NRL Weekly Wrap: Everything we saw in Round 7

Bunnies too strong for valiant Dolphins in Bennett-Demetriou reunion

South Sydney have won back-to-back games for the first time this season after overcoming a slow start to finish atop a courageous Dolphins outfit 36-14 at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night.

Euan Aitken scored in the opening minutes to get the Dolphins off to a perfect start before Campbell Graham answered for Souths.

Jeremy Marshall-King notched a four-pointer of his own in the 33rd minute as the Dolphins took a 14-6 lead into the sheds.

Graham and Cody Walker scored in the early stages of the second half as Souths snatched the lead off the Dolphins before the Rabbits crossed three times in 10 minutes against a 12-man Dolphins defence with Kenny Bromwich in the bin to run the scoreboard up.

Walker’s strong month of form continued with the 33-year-old scoring a try and assisting on three others whilst Jai Arrow offered a much-needed boost in his first appearance since Round 1 running for a team-high 181 metres from 16 carries with six tackle breaks and making 34 tackles.

For the Dolphins, Aitken scored their opening try and ran for 175 metres with seven tackle breaks.

Sharks pull off big Roosters coup to end seven-game hoodoo

The Sharks came away with a strong 22-12 victory to snap a seven-game losing streak against the Roosters in an error- and penalty-riddled affair in the Shire on Friday evening.

With Nat Butcher in the bin, Cronulla drew first blood through Matt Moylan before the Roosters answered through back-to-back tries to Egan Butcher and Brandon Smith.

Ronaldo Mulitalo tip-toed his way to the line in the 45th minute to tie it before things broke open for the hosts in the final 15 minutes.

Nicho Hynes put Blayke Brailey over for the match-winner before Briton Nikora scored with Smith in the bin to put the icing on the cake.

Victor Radley also unsurprisingly found himself binned for strangely laying on an already-tackled player in the final minute.

The sides combined for 22 errors – Sharks 13, Roosters 9 – and 18 penalties – Sharks 4, Roosters 14 – in what proved to be a less-than-pretty encounter.

Hynes was sensational for the Sharks assisting on try, running for 190 metres with two line breaks and three tackle breaks, and kicking for 551 metres whilst Siosifa Talakai assisted on a try and ran for a game-high 212 metres with four tackle breaks.

The Chooks were headed by starting props Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Lindsay Collins who combined for 303 run metres from 32 carries and 50 tackles.

Manly come up with massive bounce-back win over rivals Melbourne

The Sea Eagles pulled off a terrific 18-8 win over the Storm at 4 Pines Park on Friday night just a week on from a disappointing 32-point thumping at the hands of Penrith to make an unlikely leap into the top four.

Manly’s aggression unsettled Melbourne from the outset and they carried that momentum throughout much of the game.

Tom Trbojevic scored first to get the Northern Beaches faithful on their feet before Will Warbrick streaked down the right touchline to answer for the Storm.

A pair of first-half, Daly Cherry-Evans penalty goals gave Manly a 10-6 lead before rookie winger Raymond Tuaimalo Vaega was binned on the stroke of half-time for a late shot.

Manly controlled possession during the time Tuaimalo Vaega was off the field before being buoyed by a pair of Melbourne sin bins – Tui Kamikamica in the 46th minute and Justin Olam in the 57th.

A Lachlan Croker try sealed it in the 73rd minute for the home side.

Cherry-Evans assisted on a try, ran for 141 metres with five tackle breaks, and kicked for 495 metres whilst Tom Trbojevic scored a try and ran for a game-high 200 metres from 21 carries.

For Melbourne, Christian Welch ran for 146 metres from 16 carries and made 34 tackles.

Warriors continue churning out wins as concerns grow for Cowboys

The Warriors are back in the top four after securing their fifth win of the season against North Queensland 22-14 in Auckland on Saturday afternoon.

Both sides traded punches for the entirety of the game – Addin Fonua-Blake crashed over to get the Warriors on the board in the 3rd minute before Murray Taulagi crossed for the visitors.

Ed Kosi then joined in on the fun for the Warriors only for Reuben Cotter to answer moments before half-time to bring it back to 10-8.

Josh Curran scored the first points of the second half for the Warriors but Valentine Holmes ensured the Warriors lead did not balloon further with a try of his own.

A 61st-minute Dylan Walker try proved the match-sealer as the Cowboys dropped their fifth game of the season.

Walker was superb filling in at six for the injured Te Maire Martin scoring a try, making 22 tackles, and coming up with several, game-turning hustle plays whilst Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad ran for a team-high 181 metres from 19 carries with five tackle breaks.

For the Cowboys, Valentine Holmes scored a try and ran for 154 metres from 15 carries.

Cleary ices it in heart-stopping Newcastle showdown

A walk-off Nathan Cleary one-pointer proved the difference in one of the most thrilling encounters of the year as Penrith came away with a 16-15 over the Knights in front of a raucous Newcastle crowd.

