Tag: try

With the business end of the NRL season fast approaching, Newcastle, North Queensland and the Sydney Roosters all scored key victories to stay in the finals hunt. 

Check out all the news, scores and stats below.

Newcastle Knights 26 def Melbourne Storm 18

Newcastle have kept their fairytale finals bid alive with a 26-18 upset defeat of Melbourne that breaks an 11-game NRL losing streak against the Storm.

On Saturday night, the Knights were gutsier and more entertaining than they have been all year, coming back from 12-0 down after eight minutes to steal a famous victory at home.

Melbourne forward Tariq Sims went to the sin bin for a high shot that proved game-defining — Newcastle scored three tries while they were a man up and never surrendered their lead.

NSW centre Bradman Best continued his blistering form since making his State of Origin debut earlier this month, while teammate Tyson Frizell celebrated his imminent contract extension with two offloads that led to Newcastle tries.

It will still take something special for the Novocastrians to make finals from here — they must win four of their final six games to finish the season with a winning record and even that may not guarantee a top-eight finish.

But defeating the fourth-placed Storm for the first time since 2015 could prove the confidence boost the side needs, and on the run home, they face only three more top-eight sides.

Sims went to the sin bin just before half time for a high shot on Knights halfback Jackson Hastings and, while he was off the field, the Knights had 90 per cent possession to turn a 12-10 deficit into a 24-12 lead.

Lachlan Fitzgibbon scored a spectacular team try just before the break, the ball passing through eight players’ hands before it went to the tryline,

Just after the break, bench prop Mat Croker chased a Phoenix Crossland grubber kick for an uncharacteristically acrobatic four-pointer.

Newcastle’s biggest challenge was always going to be keeping the momentum going when the Storm regained their full complement of players.

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Justin Olam scored from a routine scrum play to bring the scoreline back to 24-18 and the levee appeared primed for the breaking.

But as was the case in their win last week, the Storm lacked polish in attack. When they conceded an offside penalty in the final 10 minutes, Kalyn Ponga kicked for goal and the Knights held on.

Best again lived up to his name as the Knights clawed back into the contest.

He ran a beautiful line to cut through the inside of Reimis Smith for a try at close range and managed a one-handed offload that sent his winger Greg Marzhew over to give Newcastle their first lead.

Storm centre Reimis Smith left the field with a suspected torn adductor in the second half and appears set for a stint on the sidelines.

North Queensland Cowboys 24 def Parramatta Eels 16

North Queensland have claimed a sixth straight win, continuing their surge up the NRL ladder with a 24-16 home defeat of Parramatta.

On Saturday night, fullback Scott Drinkwater again starred and continued his purple patch of form, moving to six tries and 11 try assists in his last six games.

The Cowboys punished an error-strewn Eels side that struggled until the final 15 minutes, when they turned on two quick tries and flirted with a miraculous comeback.

Mitchell Moses and Clint Gutherson combined twice in the final minutes to narrow the deficit to eight, and a penalty with three minutes to go had the Eels poised.

But as had been the trend, errors let Brad Arthur’s side down and the Cowboys held on.

In front of a 20,710 crowd that cried for revenge following last year’s preliminary final loss to the Eels at home, the Cowboys ran in four tries to three and handed much-loved utility Jake Granville a win in his milestone 200th NRL game.

The win moves North Queensland to seventh on the NRL ladder, two points clear of South Sydney in ninth and the Eels in eighth.

Parramatta face a tough run home to round 27 and. making matters worse, Shaun Lane departed the field in the second half with a suspected dislocated elbow. The Eels were already missing Reagan Campbell-Gillard, Maika Sivo and Dylan Brown to suspension.

The Cowboys began in hot form with early tries via a scampering run by Tom Dearden and another piece of magic by Drinkwater.

Dearden scuttled across field until he found a hole in the line and found Peta Hiku for the opener, with Drinkwater floating a pass out to Semi Valemei six minutes later for their second.

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An error inside their own 10-metre line gave the Eels a chance they’d capitalise on, Sean Russell diving over in the corner to narrow the deficit to 12-4.

Both teams traded sets, errors and penalties through the midpoint of the half and a Drinkwater run from behind his own goal line seemed to swing momentum.

Off the back of a penalty, a simple hands play to the right edge put Valemei over to complete a first-half double, his seventh try in six games this season.

