Tag: season

A terrific round of NRL has come to an end.

Big crowds and big scores were the theme of Anzac Round this year.

The NRL ladder is starting to take shape as we approach winter.

ABC Sport will be back next week for more live coverage of the NRL.

Goodnight.

Joe Tapine has spoken to ABC Sport following a 40-0 defeat.

Tapine’s missed tackle allowed Tom Hazelton to score in the first half.

“That’s gonna haunt me for a couple of weeks, that’s not up to my standards.”

It’s bad reading for Canberra fans.

This is the first time they have been kept scoreless since 2013, when they didn’t score against the Titans at Robina.

It’s the first time they have been held scoreless at home since 2012 against the Tigers.

A great outing for the Sharks.

They have easily accounted for the Raiders in Canberra.

Canberra were not good today — or in the words of Luke Lewis, boring.

Too easy for the Sharks.

They have their seventh try of the afternoon.

This time Jesse Ramien receives the pass from Nicho Hynes who carries two Raiders over the line for the try.

Another chance for the Raiders has been wasted.

Attacking the Sharks’ line, Nicho Hynes intercepts a pass and returns it to halfway.

The Raiders are back-peddling.

A couple of plays later and the Sharks are in again, Sione Katoa finishes off the passage by strolling into the corner.

Cronulla leads 36-0.

Nicho Hynes is a superstar.

The Sharks are coming out of their own end.

Final tackle after not many metres gained, and Hynes nails a 40/20.

Great kick. I don’t think the Canberra winger knew Hynes had kicked it from inside the 40-metre line.

Two plays later, Hynes takes the ball and carves through the Raiders’ defence to score.

And he kicks the goal.

What a couple of minutes from Hynes.

The Raiders get a full set of six starting just 10 metres away from the Sharks’ try line.

It comes after they received a penalty after Ronaldo Mulitalo hit someone late.

Ronaldo is on report.

The Sharks are in for their fourth try.

Briton Nikora scores his first try. 

The Sharks were awarded their first penalty of the afternoon and it allowed them to get into attacking range.

Last play, 10 metres out. Nicho Hynes goes short-side and delivers a great pass to Briton Nikora.

John Gibbs says Canberra’s goal line defence was not up to scratch during that passage.

Well done Will Kennedy.

Canberra’s Ethan
Strange  looked certain to score.

But Kennedy wraps around his ball and keeps the ball in the air, as Stange tries to ground it.

Stage knocks-on.

That is a fantastic effort.

Cronulla will want to return to the error-free football that guided them to an 18-0 lead.

The Raiders will think if they can convert one opportunity, more will come.

Hey Mike.

Thanks for reading.

Firstly, let’s not wish injury to anyone.

But, in your scenario I think Ben Hunt would be the starting hooker for the Maroons.

Max Plath is an interesting suggestion.

I think Reed Mahoney would probably be next in line.

Interesting debate.

Reporting by AAP

Newcastle fullback David Armstrong had a stunning debut in the absence of the injured Kalyn Ponga to help orchestrate an 18-14 upset win over the wasteful Dolphins.

And the Dolphins’ afternoon at Lang Park grew worse when captain Jesse Bromwich left the field in the second half with a calf injury.

The Knights also lost forward Daniel Saifiti to a lower leg injury.

Armstrong and Dolphins pocket dynamo Trai Fuller, in just his third NRL game, had a classic fullback battle and were two of the best players on the field.

The 23-year-old Armstrong scored the opening try and made a try-saving tackle on Fuller in the second half. He was magnificent under the high ball and in general play with his elusive running.

Ponga is set to miss 12 weeks with a Lisfranc injury to his foot but Armstrong showed coach Adam O’Brien he was more than ready to play at the top level.

Fuller was electric and brave but his teammates struggled to get out of second gear until it was too late.

Knights props Leo Thompson and Jacob Saifiti, in his 150th NRL game for the club, ripped in early to set up a 10-0 lead as a sluggish Dolphins outfit bumbled their way through the opening quarter of the match.

The visitors were rewarded for their discipline and patience when half Jackson Hastings threw a sublime inside ball to Armstrong who sliced over untouched.

Five-eighth Tyson Gamble found veteran Dane Gagai with a slick pass and the centre showed his experience to hit a hole and score.

The Dolphins didn’t get out of first gear until centre Jake Averillo blitzed opposite number Bradman Best and found second-rower Oryn Keeley, who scored his first NRL try against his former club.

Dolphins forward Kenny Bromwich failed a category two HIA and Knights forward Jed Cartwright was ruled out with an ankle injury, both in the first half.

Gagai waltzed over after the break after pathetic defence by the Dolphins allowed bench hooker Phoenix Crossland to burst into the clear.

The Dolphins bombed two tries, one when Averillo failed to collect a grubber kick through by Kodi Nikorima.

Nikorima set up Jamayne Isaako for a try and Averillo finished an electric movement, both in the last five minutes, but it was too little and too late.

The Sharks were on top for the first 25 minutes and they got three tries out of it.

But Cronulla made several errors, giving the Raiders a chance at the end of the half.

Canberra were wasteful, however, and could not make an imprint on the scoreboard.

