NRL Weekly Wrap: Everything we saw in Round 4

Eels grab first win of season in heart-stopping Grand Final rematch

The Eels are winless no more after a stunning, golden-point win over defending premiers and arch rivals Penrith at CommBank Stadium on Thursday night.

Parramatta were on top for much of the first half but the score was locked at eight-apiece before a try to debutant Brendan Hands gave Parramatta a 14-8 lead 58 minutes in.

The lead was soon eight after Mitchell Moses slotted through a penalty goal before Zac Hosking scored in his club debut to bring the Panthers within two.

With just 20 seconds on the clock and 65 metres to travel, Penrith were in dire straits before a Junior Paulo high shot saw the damaging prop binned as Penrith found touch 40 out.

Enter star seven Nathan Cleary who nails a 44-metre, two-point field goal off the tap to send it to golden-point.

A minute into golden-point, Penrith nine Mitch Kenny was binned for a high shot on Waqa Blake to make it 12-on-12.

In the corresponding set, Mitchell Moses kicked a walk-off one-pointer from 20 out to lift Parramatta to their first win of 2023.

Moses’ kicking game proved the difference in more ways than one – not only did the Lebanese international kick the match-winning field goal but he also kicked for an NRL record 1,006 metres from 26 kicks.

Reagan Campbell-Gillard ran for a team-high 255 metres from 24 carries and made 27 tackles.

The work-rate of Penrith’s back three was superb with Dylan Edwards, Sunia Turuva, and Brian To’o combining for 872 metres from 80 carries.

Wests Tigers drop to 0-4 after Melbourne loss

The Wests Tigers remain the only winless side in the premiership four rounds in after falling to Melbourne 24-12 at AAMI Park on Friday evening.

Melbourne leapt out to a 22-6 halftime lead and looked poised to go on with things, however, Tim Sheens’ men showed off a level of ticker to keep the scoreboard respectable.

Apisai Koroisau was the only try-scorer of the second half as the Storm held on for their second win of the year despite contending with a difficult injury and suspension toll.

Eliesa Katoa enjoyed a strong outing for Melbourne assisting on a pair of tries, making a line break, running for 125 metres and making 33 tackles whilst Will Warbrick scored his first NRL try and ran for a game-high 202 metres with five tackle breaks.

For the visitors, Isaiah Papali’i assisted on a try, ran for 113 metres, and made 42 tackles in the loss.

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Broncos trump valiant Dolphins in inaugural Battle of Brisbane

The Broncos are the only undefeated team in the premiership after defeating the previously 3-0 Dolphins in the inaugural Battle of Brisbane at Suncorp on Friday night.

Brisbane winger Jesse Arthars scored the only points of the first half for either side before a more expansive second half saw the two sides trade blows before Kurt Capewell crossed for a match-sealer for the Broncos.

Kotoni Staggs scooped up a desperation Anthony Milford grubber and raced away nearly 100 metres downfield to put a cherry on top for Brisbane.

Despite Sean O’Sullivan and Kodi Nikorima both being unable to finish the clash for the Dolphins after picking up injuries, Wayne Bennett’s men showed a tonne of resolve and went awfully close to stealing a win off the flying Broncos.

Payne Haas was again outstanding for Brisbane running for 157 metres from 16 carries and making 32 tackles whilst Herbie Farnworth ran for 189 metres with five tackle breaks and assisted on a try.

For the Dolphins, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow scored a try and ran for a team-high 216 metres with seven tackle breaks.

Cowboys survive injury-hit Titans in Townsville

North Queensland’s start to the season has been far from convincing but they managed to sneak away with a 24-12 win over the Titans on Saturday afternoon in Townsville.

The Gold Coast lost playmakers AJ Brimson and Kieran Foran to injuries in the span of a few plays to leave their spine decimated and their chances at victory slimmer.

The Titans led 6-0 when Brimson and Foran went down thanks to a try to rookie speedster Alofi’ana Khan-Pereira and went on to concede the next three tries before a second try to Khan-Pereira breathed some life into the squad.

A 72nd-minute try to Cowboys rookie Tom Chester dashed any hopes of a Titans comeback as the hosts claimed their second win of the season.