And when faced with a barrage of yellow and blue attack to end the first half, the Cowboys held their nerve even whilst a man down to take a 16-4 lead into the break.

The Cowboys were without Jeremiah Nanai (shoulder) and Griffin Neame (HIA) in the second half.

Sydney Roosters 36 def Gold Coast Titans 12

James Tedesco has turned on a masterclass performance in the Sydney Roosters’ 36-18 win over Gold Coast to keep the Tricolours’ NRL finals hopes flickering.

The skipper copped criticism for taking a break and visiting Byron Bay with his family last week after a gruelling State of Origin series and a season of scrutiny due to his club team’s poor form.

The break, suggested by his coach Trent Robinson, seemed to be just the tonic he needed.

Tedesco was everywhere at Skilled Park on Saturday in an opening half for the ages as prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and his fellow forwards tore through the Titans.

The win took the Roosters to 22 points and just two points outside the top eight with six rounds remaining. If they can replicate this kind of form they will remain in the finals hunt.

The Roosters had not scored 30 points in any match previously this year but they led 30-nil at the break.

Tedesco started off with a slick piece of ball-playing to hold a pass up to send Egan Butcher over.

Minutes later Tedesco slipped a ball to send Butcher careering through a hole. The skipper backed up on the inside to race away and score.

The NSW captain wasn’t done. Later in the half he burst onto a Luke Keary inside ball to send Nat Butcher over to make it 30-nil.

It was Harlem Globetrotters style by the Roosters who were dominant through the middle and creative right across the park.

Prop Lindsay Collins bullocked his way over and winger Joseph Suaalii leapt high to snaffle a bomb in a five-try extravaganza in the first half.

Tedesco put his body on the line to snaffle a Kieran Foran grubber with desperation on the cusp of half-time to showcase his mindset.

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The carnage abated in the second half, but Tedesco’s commitment didn’t. He came from the clouds to crunch Titans centre Brian Kelly and save a try.

The Titans, stuck on 20 competition points, had lost their previous three games by less than four points in controversial circumstances.

After playing so well for a month and not getting the rewards on the NRL ladder they appeared drained. They got what they deserved in the first half but rallied in the second with three late tries.

Titans coach Jim Lenihan replaced halfback Tanah Boyd with 20 minutes remaining and inserted electric utility Jayden Campbell off the bench in a sign of a positional move he may yet make permanent in future.

Roosters forward Nat Butcher was put on report for a hip-drop tackle on Titans winger Phil Sami.

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Manly kept in touch with the top eight with a desperate win over Sydney Roosters at Brookvale, thanks to last-ditch defence and two tries from Daly Cherry-Evans.

Earlier, the Newcastle Knights run riot against the Bulldogs at the Olympic stadium.

The Sea Eagles breathed new life into their sputtering season with an 18-16 defeat of the Sydney Roosters, whose own campaign is on a knife-edge as the finals draw nearer.

With his pair of tries, Cherry-Evans was a stand-out in Sunday’s see-sawing clash between two of the season’s biggest underachievers, before a late four-pointer to Ben Trbojevic sealed the result.

NSW captain James Tedesco was strong for the Roosters without silencing debate as to his State of Origin credentials once-and-for-all.

The fullback finished with a game-high 272 run metres and by backing Nat Butcher up on a line break scored the try that regained the lead in the second half.

He found himself trapped in-goal from Cherry-Evans kicks twice, though, and turned the ball over in the red zone just when the Roosters had the chance to land the knockout blow in the second half.

Announced on Monday morning, Brad Fittler’s team sheet will reveal Tedesco’s Origin fate, with Dylan Edwards and Scott Drinkwater vying for a chance in Origin III on July 12.

Jake Trbojevic made an early return for Manly, and the 15-time Blue put his own hand up for NSW selection with a workmanlike effort yielding 127 metres and 35 tackles.

Cherry-Evans helped the Sea Eagles hit back after the Roosters drew first blood.

Returning from an elbow injury, centre Brad Parker burst down the left flank and managed an offload to Reuben Garrick, whose chip kick sat up perfectly for his captain.

Just when Tedesco’s own support run looked to have put the Roosters back in front at the half, Cherry-Evans picked off an errant Luke Keary pass and dashed 40 metres to confirm a first-half double.

Joseph Manu had a busy night on the Roosters’ right edge.

