Recap | The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup - Round 16

Dragons fall to Warriors in hard-fought affair

Joel Beatton, dragons.com.au

The St George Illawarra Dragons were unable to come out on top of Warriors going down 18-4 in their Knock-On Effect NSW Cup encounter at Auckland’s North Harbour Stadium on Saturday.

A tightly contested opening 40 saw the visitors take a 4-0 lead into the break before an unconventional Warriors try from inside their own half, in their opening set of the second half, proved a sign of things to come with the hosts pouring on three unanswered tries to run away with it.

Teenage half Lyhkan King-Togia continued his strong run of form since making the leap up to The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup level making an impression on both sides of the ball despite the loss.

Jackson Shereb swallowed a short drop-out and relieve the Dragons of an early spate of pressure, with Fa’amanu Brown held up over the line down the other end off the back of it, as the visitors remained in search of their first points.

Second-rower Maia Sands went close to nabbing first points for the hosts only to spill the bouncing ball short of the chalk before Makaia Tafua was held up over the line in a burrowing attempt out of hooker.

Taine Tuaupiki slid into the backfield soon after only to be brought down by his opposite Savelio Tamale as the clash remained scoreless a quarter of the way through.

King-Togia crafted a number of half-opportunities for the Red V down the left-hand corridor linking with his back-rower Dan Russell on several occasions.

First blood was finally drawn through Russell, who spun over off a fifth-tackle Connor Muhleisen crash ball to make it 4-0 a little under a half-hour in.

The injection of Viliami Fifita saw the visitors garner some ascendancy with Tamale going close to crossing off his own grubber soon after only for the ball to go to ground.

The Warriors were the beneficiaries of an unorthodox, midfield bomb in their opening set of the second half with Eddie Ieremia-Toeava steaming through to take the ball off a horror bounce and find Moala Graham-Taufa, who raced away to give the hosts their first lead.

A Fifita bone-rattler forced the ball loose to earn the Dragons possession back soon after, but the Dragons were unable to capitalise off the back of it.

A string of penalties put the hosts back on the attack with Graham-Taufa scurrying out of dummy-half to find his second as a result and extend their advantage to eight.

King-Togia’s superb afternoon continued with the five-eighth pulling a beautiful cover effort around the bootlaces to halt a break, before diving on the unattended play-the-ball to earn possession back the way of the visitors.

Five-eighth Ben Farr was the next to find his way over, however, to make it an imposing Warriors lead with 15 minutes on the clock.

Halfback Luke Hansen was denied a late try for the hosts due to an obstruction, but it mattered little with the Warriors holding on for a handy 18-4 victory.

Penrith Panthers v Newtown Jets

Jets fly into top three as Panthers losing streak extends to seven

Stewart Moses

Game Summary

The Newtown Jets for the second time this season have inflicted more misery on a Penrith Panthers outfit that is a shadow of its early-season self, as the hosts sunk to their seventh-straight loss and are in real danger of losing touch with the top five after going down 20-16 at BlueBet Stadium today.

Despite welcoming back Trent Toelau, Preston Riki, Luke Sommerton and Mavrik Geyer, the Panthers’ attacking woes in the first half were there for all to see, having being held scoreless for the fifth time in their last six first halves played despite having the better of possession throughout the opening 40 minutes. Penrith have scored just 10 points in total in their last seven first halves.

The Jets having squandered an early chance to score when a Bradin Hamlin-Uele offload close to the line couldn’t be taken by hooker Jayden Berrell. The visitors made amends in the 11^th minute with Daniel Atkinson starting and finishing the play to score after the halfback’s last-tackle bomb couldn’t be diffused by Panthers fullback Isaiah Iongi, with the Jets’ playmaker on hand to regather and score out wide. With Mawene Hiroti’s conversion successful, the visitors led 6-0.

Having weathered successive sets on their own line, the Jets doubled their lead in the 28^th minute after a quick shift left looked to be covered by Penrith’s right-edge defence, except Hiroti had other ideas beating four defenders en route to the try-line.

