Recap | The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup - Round Six

Casey scores at full time to give Bulldogs sensational Good Friday win

Pranav Harish

Game summary

Declan Casey bagged a try on the stroke of fulltime as the Bulldogs sealed a come-from-behind 26-22 win over the Rabbitohs in round six of the Knock-On-Effect NSW Cup.

Down 22-20 with the clock winding down, the Bulldogs scrambled to victory as Casey muscled his way over the try line to score as Rabbitohs defenders held on desperately to no avail to stop his last-ditch attempt to snatch a win.

Souths fullback Blake Taaffe had knocked the ball on moments earlier, as he attempted to field a bomb off the boot of Canterbury-Bankstown five-eighth Khaled Rajab. The Bunnies were unable to hold on in defence, as the Bulldogs fought their way home to one of the gutsiest wins of their season so far.

Souths made a strong start to the traditional Good Friday clash after Peter Mamouzelos burrowed his way out from dummy half to score a try inside the Bulldogs’ ten-metre line.

The Bunnies set the try up through a brilliant line break inside their own half to give themselves several repeat sets inside the Bulldogs’ red zone before Mamouzelos went over to put the Rabbitohs in front by six points.

The Dogs had a chance to hit back a short time later after making their way inside the Souths’ red zone following several attacking sets. Rajab made a charge at the Rabbitohs’ line only to be stopped by a brilliant tackle by Taaffe.

Canterbury-Bankstown wouldn’t go away though and continued to carry the ball strongly from the backfield. They were rewarded for their efforts when centre Braidon Burns barged his way over metres in from the eastern touchline to score his side’s first try and take the score to 6-4.

The play was set up beautifully by halfback Karl Oloapu and fullback Joash Papalii who combined through some slick short passes to get Burns over the line.

Souths kept hurting themselves by losing possession of the football well inside their half as they defended valiantly and held off several attacking raids by the Bulldogs.

The cheap turnover of possession and penalties for crowding the ruck came back to bite the bunnies as the Bulldogs found their way to the try line courtesy of winger Blake Wilson who scored a spectacular try down the eastern touchline to give the Dogs an 8-6 lead with just over five minutes left in the first half.

The Bulldogs left edge combined well as the ball went through the hands of Oloapu and Papalii before making its way to Wilson who finished the play off in acrobatic fashion.

The Dogs had the chance to pile on more points just minutes out from halftime when Wilson made several line-breaks inside his side’s end of the field. However, the Bulldogs were denied from extending their 8-6 lead heading into the sheds.

It was Bulldogs prop Billy Tsikrikas who put first points on the board just minutes into the second half. Souths gave away a penalty early for laying on too long in defense, as the Dogs easily made their way down the other end before Tsikrikas scored at the end of the set to take the Dogs to a 14-6 lead.

Things went from bad to worse for the Bunnies as Bailey Hayward bagged his first for the afternoon. He darted out from dummy half to score off Canterbury-Bankstown’s next attacking set to take the home side out to a commanding 20-6 lead.

The Dogs established dominant field position with ease each time they scored points  in the second half. Souths were clearly fatigued from repeated sets spent defending their line.  

But there was reprieve for the visitors through Tallis Duncan, who managed to get the ball down under the posts to give his side a much-needed four points.

With the scoreboard in their favour at 20-12, the Bulldogs began to get sloppy with their discipline as they started to give away penalties for holding on too long in tackles as the Bunnies made their way down to the Dogs try line on several occasions.

Both sides played set-for-set before the Bunnies hopped off the back of another Bulldogs penalty and scored courtesy of Josiah Karapani. Karapani’s try reduced the deficit to 20 points to 16, as the Rabbitohs began to claw their way back into the contest.

Canterbury-Bankstown seemed to have lost the momentum they had built in the first half. Their attacking sets went astray as they invited their opposition into their territory with penalties.

The Bunnies exploited this ill-discipline to take a brief lead at 22-20 when backrower Ben Lovett crossed over untouched near the western touchline. Despite three unanswered tries, the Bulldogs were able to hang on for long enough to get the win in dramatic fashion.

Talking point

Peter Mamouzelos was strong out of dummy half for Souths despite being on the losing side. He made several line breaks and looked threatening on several occasions, which lead to the number nine scoring a try in the first half. His speed and deception in and around the ruck - alongside his service to his halves - helped stabilize the Bunnies attacking sets, particularly when they were behind on the scoreboard.