His flick pass gave winger Junior Pauga the first try of the day, and with a burst of speed after half-time, the centre restored the lead with a try of his own.

But that was before Josh Schuster, fresh from signing a contract extension, put the youngest Trbojevic through a hole to help Manly finally make good on repeated chances.

The win moves Manly into 11th spot on the ladder, three points adrift of the eighth-placed Warriors with nine rounds remaining.

The Roosters finish the round in 13th, four points from the top eight.

They have now lost six of their last eight games and face four current top-eight sides in their last eight matches.

Roosters hooker Jake Turpin knocked himself out attempting to tackle Christian Tuipulotu in the first half and did not return after being sent for a head injury assessment.

Repeat offender Victor Radley was placed on report for a high shot on Taniela Paseka in the second half and is likely to face scrutiny from the match review committee, given his record.

Bulldogs blown away by the Knights

Newcastle Knights have relieved some of the pressure on beleaguered coach Adam O’Brien with a crushing, record-setting 66-0 NRL romp over hapless Canterbury.

Disgusted Bulldogs fans booed their own team as the Knights piled on 11 unanswered tries to snap a three-game losing streak and, hopefully for O’Brien’s sake, shift the coaching spotlight on veteran Wests Tigers mentor Tim Sheens.

O’Brien conceded last week he was most likely the next coach in line to lose his job if he couldn’t dig the Knights out of their mid-season hole.

His charges responded to put the Bulldogs to the sword at Sydney’s Olympic stadium and leave Sheens as the new front-runner to follow sacked Gold Coast boss Justin Holbrook to the coaching scrap heap.

The Tigers’ 74-0 capitulation to North Queensland on Saturday quickly sparked calls for the 72-year-old to step aside and allow club legend Benji Marshall to take over immediately rather than in 2025 as planned.

While the Tigers slumped to the bottom of the ladder after suffering the largest hiding in 88 years of premiership rugby league, Newcastle’s decisive victory eclipsed the Knights’ previous best 60-0 rout of South Sydney in 1999 and revived the 13th-placed side’s’ slim hopes of a late charge to the finals.

They are guaranteed another two competition points next week for the bye, then host the Tigers in round 21 in a real opportunity to continue climbing the ladder in the coming fortnight.

If Cameron Ciraldo wasn’t so highly regarded by Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould, he’d also be in the firing line after a dismal month for the Belmore boys.

The Bulldogs coach apologised to supporters after the game.

“A very tough day. It’s not a great moment. It’s an embarrassing moment, it’s a disappointing moment. It’s not what you want,” Ciraldo said.

“We knew things would be hard this year at different times but probably not this hard.

“But it is what it is. Clubs go through these times, teams go through these times and it shows your real character and that’s what I’m interested in right now — the character of our team, the character of our club and the character of individuals within that team and club.” 

After jeering Ciraldo’s side when they trudged to the sheds trailing 32-0 at half-time, droves of spectators filed out soon after the break when it was apparent there was no way back for the Bulldogs, who have now leaked 193 points in their past four defeats.

O’Brien will welcome some of the heat being on others this week after Kayln Ponga, Bradman Best and Jackson Hastings ignited Newcastle’s attack with inspired running games.

Ponga had a hand in six of Newcastle’s tries and slotted 11 conversions from 11 for a 22-point haul. Best bagged a hat-trick, while Hastings and hooker Phoenix Crossland each a double.

Despite his lively display, Ponga isn’t expected to earn a State of Origin recall after Queensland coach Billy Slater earlier on Sunday all but ruled out the electrifying fullback replacing the suspended Reece Walsh for game three in Sydney on July 12.

Ironically, Canterbury utility Matt Burton appears the player most likely to step into the NSW centres despite the Dogs’ latest capitulation.

But Blues coach Brad Fittler may be having second thoughts, while also be considering discarding Burton’s teammates Josh Addo-Carr and Tevita Pangai Junior for Origin III.

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In one of the darkest days in Wests Tigers history, the joint venture has conceded a record score in their 74-0 loss to North Queensland. 

Earlier, Canberra held on for a narrow victory against Gold Coast before Brisbane found the winning touch against the Dolphins. 

Check out all the live scores and stats below.

North Queensland 74 def Wests Tigers 0

North Queensland have served up a cold dish of revenge in a record-breaking 74-0 thrashing of Wests Tigers in front of a sell-out crowd in Townsville.