A linebreak by young winger Nick Murphy followed by a kick ahead by veteran Panther, Tyrone Peachey, gave Penrith a sniff of scoring before the main break only to be defused at the last moment by the Jets’ cover defence. The visitors went into half-time maintaining their 12-0 lead.

Whatever was said during halftime by Panthers coach Ben Harden must have had the desired effect as the Panthers awoke from their slumber to take the lead during the second half. The home side opened their account in the 46^th minute after recently acquired interchange forward Austin Dias finished a strong charge at the line with an offload in traffic for hooker Luke Sommerton to score next to the posts with Toelau landing the conversion to reduce the gap to six.

An incident involving Panthers back-rower Zac Lipowicz enabled the Jets to extend their lead to 14-6 before the Panthers hit back with two tries in consecutive sets to lead for the first time in a second half in their last seven games.

The first try came after a loose Asu Kepaoa offload was regathered by Mavrik Geyer who powered his way 20 metres to score next to the posts which enabled the Panthers to trail 14-12 after 54 minutes. The home side hit the lead in the next set after some broken play from one end of the field to other resulted in a quick shift right where Iongi and Kepaoa combined to put winger Daeon Amituanai over in the southwest corner to give Penrith a two-point lead after 58 minutes.

Play continued to ebb and flow for the remainder of the game as the Panthers looked to hang on to their first win in seven games. But a last-tackle bomb drew an error from the Panthers 10 metres out from their own line and from the ensuing scrum, they were unable to hold on when a suspect pass allowed winger Sam Stonestreet to cross over in the northeast corner to give the Jets their seventh win in their last eight starts, 20-16.

Talking Points

• Newtown’s win today, the sixth from their past 11 played at BlueBet Stadium, ensures the Jets regain the Wilson-Blacklock Cup, played in honour of Ken Wilson and Ray Blacklock, who represented both clubs with distinction.
• The win is also Newtown’s seventh win from their last eight starts, while the loss by Penrith conversely is their seventh in a row.
• The match-winning try by Sam Stonestreet was his 12^th of the season to date.
• When the Panthers led 16-14 in the second half, it was the first time in seven games Penrith have held the lead in a NSW Cup game.
• Penrith’s Tyrone Peachey and Zac Lipowicz were placed on report during the game for separate incidents.
• The Panthers lost key forward Preston Riki during the second half to what looked to be a serious leg injury.

Key Moment

With time starting to get the better of the visitors, a timely error from a last-tackle kick proved pivotal when the Panthers failed to diffuse the kick 10 metres out from their own line. From the scrum win, a quick shift right caught the Panthers’ left edge napping, with a smart pass doing the damage with winger Sam Stonestreet scoring in the northeast corner. It gave the Jets a hard-earned win to maintain their charge towards the top of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup ladder and consigned the former league leaders, Penrith, to their seventh-straight loss.

What's Next?

Next up for the Panthers is a trip down the M4 to Lidcombe Oval to take on the Western Suburbs Magpies next Saturday, while later that day the Jets will head across town to Wentworth Park to play the Sydney Roosters.

Parramatta Eels v Canberra Raiders

Raiders’ dominant win solidifies second spot

Alex Hrissis

Game Summary

Parramatta Eels hosted the Canberra Raiders in Round 16 of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup on Saturday at Eric Tweedale Stadium, as Canberra put in a dominant performance to win 30-0 and solidify second place on the competition ladder.

The match started as a scrappy affair with both sides providing plenty of errors as they attempted to adapt to the wet conditions. The first clear cut chance came from fullback Zac Cini who collected the ball in his in-goal to run for over 60 metres but was ultimately cut down by the Canberra defence.

Parramatta came up with another exciting chance late in the first half when half Joshua Lynn found Morgan Harper inside, who then found Isaac Lumelume out wide. The veteran winger used his pace to zip down the sideline past several Raiders defenders and managed to put in a last-ditch kick, but the ball was scooped up by the home side.

Raiders finally broke the stalemate in the 33^rd minute of the game when halfback Adam Cook threw a cut-out pass to Jed Stuart who blitzed down the wing to find Prinston Esera inside, who made a tidy pass back to halfback Adam Cook to score (6-0).