Key moment

Up 6-nil early in the second half with the Bulldogs struggling to get themselves into the contest, Mamouzelos made a brilliant line break several metres inside the Rabbitohs 40-metre line.

Mamouzelos had made his way down to the Bulldogs 10-metre line and passed the ball to backrower Chase Chapman who was looming up on the inside. The forward was unable to score off the pass after charging his way to the try line, as the Bulldogs scrambled in defence to prevent him from getting the ball down.

A try to the Bunnies from that effort would have given them at least a ten-point lead early in the game which they could have used to their advantage to build more attacking plays.

What’s next?

The Bulldogs will take on the Eels next Sunday at Commbank stadium while the Rabbitohs will also be on the road to face the Bears at North Sydney Oval.

Canberra Raiders v Sydney Roosters

Dominant Roosters defeat scoreless Raiders

Tahlie Gavin

Game summary

The Sydney Roosters have managed to keep the Canberra Raiders scoreless in their hard-fought 26 – 0 victory on Good Friday at Raiders Belconnen.

Wet weather conditions created a slippery and difficult playing field. The low scoring first half saw dedicated football being played from both sides, while the second half saw the Roosters take their attack and defence to the next level to secure victory.

The Sydney Roosters were quick to put points on the board, as hard running from Naufahu Whyte allowed him to crash through the Raiders defence and score within the 3rd minute of the game.

Plenty of opportunities became available for the Canberra Raiders as numerous Roosters errors and penalties were rewarded in their favour. But the players entered the sheds at half time with the Roosters leading 6 – 0.

The Sydney Roosters were yet again quick to secure points with both Siua Wong and Josh Bevan scoring tries within the first 5 minutes of the second half.

A penalty was gifted to the Roosters within the 55th minute as Sandon Smith kicked the goal to add another 2 points to the Roosters lead, as well as continuing his perfect conversion streak.

As the rain began to get heavier, the Roosters didn’t stop dominating. Ethan Clark-Wood was the next to go over the line for the Roosters as a result of excellent fast passing football. Smith successfully converted again.

More and more opportunities were presented to the Raiders within the second half, but they just couldn’t compete with the Roosters overriding performance.

Talking points

Edenn Rogers-Smith, Jordan Martin and Toby Thorburn were all placed on report during the match as a result of dangerous tackles.

Corey Allen was controversially sent to the sin bin for getting his hands involved in the ruck within the 29th minute.

Siua Wong, Josh Bevan and Clay Webb were all taken off the field for HIAs. All were later cleared as they returned to the field of play.

Key moment

The Raiders were presented with an extensive number of opportunities throughout the game; but especially mid-way through the first half. Numerous penalties and players being help up in the in-goal gave them plenty of opportunities to score some points.

Sandon Smith kicked two back-to-back dropouts in which both failed to meet the 10-meter mark, giving the Raiders a penalty and another opportunity that they failed to capitalise on.

If the Raiders had taken the two points for every penalty in front, they would have been leading heading into the sheds at half time. The Raiders being unable to execute opportunities gave the game away.

What’s next?

The Sydney Roosters will take on the Newtown Jets at Henson Park on Saturday the 15th of April, while the Canberra Raiders will play the St George Illawarra Dragons at GIO Stadium the following day.

St George Illawarra Dragons v North Sydney Bears

Sullivan steps up as Dragons dominate Bears

Russ Haylock

Game Summary

The St George Illawarra Dragons have recorded their first win of the season, defeating the North Sydney Bears 26-12 on the back of a Jayden Sullivan masterclass at Collegians Sporting Complex in Wollongong.

The young halfback had a hand in each of the Dragons five tries, setting up the first four and scoring inside the last 10 minutes to seal the win. The Bears had won their last four matches leading up to this clash, but were never able to hold possession long enough to challenge the Dragons in front of their home fans.

Max Feagai scored the first try of the afternoon, bursting through the Bears left-side defence from a sharp Sullivan pass to put his team in front 6-0 early.

The Bears then hit back through five-eighth Jesse Marschke, who broke through thanks to the silky ball skills of his twin brother Ben and captain Zach Dockar-Clay, and stepped the fullback to score.

Marschke then converted to level the scores at 6-6, but it wasn’t long until Sullivan and Feagai combined again to give the centre his second try of the afternoon when Feagai ran onto a cut-out ball from his halfback and stepped past his opposite number to score out wide.