Six weeks after the Tigers humbled the Cowboys 66-18 in Sydney, the hosts ran in 13 unanswered tries to record the biggest winning margin of the NRL era.

The margin eclipses Parramatta’s 74-4 defeat of Cronulla in 2003.

It is also the third highest of all-time behind Canterbury’s 85-point and 80-point losses to St George and Eastern Suburbs respectively in 1935.

Seven tries were scored in the first half and a further six in the second as records fell at North Queensland Stadium.

The Cowboys posted their highest score and victory margin and hit 50 points for the first time under coach Todd Payten while inflicting the hapless Tigers’ worst-ever loss.

Valentine Holmes also registered the most individual points in a game by a Cowboys player, scoring 30 to surpass Jonathan Thurston and Josh Hannay who had 24-point hauls.

Scott Drinkwater ran amuck and continued his scintillating form with two tries, three try-assists, four line-assists and two tackle busts.

Tom Dearden was exceptional and bagged a try, six tackle busts, three line-assists and a career-high four try assists.

Murray Taulagi registered a second career hattrick, Holmes had two tries and Semi Valemei also collected a double.

North Queensland accumulated 2072-run metres to the Tigers’ 902 in a complete and utter domination.

It all kicked off after 14 minutes.

The Tigers’ misery and North Queensland’s euphoria began off a Coen Hess break in midfield with Dearden dummying through a defensive line to begin the avalanche.

Junior Tupou spilled a Chad Townsend bomb following a strong Cowboys set from the restart and Valemei pounced, before the Cowboys made it three tries in as many sets when Dearden scampered down the blindside.

Dearden found Drinkwater offloaded to Luciano Leilua for a try against his former club.

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He was in the mix again minutes later, this time sending David Nofoaluma spinning with a wicked step after some sumptuous reverse passes with Holmes and Taulagi.

His break led to Drinkwater scoring his first, with a second to follow shortly after when the fullback ran a tight line off Townsend’s shoulder in a silky move.

Alex Twal was sin-binned for 10 minutes for a hip-drop tackle on Leilua and the Cowboys ran in two more tries through Taulagi and Holmes to set their biggest halftime score in club history and average more than a point a minute.

In the second half, Valemei and Taulagi crossed within 10 minutes after the restart before Taulagi crossed for two more tries.

Jeremiah Nanai joined the action with one of his own and in the final minute, Jordan McLean joined the long list of scorers to bring up 70 points off a Reece Robson grubberkick.

Brisbane 24 vs The Dolphins 16

A magical piece of individual brilliance by Brisbane winger and hat-trick hero Selwyn Cobbo has been the difference in a thrilling 24-16 win over the Dolphins at the Gabba.

The Dolphins fought back from a 10-point deficit at halftime to lead 16-14 with 12 minutes to go on Saturday night when Cobbo showcased the rare talent that he is.

The 21-year-old ran backwards to collect an errant pass near the sideline before chipping the ball ahead from 25m out.

Cobbo ran around Dolphins defenders to retrieve the ball, keep his elbow up off the ground as he neared the line and score one of the best individual tries of the NRL season.

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He iced the cake with a late dart down the sideline to score his third for the night and break Dolphins hearts.

The Gabba had not hosted a rugby league game since Australia played New Zealand in 1956.

The sold-out crowd of 30,606 was treated to a ‘Battle of Brisbane’ thriller.

The Dolphins had an early Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow try disallowed due to an obstruction on Brisbane captain Adam Reynolds.

The Broncos soon found their groove.

Cobbo streaked past opposite number Tesi Niu to score. Halves Reynolds and Ezra Mam then combined to send centre Herbie Farnworth in to give the Broncos a 10-nil lead in the 22nd minute.

The presence of Tabuai-Fidow in the centres had Brisbane centre Kotoni Staggs second guessing himself in defence and the Dolphins responded superbly with a right-to-left movement that sent Kodi Nikorima over.

Farnworth crashed through again off a Mam pass and at halftime the Broncos appeared in control with a 16-6 lead.

The Dolphins suffered a major blow when veteran forward Felise Kaufusi failed an HIA in the 17th minute but they refused to relent.

Blockbusting Dolphins centre Valynce Te Whare crashed over three Broncos defenders to narrow the deficit to just four after the break and it was game on.

