NRL Weekly Wrap: Everything we saw in Round 9

Sharks demolish Cows in awaited postseason rematch

The Sharks managed to secure their fourth win from their past five outings with a dominant 44-6 win over North Queensland at PointsBet Stadium behind another astute, Nicho Hynes showing.

Cronulla dominated possession early and had a 20-0 lead after the opening half-hour to show for it.

Kyle Feldt got the Cows on the board prior to half-time but Feldt’s effort proved but a blimp in an otherwise blue-black, and white radar.

Ronaldo Mulitalo crossed for a second-half double, Hynes joined in on the try-scoring fun, and Teig Wilton capped it off as Craig Fitzgibbon’s men handed the visitors their fourth loss from five games.

Hynes scored a try, assisted on another, and ran for 145 metres en route to the Paul Green Medal for best on ground whilst Siosifa Talakai scored one, assisted on two, and ran for a game-high 201 metres with six tackle breaks.

Eels decimate leaky Knights defence at CommBank

The Eels are back in the winners’ circle after a comprehensive 43-12 victory over Newcastle at CommBank thanks to a Clint Gutherson hat-trick.

Parramatta scored in the opening minute of the encounter before Newcastle answered five minutes later and Parramatta again three minutes after that as both sides looked poised to trade punches for the remainder of contest.

Instead, it was all Parramatta who poured in four tries in the next 25 minutes and had their way with the Newcastle defensive line for the entirety of the night.

The Knights missed an eye-popping 61 tackles and conceded 13 line breaks as Parramatta posted their highest points total since Round 24 last year.

Gutherson finished with three tries and ran for 192 metres with nine tackle breaks whilst Dylan Brown scored one, assisted on another, and ran for 192 metres with five tackle breaks.

Newcastle have now lost three-straight heading into the bye and will face the Titans, Sharks, and Sea Eagles in the three weeks following.

Rabbitohs come away with huge statement win in Brisbane

South Sydney have stormed back into the top four after pulling off a statement 32-6 win over premiership leaders Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.

Souths took a six-point lead into the break before pouring on a quartet of unanswered four-pointers to hand the Broncos just their second loss of 2023.

Campbell Graham snagged a hat-trick prior to the 50-minute mark whilst Latrell Mitchell scored the 20th double of his NRL career.

Graham scored three and ran for 152 metres with seven tackle breaks as calls for an Origin nod grow louder whilst Thomas Burgess ran for 188 metres from 18 carries and made 15 tackles in 37 minutes off the pine.

For Brisbane, Patrick Carrigan ran for 179 metres from 20 carries and made 37 tackles.

Wighton answers the call as Raiders sink Dolphins in golden point

The Raiders have won three on the trot after a walk-off,  Jamal Fogarty field goal dragged them past the Dolphins 31-30 in Wagga Wagga on Saturday afternoon.

Canberra got off to a stellar start crossing for a trio of tries in the opening quarter of the match to jump out to an 18-to-nothing lead.

In typical Dolphins fashion, the visitors clawed their way back into it via tries to Euan Aitken and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow before a Sebastian Kris answer gave the Raiders a 22-12 heading into the break.

Connelly Lemuelu scored two tries in four minutes to give the Dolphins their first lead of the afternoon before Fogarty and Jesse Bromwich scored for their respective sides to tie it heading into the crucial stages.

The Raiders had a supreme opportunity in the final minute of the game to slot a field goal from right in front of the posts but oddly opted to chase a four-pointer instead.

Fogarty slotted the first one-pointer of his NRL career in the 83rd minute to win it for the Raiders and cap off a tough week.

Jack Wighton – who announced mid-week that he will be moving on from the club come season’s end – enjoyed his best performance of the season scoring a try, assisting on two line breaks, and running for 128 metres with six tackle breaks whilst Kris scored one, assisted on another, and ran for a game-high 247 metres.