Sullivan missed the conversion by a whisker, and the score remained at 10-6 until half-time with the Bears unable to find a way into attacking territory due to the repeat sets and errors being forced by the Dragons.

The Bears began the second-half by regaining the kick-off, but couldn’t force their way over as they looked to find some extra spark with ball in hand. The Dragons were then able to drive their way up field, with five-eighth Zach Herring taking on the line before Sullivan skipped down the left side and put Jaiyden Hunt over for his second try in as many weeks.

Up 14-6 after 45 minutes, the Dragons looked to attack and extend their lead, but it was the Bears who scored next through winger Tuipulotu Katoa.

Katoa jumped high above the pack in the chase of a Zach Dockar-Clay bomb, knocking the ball back to second-rower Dane Aukafolau, who flicked a magical pass back to Katoa who ran around to score under the posts.

Marschke converted to put the score to 14-12 at the 56 minute mark, but the visitors were unable to consolidate, throwing a forward pass soon after and granting the Dragons possession once again.

The hosts were able to extend their lead with their next visit to their attacking half, as Sullivan laid on a deft grubber to find the Bears fullback out of position, with Ryan Couchman giving chase to score a crucial try. 

Sullivan then capped off a magical return to the competition with a try in the 76th minute, as his grubber deflected off a Bears leg and into open space in the in-goal, where the 21-year-old was first to plant the ball down to ensure his team’s first win of 2023.

Talking Points

Dragons first win of the season pushes them up the ladder, breaking the Bears four-match winning streak.

Bears and Sydney Roosters second-rower Sitili Tupouniua returned and was a handful for the Dragons in the first-half, but spent the second-half on the bench.

Bears denied a try with the score at 14-6 in the second-half due to an obstruction, as they struggled to best utilise their time with ball in hand.

Key Moment

Ryan Couchman’s try in the 56th minute allowed the hosts to go back up by eight, as the young back-rower charged through in pursuit of a Sullivan grubber to score.

Couchman hadn’t had the greatest afternoon with his hands up until that point, but the youngster’s try put his team back in control and ahead by more than a converted try.

What’s next?

Next week the Dragons will take on the Canberra Raiders at GIO Stadium, who have won three from six so far this season.

The Bears will look to restart their winning form when they do battle with the South Sydney Rabbitohs at North Sydney Oval next Sunday.

Penrith Panthers v Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles

Defending premiers stunned as Sea Eagles swoop

Stewart Moses

Game Summary

In 10 previous encounters Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles had won just once against their local rivals, Penrith Panthers, let alone had never won at BlueBet Stadium.

But after 30 minutes, with three unconverted tries under their belt, that all changed when the visitors shot out to a 12-point lead with the defending premiers putting in an uncharacteristic error-riddled performance.

Despite a second-half comeback from the Panthers, it would be the visitors who would ultimately play with enough poise and belief to record one of the biggest upsets of the season to date, with a 26-24 win over Penrith at a windy BlueBet Stadium.

With Blacktown boosted by the inclusion of Aaron Woods, Tofofoa Sipley and Raymond Vaega, the Sea Eagles played with plenty of purpose and tempo as they took full advantage of an error-riddled start from the home team.

It was no surprise to see the Sea Eagles open the scoring with centre Brad Abbey finishing off a long-range movement started by Jake Toby in the 11th minute.

Toby provided a second try for the Sea Eagles five minutes later when he put winger Clayton Faulolo over in the south-west corner to double the visitors lead.

Blacktown’s dominance continued when they turned a Faulolo half-break into a four-pointer a few plays later with some deft ball work from hooker Gordon Chan Kum Tong close to the line, enabling back-rower Joshua Stuckey to score out wide.

The only thing seemingly keeping Penrith in the game at the time was the inability of the Blacktown goal-kickers Fualolo and Toby to land a conversion albeit in windy conditions.

Penrith overcame a blown opportunity from Jesse McLean to score in the north-west corner, when replacement Luke Sommerton, who was overlooked by Tyrone Peachey as starting hooker, opened the Panthers account on the stroke of half-time with a show-and-go effort close to the line and with Kurt Falls’ simple conversion from in front, the Panthers trailed 12-6 at the main break.

The home side seemed to have found their mojo following early second-half tries to prop Liam Henry and winger Thomas Jenkins to see the Panthers suddenly lead 18-16 after 49 minutes.

But the visitors had other ideas, scoring three unanswered tries to seemingly regain control of the topsy-turvy affair.