The away side extended their lead further over Parramatta as James Schiller decided to take matters into his own hands. The young outside back skipped past his opposing centre and turned on the afterburners. He proceeded to blitz through the entire Eels side and run for over 50 metres to score a stunning solo try. Cook converted from in front to double his side’s lead at 12-0.

Raiders picked up where they left off in the second half and made it three unanswered tries. Captain Hohepa Puru made a break through the defence and found his halfback to the right, who then quickly passed to Simi Sasagi. The young back-rower steamed through and passed it back to Cook who dived over for his second try of the day to lead 18-0.

Canberra piled on the misery and scored another try when makeshift hooker Puru made a nice break through the defence and passed inside to Mitch Henderson. The five-eighth glided past the last defender to score a tidy try. The conversion put the Raiders 24-0 ahead.

Canberra put the final nail in the coffin to secure the two points in the dying embers of the game, following some quick passing down the right edge when Henderson found Josh Billing steaming through. The edge back-rower crashed over for the first try of his NSW Cup career and help the Raiders to a 30-0 win.

Talking Points

• Adam Cook had a great game in Round 16, with the halfback kicking strongly in his side’s win and also scoring two tries himself.
• Zac Cini was a shining light for the Eels this week, with the fullback safe under the high ball and providing speed from the back.
• Today’s result makes it three wins in a row for Canberra and closes the gap to just one point behind the first-placed North Sydney Bears

Key Moment

After a game riddled with errors the turning point for Canberra came in the first half when Parramatta fullback Zac Cini made a scintillating break through the defence and looked to score a comfortable, runaway try until the Canberra defence stood tall to deny him any points. The away side went on to score five unanswered tries.

What’s Next?

In Round 17 of The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup the Raiders will travel across the ditch to play the Warriors, while the Eels will head north to play the Newcastle Knights.

Sydney Roosters v Newcastle Knights

Knights captain Thomas Cant scores hat-trick in dominant display

Mason Cernoy

Game Summary

The poor weather conditions didn’t stop the Newcastle Knights from recording their first away win for the season, 36-0, against the struggling Sydney Roosters, who haven’t notched up a victory since April.

It was tough going for the Roosters from kick-off in this fixture, who failed to complete their first two sets, and the Knights made sure to capitalise when David Armstrong rolled a grubber in-goal for Krystian Mapapalangi to score in the third minute.

Newcastle kept applying the pressure when Zach Herring, who took late scratching Will Pryce’s place at five-eighth, pinned Harry McKeon in the corner and forced the Roosters to work it out of the corner. After only getting out of their own 10 on the third tackle, the defensive pressure proved too great and Hugo Savala’s kick from inside the 20 went out on the full, gifting Newcastle more good field position.

In this set it was Riley Jones who provided the fifth-tackle polish and rolled a grubber through for his captain Thomas Cant, which stopped in its tracks and allowed Cant to pounce for the second try of the day.

In the sets that followed, Newcastle didn’t find themselves as close to Sydney’s goal-line, but they still managed to keep the pressure on through Liam Sutton and Riley Jones, whose kicks didn’t allow the Roosters to start a set any further than 10 metres out in the leadup to their next try, which Herring set up for his captain by squaring up the line and hitting him with a short ball.

As the Knights looked as though they had another try brewing, Liam Sutton’s kick rolled dead to close out the set which provided the Roosters with some much-needed relief. They rolled downfield with their seven-tackle set and came close to putting a try on with a shift down the right, but an obstruction call was made against Phoenix Steinweide, followed by another penalty conceded by Dylan Napa for high contact on Sebastian Su’a. Starting only 15 metres out following the second penalty, it was looking concerning for the Roosters until Steinweide and a few teammates came up with a strong tackle on Jack Hetherington to turn him away from the line and force an error.

The Roosters produced a few spirited plays in defence over the next 10 minutes but couldn’t hold out the Knights forever, when Zach Herring produced another try assist off a short ball to a full flight David Armstrong, who wrapped around from the right to take the pass and storm over, resulting in an eventual halftime score of 24-0.