The Knights were dominant early with Tyson Gamble and Tyson Frizell both grabbing tries in the opening quarter of the game before Penrith’s Brian To’o answered to make it 8-6 after 23 minutes.

Phoenix Crossland scored to give the hosts a 14-6 half-time lead before Penrith clawed their way back into it in all-too-familiar fashion.

Following an intense period of sustained pressure and the decision to slot a penalty goal despite trailing by eight, a Jaeman Salmon try tied it for Penrith just short of the hour-mark.

It became apparent that the match would be decided by a field goal and Gamble looked to have won it for Newcastle with a 39-metre, 76th-minute one-pointer only for Cleary to knock one over the next set to send it to golden-point.

It took just 49 seconds of golden-point for the deadlock to be broken with Cleary slotting a field goal from a step inside the 40 to earn Penrith their third-straight win and break the hearts of the Newcastle faithful.

Cleary finished with a pair of field goals, a try assist, and 302 kick metres whilst Moses Leota ran for 144 metres from 15 carries and made 32 tackles.

For the Knights, Frizell scored a try, ran for 103 metres, and made 33 tackles whilst Greg Marzhew ran for 155 metres from 17 carries and broke eight tackles.

Broncos turn it on late to sink Titans in southeast Queensland derby

The Broncos have improved to 6-1 on the year after getting the job done against the Titans 43-26 on the Gold Coast thanks to an electric second half.

The early stages of the contest belonged to the Titans who jumped out to a 14-6 lead before Herbie Farnworth crossed on the stroke of half-time to drag Brisbane back into it.

The top-of-the-table Broncos then put on another second-half show with Reece Walsh, Jesse Arthars, Kurt Capewell, Ezra Mam and Selwyn Cobbo all adding their name their scoresheet.

Swazi-English hooker Kruise Leeming scored for the Titans in just his second NRL appearance after whilst rookie Alofi’ana Khan-Pereira notched a double.

Any hopes of Titans comeback were dashed in the 61st minute when skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui was sensationally binned for repeated infringements.

Walsh was again phenomenal for Brisbane scoring a try, assisting on another, and running for 120 metres with six tackle breaks whilst Payne Haas ran for a team-high 187 metres with five tackle breaks and made 30 tackles without a miss.

Moeaki Fotuaika was a big factor in the Titans’ fast start with the former Maroons prop finishing the night with a game-high 199 run metres from 16 carries and 33 tackles.

Raiders out-scrap Dragons in icy conditions in nation’s capital

The Raiders snagged back-to-back wins for the first time this season after outlasting the Dragons 20-14 in a scrappy encounter in Canberra.

The first half was largely dull with St. George Illawarra opening their account on the stroke of half-time thanks to a powerful effort courtesy of stand-in winger Tautau Moga.

Sebastian Kris got the hosts on the board on the other side of half-time before Mathew Feagai wrestled the lead back for the Dragons with Nick Čotrić in the bin.

Matt Timoko charged through some feeble Dragons defence to score a huge try for Canberra with 18 minutes to play before Hudson Young pulled off a one-on-one strip and raced 80 metres downfield to seemingly sink the Dragons.

Moga grabbed a second in the 77th minute off an intercept to keep the Dragons’ chances alive but Anthony Griffin’s men fell just short as they dropped their fourth from their last five.

Kris was strong for the Raiders scoring a try and running for a team-high 185 metres with nine tackle breaks whilst Timoko also came up with a strong try to go along with 140 run metres and eight tackle breaks.

For the Dragons, Tyrell Sloan assisted on a try and ran for 165 metres with eight tackle breaks whilst Moga scored a double and ran for a game-high 213 metres.

Clinical Eels grab two points as difficult injury toll mounts for Canterbury

Parramatta have grabbed their third win from their past four after starting the season 0-3 after proving too strong for an injury-riddled Dogs outfit at CommBank to end the round.

The Dogs entered the clash without Josh Addo-Carr, Viliame Kikau, Luke Thompson, Fa’amanu Brown and Franklin Pele but did welcome Tevita Pangai Jr. back for his first outing of 2023.

After losing Jacob Kiraz to an MCL injury early, he Bulldogs’ defensive line showed some resilience before the Eels poured on a trio of tries in just six minutes to break the game open.

Paul Alamoti crossed for the Dogs on the other side of half-time to breathe some life back into the side but late tries to Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Maika Sivo sealed it for Parramatta.

Campbell-Gillard was superb for the Eels scoring a try, running for a game-high 197 metres with nine tackle breaks, and making 22 tackles whilst Clint Gutherson assisted on two tries and ran for 151 metres.

For Canterbury, Max King ran for 159 metres from 17 carries and made 48 tackles in a 72-minute display.

Jake Averillo and Andrew Davey also picked up injuries for Canterbury and will be monitored this week.

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