All eyes were on Cronulla, after their dreadful performance against the Raiders last week. With the Titan's causing an upset against the Dragons, and the weather on the Gold Coast terrible, this match was really anyone's to win.
It was a tight contest in the first 40 minutes, with the scores levelled at 6-all going to the break. Then Cronulla came out of the sheds and crossed for three quick tries to jump out to a 24-6 lead. The Titans scored two late tries in the game, giving them hope of a win or at least going to golden point. Nicho Hynes dashed their dreams with a cool-as-you-like field goal, giving the Sharks a seven-point victory.
Lachlan Miller, former rugby sevens Olympian, had a dream NRL debut as the Sharks fullback. Scoring a try and running for 250m, Miller helped ease the pain of the suspended Will Kennedy, and allowed Hynes to move back into the halves.
The problem will be who gets to wear the number one jersey next week, with coach Craig Fitzgibbon admitting after the game, "I'll be a brave man not to pick Will, but Lachy has showed he's capable and he's got utility value".
Topics: Rugby League, nrl, Australia