For the Dolphins, Lemuelu scored two, ran for 146 metres with six tackle breaks, and made 41 tackles whilst Jeremy Marshall-King assisted on a try and made a game-high 56 tackles.

Titans rally to dispatch of Trbojevic-less Sea Eagles

The Titans have bounced back from their horror loss to the Dolphins last week with a strong 26-10 win over Manly at 4 Pines Park on Saturday evening.

A first-half double to Alofi’ana Khan-Pereira coupled with a David Fifita barge-over with Toafofoa Sipley in the bin gave the Gold Coast a handy 16-2 half-time lead.

Manly cut the lead to six after a converted, Sean Keppie try and a penalty goal before the Titans sealed it with tries to Phillip Sami and Klese Haas – the first of his NRL career.

David Fifita scored and assisted on a try for the Gold Coast to go along with 185 run metres with five tackle breaks whilst Moeaki Fotuaika ran for 200 metres from 19 carries and made 32 tackles.

Haumole Olakau’atu led the way for Manly with 147 run metres and 25 tackles.

Wests Tigers stun defending premiers for first win of season

The Wests Tigers are winless no more after shocking defending premiers Penrith 12-8 in torrential Bathurst conditions to snap a 12-game losing streak.

A Brandon Wakeham try got the Wests Tigers on the board in just the second minute before the Panthers answered via centre Tyrone Peachey.

Each side slotted a penalty goal to make the half-time score 8-8 before a 49th-minute David Nofoaluma four-pointer breathed some serious life into the visitors’ chances.

They held Ivan Cleary’s men try-less for the final 70 minutes to hold on for a famous victory in monsoon-like conditions in the Central Tablelands.

Tim Sheens’ men embraced one another with unbridled joy as they finally rid their back of the monkey that has haunted them for close to eight months.

Luke Brooks was terrific assisting on Wakeham’s try, kicking a pair of 40/20s, and making 15 tackles whilst David Klemmer ran for 215 metres from 23 carries to go along with 25 tackles without a miss.

For Penrith, Isaah Yeo ran for 141 metres from 14 carries and made 48 tackles.

Roosters grind win in soggy Auckland conditions

The Roosters are back in the top eight after grinding their way to a 14-0 win over the Warriors in soppy conditions at Mount Smart Stadium.

A Nat Butcher try prior to half-time gave the Roosters an 8-0 lead heading into the sheds before Sitili Tupouniua crossed for a big try to balloon the lead beyond a pair of converted tries.

The Warriors had slightly more ball and finished on top of the yardage battle but were unable to create ample point-scoring opportunities in difficult attacking conditions.

Nat and Egan Butcher incredibly combined for 110 tackles without a miss whilst Joseph Manu ran for 149 metres with seven tackle breaks and made 26 tackles.

Addin Fonua-Blake’s 194 run metres and 34 tackles led the way for the Warriors.

Dogs hand Dragons fourth straight loss as pressure mounts

Pressure is beginning to mount at the Red V after the Bulldogs were able to hold them off 18-16 in Wollongong to hand them their fourth loss in-a-row.

Corey Waddell crossed five minutes in off his own grubber to get the Dogs on the board before St. George Illawarra answered with a Zac Lomax intercept finished off by Mathew Feagai.

Jake Averillo scored prior to half-time as the Dogs wrestled back some momentum before the Dragons tied it with through a try to rookie Toby Couchman on the other side of the break.

A long-range Averillo effort put the Dogs ahead again before Max Feagai scored with Corey Waddell in the bin to set up a tight finish but Canterbury were able to hold on.

Braidon Burns was phenomenal for the Bulldogs running for 163 metres with six tackle breaks and assisting on three line breaks whilst Averillo scored a double and ran for 241 metres from 11 carries.

For the Dragons, Jack de Belin ran for 178 metres from 21 carries and made 43 tackles without a miss whilst Mathew Feagai scored a try and ran for 177 metres with nine tackle breaks.

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