Vaega scored the first of those three tries with Toby again instrumental in the lead up putting Fletcher Myles into a gap down the left before finding his winger to score in the north-west corner, before replacement forward Zac Fulton brushed some feeble defence to score out wide and put the visitors back in front.

Blacktown would never be headed once Sipley barged over underneath the posts in the 73rd minute, despite Sommerton bagging a double with four minutes remaining to put the Panthers behind at 26-24.

Despite the missed penalty goal attempt from Fualolo in the last minute, one of Blacktown’s best wins at this level was complete once they defused Penrith’s last gasp short kick-restart.

Talking Points

Prior to this game, Blacktown had one just one of 10 encounters against the Panthers and never at this venue.

Tyrone Peachey was preferred over the in-form Luke Sommerton as starting hooker before the replacement rake almost single-handedly led the Panthers to an unlikely win with a two-try effort.

Blacktown’s two-point win masked a strong six tries to four performance, with goal-kickers Fualolo and Toby missing six of seven attempts at goal.

Key Moment

Fullback Jake Toby had a hand in three of Blacktown’s six tries, but it was his burst from deep within his own territory that resulted in a long-range try to Brad Abbey that was the most memorable.

It gave the Sea Eagles plenty of confidence to ambush a sluggish Penrith outfit as they should have led by more than 12 points having scored the opening three tries of the game.

Despite Penrith having recovered to briefly led the game, there was no doubt that Blacktown were the better team on the day and thoroughly deserved their win.

What's Next?

The resurgent Sea Eagles undefeated in their last two appearances, now look to continue their climb up The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup ladder when they host the Warriors at HE Laybutt Field next Sunday.

The Panthers will be looking to bounce back quickly when they travel to Macdonald Jones Stadium next Saturday to tackle the Newcastle Knights.

Newcastle Knights v Warriors

Western Suburbs Magpies v Parramatta Eels

Western Suburbs Magpies vs Parramatta Eels:

Mitchell Roese

Game Summary:

Parramatta Eels have continued their winning form against Western Suburbs Magpies, recording a 10-6 victory on Eastern Monday at Accor Stadium.

Eels scored early in the 9th minute, with halfback Jakob Arthur crashing over courtesy of some quick hands from fullback Daejarn Asi at hooker.

Magpies’ fullback Daine Laurie turned defence into attack with a blitz downfield before a covering effort from Eels captain Jordan Rankin stopped Laurie. Magpies failed to convert the momentum shift, Brandon Wakeham’s long ball sailing over the sideline the following play.

Parramatta continued to mount pressure, though Wayne Lambkins Magpies were up to the defensive task, down by just four points at the end of the first half.

The second half began like the first with Eels on the front foot. Daine Laurie made some valuable meters through the middle to set up a scooting effort from hooker Rua Ngatikaura, scoring under the sticks to give the Magpies the lead.

The lead quickly reversed in Parramatta’s next attacking set, Daejarn Asi recording his second assist of the day, putting winger Matthew Komolafe over in the corner.

Eels winger Issac Lumelume nearly extended the lead minutes later, two scoring efforts called back for a knock-on and forward pass.

Magpies undeterred by conceding a ruck infringement penalty had a golden chance to draw level heading into the remaining 15 minutes. Some sharp footwork from Wakeham got the defence back peddling, before a cut out from Laurie found winger Triston Reilley on the edge, though failed to capitalise a certain try.

Some clinical defence from Parramatta to keep the Magpies in their own end allowed the side to control the remaining minutes.

Talking Points:

Despite having 64% of possession with a completion rate of 82%, Parramatta only led 4-0 at the half. 

Magpies were denied a potential try midway through the second half, referee Darian Furmer calling back a scrum infringement penalty which saw Magpies centre Livai Saukuru break into open space.

Parramatta has now won four of the five contests between the pair.

Key Moment:

Down by four and heading into the last 15-minutes, Magpies mounted their best set of six close to the opposition’s line. Some swift offloads and fancy footwork kept Eels on their toes defending their line.

A long ball from Daine Laurie found an unmarked Triston Reilley close to the line and certain to score, though an incredible covering effort from Eels half Jakob Arthur forced the knock-on, a match-winning effort from the half.

What’s next?

Following the Eel's draw against St George Dragons last weekend, a win on Easter Monday will bring huge confidence back to the team, heading into a tough clash with first-placed Canterbury Bulldogs on Sunday.

Magpies have the bye this week and will take on Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles in two weeks’ time.