The Dolphins started to find their mojo and Brisbane faded under the onlsaught.

Hooker Jeremy Marshall-King darted over from dummy-half to give the Dolphins a 16-14 lead in the 63rd minute and an upset was on the cards.

Cobbo turned the game and made sure the Broncos (12-5) moved back to second spot on the ladder.

The Dolphins (7-9) suffered their fourth consecutive loss and must start winning to have a hope of playing finals.

Canberra 26 def Gold Coast 22

Canberra have jumped to fifth on the NRL ladder with another close-run win, this time holding off Gold Coast 26-22 at GIO Stadium.

The Raiders led 12-0 early and looked on track for a big result before a Titans fightback forced them to once again grind out a narrow victory, their 10th success of the season by eight points or less.

Queensland State of Origin hopeful Corey Horsburgh did all he could to seal his spot in Billy Slater’s 17 for game three with a workmanlike 110m, 46-tackle display.

But it was NSW representative Hudson Young who sealed the win, powering over from close range six minutes from time to give his Raiders an eight-point buffer.

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Gold Coast captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui scored with two minutes left to give his side the smallest of chances for a comeback.

Titans powerhouse David Fifita had done everything possible to keep his side in it, running for 146m, scoring a first-half try and producing a stunning try assist for Alofiana Khan-Pereira to get them back within two points with 18 to go.

Having threatened to throw away a 12-point advantage, Canberra got a huge boost when Matt Timoko ran the length of the field to score on 50 minutes and break them 18-10 clear.

In a potential 12-point swing, Titans winger Khan-Pereira had looked certain to score before a diving try-saver from Canberra halfback Jamal Fogarty, with the Raiders gathering the loose ball and running 100m.

But it was a hard call to cop for Titans fans, aggrieved the try was given with referee Todd Smith playing advantage for a knock-on when Khan-Pereira lost the ball.

It was the second controversial call against the visitors, denied an equalising try on halftime with Fifita judged to have pushed Fogarty in chasing a kick, although it appeared the Raiders halfback had stopped in the line to deny him scoring.

Canberra scored in the first set of the match via winger Albert Hopoate and soon after, No.1 Seb Kris flew high to ground Fogarty’s on-point kick.

Fifita got the Titans on the board, first offloading to Khan-Pereira before gathering the winger’s grubber to score.

But after being denied their equaliser, Jojo Fifita quickly knotted things up after the break courtesy of a smart ball from AJ Brimson.

Likely Maroons No.1 Brimson was solid and threw a great try assist although he looked shaky under the high ball at times, completely losing track of a Jack Wighton spiral bomb.

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The Gold Coast Titans have scored an upset 18-12 NRL win over the ladder leading Brisbane Broncos at Lang Park.

Elsewhere, North Queensland thrashed the lacklustre Rabbitohs in Sydney and the Raiders edged the Roosters in a thriller at the SFS.

In Brisbane, former Bronco David Fifita came back to haunt his former club in a man-of-the-match display to inspire a Gold Coast team in crisis at the start of the week.

The Titans back-rower scored a try and set one up either side of half-time in a Sunday afternoon thriller in front of 42,249 fans at Lang Park.

With former head coach Justin Holbrook sacked on Thursday, there was always going to be a question mark over how the players would respond with interim coach Jimmy Lenihan at the helm.

Without inspirational captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, rested after his State of Origin heroics for Queensland, the Titans were superb.

The Broncos had all four of their Origin players on deck but they were well off the pace.

Gold Coast took it to the Broncos for the majority of the first half but the hosts scrambled well despite struggling to find their groove in attack.

Parramatta have entered the NRL’s top eight for the first time this season after smashing Manly at home. 

In other results, the Roosters snuck home against Newcastle and Melbourne were far too sharp for Wests Tigers. 

Parramatta Eels 34 def Sea Eagles 4

Parramatta are in the NRL top eight for the first time this season after a Clint Gutherson masterclass inspired a 34-4 win over traditional rivals Manly.

Both sides were without State of Origin stars but fullback Gutherson took it upon himself to lift his troops at Parramatta Stadium in front of the club’s Old Boys.

His first-half display was pure class and included a try from dummy-half, a try assist for rampaging centre Bailey Simmonson and a crucial ball strip when Manly prop Taniela Paseka was over the line.

He kept that going in the second stanza.