Tom Dearden was fantastic making three line breaks, breaking five tackles, and forcing two dropouts whilst Valentine Holmes scored a handy intercept try and ran for a game-high 232 metres.

The Titans were led by captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui’s team-high 222 run metres from 22 carries and 25 tackles.

Ilias the hero as Rabbits claim golden-point win over Manly

An emotional night at Accor Stadium saw the South Sydney Rabbitohs squeak past the Sea Eagles thanks to a golden-point field goal courtesy of young halfback Lachlan Ilias.

In a clash in which the life of the late John Sattler was being celebrated, South Sydney scored first through Cody Walker before Haumole Olakau’atu showed off his aerial skills moment later to tie it.

Daly Cherry-Evans snatched away an intercept on the stroke of half-time to give Manly the lead before Walker snuck past him early in the second half to astoundingly ground a rolling grubber millimetres before the dead ball line.

Latrell Mitchell had a chance to win it in regulation with a field goal but night belonged to Ilias who piloted through his maiden career field goal in the 81st minute to seal it for South Sydney off a Josh Aloiai error.

Walker scored a double, assisted on a line break, and ran for 99 metres whilst Keaon Koloamatangi ran for 189 metres from 19 carries, and made 40 tackles playing the entire game in the middle.

For Manly, Cherry-Evans scored one of their tries and assisted on the other, ran for 131 metres, and kicked for 486 metres.

Johnson winds back the clock as Warriors improve to 3-1

The Warriors have improved to an unlikely 3-1 behind a vintage Shaun Johnson at Mount Smart Stadium beating Canterbury 16-14.

It took the Dogs just two minutes to strike through Jacob Kiraz before the Warriors answered with a superb individual effort courtesy of young centre Viliami Vailea.

Denied a try in the try in the opening stages of the second half, the Warriors compounded their error by allowing Josh Addo-Carr to race 90 metres downfield off the scrum to score.

The Warriors were undeterred, however, wrestling the lead and game back off the Dogs through tries to Marcelo Montoya and Shaun Johnson.

For the Warriors, Johnson scored and assisted on a try to go along with 565 kick metres whilst Vailea scored a try, assisted on another, and ran for a team-high 164 metres.

For Canterbury, Kiraz scored a try and ran for a game-high 192 metres with six tackle breaks.

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Knights outlast Raiders for second win of season

An up-and-down clash in Newcastle resulted in the Knights nabbing their second win of the 2023 finishing fast to beat Canberra 24-14.

Canberra jumped out to a 14-8 half-time lead behind tries to Hudson Young and Jack Wighton before a second-half capitulation saw them drop their third game from four to start the year.

The second half could not have gone much worse for Ricky Stuart’s men; the Knights scored two tries in three minutes before grabbing another one with Wighton in the bin for dangerous contact on Jackson Hastings.

Greg Marzhew – who was sensationally picked ahead of Roosters-bound winger Dom Young – had a massive outing for Newcastle scoring a double, running for a team-high 274 metres, and breaking 10 tackles whilst Lachie Miller’s strong start to his Knights career continued with the fullback assisting on two tries and running for 255 metres from 28 carries with nine tackle breaks.

For Canberra, Joseph Tapine ran for 241 metres from 18 carries with four tackle breaks and made 36 tackles without a miss.

Sharks take local derby behind second-half Dragons collapse

The Sharks managed their sixth-straight win over rivals St. George Illawarra after a second half surge headed by star seven Nicho Hynes at Kogarah.

The Dragons capitalised on some poor Cronulla errors earn a first-half lead before a Jesse Ramien try on the stroke of half-time boosted the visitors.

The Sharks scored five unanswered tries in the second half to motor towards a 40-8 victory and claim bragging rights in the local derby.

Hynes was remarkable assisting on three tries and five line breaks and running for 148 metres whilst Ronaldo Mulitalo scored a double, assisted on another, and ran for 125 metres.

For the Dragons, Blake Lawrie stood up in a bleak team effort running for a team-high 134 metres from 19 carries and making 38 tackles.

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