A few more errors from the Sharks have put them on the back foot.

Nicho Hynes has kicked a goal line drop out, out on the full.

But Canberra dropped the ball on the third tackle.

Ricky Stuart is not having a happy 500th game as coach.

The Raiders have been given a few opportunities.

The Sharks were penalised for being downtown after a kick, and the Sharks a few minutes later spilled the ball on halfway.

This is a good chance for the Raiders to get their first points.

Directly after Danny Levi dropped the ball with the line begging, the Sharks marched downfield and scored.

Sione Katoa on the right wing strolls in as the Sharks finish off the nice play to his side of the field. 

Alarm bells are sounding for the Raiders.

Cronulla lead 18-0.

We were treated to a pair of really good games.

Brisbane and Penrith were the winners, but Wests and North Queensland were in the fight.

Thank-you for reading the ABC live blog through out the evening.

We will be back again tomorrow for the final two games of round eight.

Goodnight.

I had to take a second look at that statistic.

Brian To’o broke 18 tackles.

He scored a try and was solid in defence. A great 100th NRL match.

Penrith captain has spoken to ABC Sport following his side’s 26-20 win over the North Queensland Cowboys.

Yeo said errors were making life hard for the Panthers.

“I thought we did alright to hold on, but we’re just making it hard on ourselves at the minute,” he said.

“Two points is nice, but things to fix.

“Got out of jail on that one, I think.”

What a fight back from the Cowboys.

They will rue the intercept try on half time, and the drop ball which led to the try in the 44th minute.

But full credit to the Panthers.

Three starters were late withdrawals. But it didn’t matter.

It is next man up for the premiers.

Great game.

North Queensland were so close.

Kulikefu Finefeuiaki carried five Panthers over the try line, but was held up.

Valentine Holmes takes a crash ball, but he bobbles it.

Penrith will win.

It looked like a turnover of possession, but the Cowboys said a player was held back following a chip and chase.

The Bunker agrees.

They have a penalty 40 metres out, with two minutes to play.

Townsend was down, but he is back up.

The Cowboys survive.

They have three minutes to get one more try.

Dylan Edwards looked like he was going to score, but the home side held him out.

Can they march down the field?

Poor Semi Valemei.

He has dropped another high ball from Nathan Cleary.

Second one of the half.

Not the best catching technique.

But his teammates bail him out. Cowboys concede a goal line dropout and they regather it.

Penrith marched downfield with the help of a penalty for a crusher tackle.

The Panthers are looking to end the game right here.

High tackle. Penalty Penrith.

Oh, there is a head clash between two Cowboy players involved in the offending tackle.

Reuber Cotter and Reece Robson hit each other.

Robson is bleeding under his cheekbone.

Nathan Cleary kicks the goal and Penrith lead 26-20.

North Queensland are really asking questions of the premiers.

Jeremiah Nanai nearly crossed the line again, but 
Jarome Luai made a brilliant leg tackle.

Panthers hold on.

It’s three tries in a row for Jeremiah Nanai.

The Cowboys are marching here.

North Queensland received back-to-back penalties. Both were high tackles from Taylan May.

The Cowboys convert their great field position. They have found a method to success — and it is running hard.

They tried going around the Panthers’ defence in the first half.

In the second half, they have run right though the middle.

This time Jeremiah Nanai gets the short ball near the line and crashes over.

Kulikefu Finefeuiaki scores for the Cowboys.

North Queensland get rewarded for weight of possession.

Penrith worked so hard in defence, but eventually, the Cowboys figured out the puzzle.

The key was patience. They kept the pressure on.

Then Scott Drinkwater went from dummy half to the short-side, passed to Holmes, who then gave it to Kulikefu Finefeuiaki who crashed over.

Holmes is one from three with the boot.

Panthers lead 24-14.

The Cowboys marched up the field off the kick-off.

Kyle Feldt made a big run.

North Queensland get a few set restarts for infringements and forces a goal line drop out.

Can the Cowboys score again?

And it takes them one play to score.

Valentine Holmes gets the ball off the scrum (second scrum after an offside penalty was awarded) and he steps off his left foot and crashes over.

Liam Martin was unable to bring him down.

Penrith lead 24-10.

The Cowboys get a full set from 10 metres out.

Dylan Edwards drops the ball.

It was probably knocked out by a Cowboy, but the Panthers have wasted their challenge.

Liam Martin has been given a gift.

Cowboys’ winger Semi Valemei dropped a fairly innocuous high-kick, and Martin collected the ball in stride and crashed over.

Nathan Cleary kicks the conversion. That is his 600th goal for the Panthers.

Adam Reynolds joined ABC Sport after Brisbane’s win over the Tigers.

After being told Payne Haas called him a fossil following cramps, Adam Reynolds said that is one of the nicer things he gets called at Red Hill.

“Cramps … not the best. I cop all sorts of nicknames at the club, that’s (fossil) probably one of the nicer ones.”

Reece Walsh has spoken to ABC Sport after his eventful evening in Campbelltown.

“I was cramping and spewing up a little bit there but I’ll probably have a chat to the dietician and see what we can work on so I can get that s*** stuff out,”