The hosts led 24-4 at the break and when the Eels No.1 set up Simonsson for his second after the break it was game over.

Gutherson also took on the goal-kicking duties from absent NSW half Mitchell Moses and landed five from six against his former club.

The Eels leapfrogged an out-of-sorts Sea Eagles outfit to record their fourth consecutive win and move to 18 points.

Their positive points difference of 104 will keep them inside the top eight by the end of the round no matter what other results unfold.

Eels prop Ofahiki Ogden and lock J’maine Hopgood were both outstanding for the hosts while Simonsson was red-hot in the centres.

Ryan Matterson played No.6 for the first time since 2019, when he was at Wests Tigers, and did a stellar job in partnership with halfback Daejarn Asi who kicked superbly while filling in for Moses

Manly fullback Kaeo Weekes was sent to the sin-bin in the ninth minute for a professional foul on Hopgood as he chased a kick and the Eels scored twice through Ogden and Simonsson.

The Sea Eagles never looked likely from that moment and were rudderless without their skipper Daly Cherry-Evans who is in camp with Queensland.

The Eels forwards were dominant and out-muscled their opponents.

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Manly winger Jason Saab had a horror night under the high ball and dropped two bombs in the first half that led to points.

Hopgood was a handful in attack and rock-solid in defence and barged through threadbare Manly line to score in the first half.

The 24-year-old has been close to securing a Queensland jersey and reconfirmed why he has been earmarked as a future Maroons forward.

Manly halfback Jake Arthur played against his former club and father, Eels coach Brad Arthur, but was in a team that was outclassed across the park.

Melbourne Storm 28 def Wests Tigers 6

Wests Tigers prop Alex Twal has scored a long-awaited first NRL try but Melbourne spoiled his celebrations with a 28-6 win as Storm winger Will Warbrick crossed four times.

Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes took charge with Cameron Munster and Harry Grant away on State of Origin duty and his composure in attack was the difference between the understrength sides.

The match was the Tigers’ first since injured Luke Brooks rejected their contract offer and their directionless attack reiterated the urgent need to finalise a halves pairing for 2024.

In the absence of Brooks and hooker Api Koroisau, makeshift halves pairing Starford To’a and Brandon Wakeham were incapable of turning brief periods of dominance into points.

The loss was Wests’ third in a row, leaving their promising May firmly in the past and consigning them to last spot on the ladder.

But in his 116th first-grade game, Twal put to rest one of the NRL’s longest-running gags.

Wakeham’s cross-field kick ricocheted from Melbourne hands onto the turf midway through the first half and Twal reached out to ground it just one minute after coming on from the bench.

Twal’s teammates immediately swarmed him and referee Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski struggled to suppress a smile as he awarded the try.

Cheers of ‘Twally’ rang out across Campbelltown Stadium.

The try clearly encouraged the Tigers but the Storm were patient and claimed a 14-6 halftime lead thanks to Hughes and his golden boot.

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He put a bomb up for Warbrick’s second try and then dribbled a grubberkick through for Tyran Wishart, whose first try in 22 NRL games wasn’t quite as popular with the crowd as Twal’s.

Warbrick’s other three tries were simpler, coming as the Storm shifted the ball right through hands to bamboozle the laggard defence.

The Storm would have won more convincingly had Nick Meaney brought his kicking boots; the fullback nailed only two of six attempts at goal.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona could attract scrutiny from the match review committee for striking stand-in Tigers captain John Bateman with an open palm off the ball in the second half.

Bateman appeared to shove the big Storm forward as he attempted to play the ball, prompting the moment of rage and ensuing melee.

Melbourne’s Tom Eisenhuth was placed on report for a crusher tackle on To’a and could join Asofa-Solomona on the charge sheet.

Sydney Roosters 18 def Newcastle Knights 16

A shocking jaw injury for star five-eighth Luke Keary has soured the Sydney Roosters’ much-needed NRL win against Newcastle.

Three straight first-half tries and one of their best defensive displays of the season helped the visitors hold on at Hunter Stadium and to 18 competition points on Saturday.

They had to dig deep late after an 18-6 advantage was trimmed to just 18-16 with 10 minutes to play via an 80m fumble return from Newcastle centre Bradman Best, but found a way to stifle the Knights and cling to victory.

But the massive injury for Keary has left the Roosters once again needing to shuffle their halves combination, the five-eighth leaving the game on 25 minutes with a suspected fractured jaw.

Keary copped an accidental boot from Dominic Young, as he made a defensive play on the winger who scored a try that was later pulled back on review.

It’s the second jaw injury for Keary this year, having broken it in a pre-season training incident.

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Bench utility Drew Hutchison moved into the halves in his absence to pair with Sandon Smith on his starting debut, the Roosters’ most likely combination moving forward with Sam Walker sidelined due to a knee injury.

Joey Manu relished his move out of the halves and once again looked a complete natural at No.1, running for a whopping 295m and scoring a first-half try with perfect back-up play through the middle of the field.

They led 18-6 after falling behind early, their most impressive try Nat Butcher’s equaliser off the back of a slicing run from Smith who looked more than capable in the halves.

Manu grabbed the lead soon after and winger Daniel Tupou extended it, capping a lengthy stand in Knights territory with some much-deserved points.

Young had opened the scoring thanks to a dynamic run from Kalyn Ponga, with the Knights fullback putting on a clinic to help his side back into the game in the second half.

Ponga put in another brilliant shift at No.1, running for 173m to go with seven tackle busts and a try assist.

Newcastle arguably did enough to win the game with five line breaks to three, with handling errors in key positions combined with a complete lack of red-zone creativity providing another blow to their chances of playing finals.

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The first Saturday of the NRL season is in the books and Tom Trbojevic made every post a winner while Daly Cherry-Evans raced in his first career hattrick as Manly smashed Canterbury 31-6 to open their NRL season.

Later on, North Queensland held off a furious Canberra fightback to win 19-18 before South Sydney put together a statement performance in a 27-18 victory over Cronulla. 

Check out all the scores and stats below.

Manly Sea Eagles 31 def Canterbury Bulldogs 6

Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic have ensured new coach Anthony Seibold’s era at Manly got off to a winning start, starring in a 31-6 NRL defeat of Canterbury.

Playing in his first match since he dislocated his shoulder last May, Trbojevic scored one try and had a hand in two others as Manly controlled Saturday’s match at 4 Pines Park.

Cherry-Evans bagged a hat-trick of tries and kicked a field goal, while the Sea Eagles ended the seven-match losing streak that snuffed out their 2022 campaign after the Pride Jersey saga.

For new Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo, the loss highlighted concerns around his team’s pack with Luke Thompson and Tevita Pangai both missing through injury.

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Manly dominated the Bulldogs’ inexperienced pack through the middle, allowing them to spend the majority of the match on the front foot.

The game wasn’t without drama though, with the Sea Eagles scoring two tries while Kyle Flanagan was controversially sin-binned.

With scores locked at 6-6 shortly before half time, Flanagan was punished by the bunker for lightly pushing Trbojevic in pursuit of a grubber kick.

Manly then scored down Flanagan’s left edge minutes later, when Trbojevic and Kelma Tualagi put winger Reuben Garrick over untouched.

With Flanagan still off early in the second half, the Sea Eagles were then able to extend their lead to 12 when Cherry-Evans toed the ball ahead three times and dotted down after a Paul Alamoti error.

In reality though, Manly were the better team throughout.

They scored first when Trbojevic toed ahead a Cherry-Evans grubber kick, and the pair combined again in the second half for the halfback to score after a Taniela Paseka bust.

Trbojevic’s timing was still not perfect and at stages he stopped himself from breaking into full flight, but he got through unscathed after the $50,000 trip to the US to work on his problematic hamstrings.

Manly pulled the superstar fullback from the field with 16 minutes to play to protect him, but he returned moments later when Lachlan Croker suffered a concussion.

Cherry-Evans then iced the match with a 50-metre intercept for his third try, as Canterbury looked every bit a side with eight new faces from last year.

Matt Burton’s bombs were dangerous when on target, but he and Viliame Kikau both put kicks out on the full while another kick off from the five-eighth also went astray.

Kikau was well contained, with Max King the sole Bulldogs forward to exceed 80 run metres.

The Bulldogs’ one try came when hooker Reed Mahoney collected his own grubber kick off the posts and was ruled to have got the ball to ground without dropping it.

South Sydney Rabbitohs 27 def Cronulla Sharks 18

South Sydney have heaped more pain on Cronulla to open their 2023 NRL campaign with a stirring 27-18 victory over the Sharks at PointsBet Stadium.

Six months after ending Cronulla’s 2022 season with a 38-12 semi-final demolition job, the Rabbitohs returned to haunt a sellout Saturday night crowd in the Shire with a brave and bruising display in a pulsating encounter between two of the competition heavyweights.

Souths lost Tevita Tatola in the opening minute after the prop came off second best in a heavy head clash in the first hit-up of the match with Cronulla captain Dale Finucane.

Fellow middle man Jai Arrow didn’t see the first half out after succumbing to a hamstring injury while Rabbitohs fans breathed a huge sigh relief after superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell carried on after receiving lengthy treatment for a leg issue.

Thankfully for Souths fans, playmaker Lachlan Ilias came to the party with a rousing performance as the Sharks were unable to overcome the absence of injured Dally M Medallist Nicho Hynes.

Team stats

Hynes’ halfback replacement Braydon Trindall was close to Cronulla’s best but he couldn’t get the hosts home as the Sharks’ defeat was compounded by having Braden Hamlin-Uele and Wade Graham placed on report.

Graham, in particular, could be in strife for a high tackle on Oregon Kaufusi that prompted referee Todd Smith to tell the veteran back-rower: “you left the ground to make contact with the head” before banishing him to the sin bin.

Officials could have called the game off at halftime and fans of both sides probably would have been happy, having seen it all in a wild opening 40 minutes of ebbs and flows and the downright bizarre.

Fittingly, the score was locked up at 12-12 at the break after both teams crossed the line four times, but were only awarded two tries each.

Ilias denied Cronulla winger Ronaldo Mulitalo a try early with a miracle tackle eerily similar to George Gregan’s famous Bledisloe Cup save on Jeff Wilson almost 30 years ago.

A minute later, Ilias crossed himself down the other end to give the Rabbitohs the lead before Mulitalo produced his own defensive heroics to prevent Izaac Tu’itupou Thompson from scoring what seemed a certain try.

There was redemption for Trindall, too.

After his floating pass to put Sione Katoa in the right corner was ruled forward, Hynes’ playmaking deputy scored himself moments later in a rare play featuring five chipkicks and grubberkicks between Trindall and Sharks fullback Will Kennedy.

Then it was Keaon Koloamatangi’s turn to atone, with the Souths back-rower spilling the ball over the line, before making good with a four-pointer shortly after to put the Rabbitohs back in front.

But Trindall had the final say of the helter-skelter half, slotting a sideline conversion after Katao couldn’t be denied a second time seconds before the siren sounded.

But it was Souths’ second half as a double from Campbell Graham blew the game open before Teig Wilton bagged a late consolation try for the Sharks.

North Queensland Cowboys 19 def Canberra Raiders 18

A Chad Townsend field goal five minutes from fulltime has edged North Queensland past Canberra 19-18 in a see-sawing NRL round-one contest in Townsville.

With the clock ticking down, Harley Smith-Shields’ error on a short-side play gifted the Cowboys a scrum in midfield and on tackle four Townsend made no mistake from 20 metres to kick his side to a winning start in 2023.

Townsend’s kick salvaged a disastrous second half for the home side, who — after dominating the opening period — completely capitulated offensively and offered the resilient Raiders a way back into the contest.

Team stats

North Queensland had dominated the opening proceedings, playing with patience, confidence and spark to gain territory and possession.

That swagger quickly disappeared in the second half with consecutive errors within five minutes. The Raiders wrangled momentum with hard, straight running and short passing from contact to wear the Cowboys down.

Tom Starling made the most of a deflected kick to score Canberra’s second try in the 53rd minute before Kyle Feldt’s spilled ball off a short drop-out gifted Jack Wighton their third.

That made it three unanswered tries from the visitors, Jamal Fogarty nailing a sideline conversion to tie the game at 18-18 with 20 minutes remaining.

The players were out on their feet in the sticky Townsville conditions but it was the Cowboys who coped best in a manic finish to end Canberra’s four-year round-one winning streak.

It took North Queensland 15 minutes to open their 2023 scoring account after constant and sustained pressure on the Raiders’ try-line.

The Cowboys had 73 per cent possession through 15 minutes and 17 tackles inside the Raiders’ 20m zone.

Murray Taulagi grabbed North Queensland’s opener with a left-hand diving finish, before Scott Drinkwater added a second after a deft inside grubber kick by Townsend.