After a dominant first half, Liam Sutton forced a drop out in the first set of the second half, and it seemed as though the tries were just going to keep pouring in for the Knights, but the Roosters really muscled up in defence and diffused a lot of attack. After being turned away in their first three attacking sets of the half, Cant managed to force another drop-out and cross for his hat-trick as a result, when Jones pirouetted at dummy-half and fooled the defence enough to create space for him to crash through.

It was a much tighter contest in the second half with a much better defensive effort from the Roosters, but they still didn’t manage to put any points on the board. With a minute on the clock, Xavier Chatfield-Mooka tried to produce a consolation try for his side through a grubber and chase. But Liam Sutton scooped up the ball and offloaded to Kyle McCarthy, who raced 40 metres to put the cherry on top of a strong Knights performance for a final score of 36-0.

Talking Points

• Zach Herring and Riley Jones split the work of late scratching Will Pryce and did so effectively. Jones assumed a lot more of the kicking responsibilities, setting up Thomas Cant’s first try off a grubber and pinning the Roosters’ back three in their own 10 all afternoon. Herring took on the ball playing on the left edge and was effective without overplaying his hand, setting up two first-half tries for Cant and Armstrong.
• Outside of the runaway try to Kyle McCarthy, all of the tries were scored by Newcastle’s left edge throughout the game, who were all extremely impressive.
• Jack Hetherington came up with plenty of strong carries and bent the defensive line on multiple occasions.

Key Moment

Krystian Mapapalangi’s try in the third minute put the Knights on the front foot and gave them the energy to apply the blowtorch and score more early points. They scored 18 points in the first 18 minutes and the convincing win all started here.

What’s Next?

Both sides will be playing at home on Saturday 29 June, with the Roosters hosting the Newtown Jets and the Knights welcoming the Parramatta Eels.

South Sydney Rabbitohs v Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles

Humphreys steers Sea Eagles to big win against Rabbitohs

Daneie Geddes

Game Summary

Five-eighth Jamie Humphreys steered Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles to victory in a five-star performance as they triumphed 42-20 against the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Accor Stadium on Saturday night.

After a mid-season form slump, the Sea Eagles have now won their last three matches.

Gordon Chan Kum Tong scored two tries, with the hooker’s second being one of the best of the match, but the star was undoubtedly Humphreys who missed just one conversion all night.

The first half started strong for both sides, with quick responses and early points on the board. Just four minutes into the match, Blacktown opened the scoring through winger Watson Heleta.

Two minutes later the Rabbitohs answered back through fullback Bayleigh Bentley-Hape, but the conversion attempt by Dion Teaupa was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 6-4 in favour of the Sea Eagles.

South Sydney continued to apply pressure, making several attempts at the line but failed to find points. However, the tide turned off a scrum just 20 out from the line with a spread to the wing, where Jude Saldanha managed to score on the edge. The conversion was unsuccessful hitting the post, but the Rabbitohs took the lead at 8-6.

Momentum shifted in favour of the Rabbitohs as the Sea Eagles couldn't seem to convert their efforts into points, until a crucial moment with 15 minutes left in the first half which ultimately changed the trajectory of the match.

An error opened the door for Blacktown hooker Chan Kum Tong to score. Humphreys’ successful conversion saw the lead change hands back to Blacktown, 12-8.

With five minutes remaining, Blacktown capitalised on a linebreak with an offload to Taylor Bunting. Bunting charged down the middle of the field to score under the posts. Humphreys extended the lead to 18-8.

Blacktown surged again with just 90 seconds remaining in the half with another linebreak to send Humphreys over for his first try of the match. The kicker followed through with a successful conversion.

The Sea Eagles opened the second half with a commanding 22-8 lead and wasted no time extending it. Early in the half, Max Hayley scored and backed by a successful Humphreys conversion, the lead grew to 26-8.

Blacktown's offensive onslaught continued as Clayton Faulalo scored his first try, followed by Gordon Chan Kum Tong's second of the match. The Sea Eagles put 18 points on the board in the opening nine minutes of the second half.

The Rabbitohs showed some fight with nine minutes left on the clock. Both Bentley-Hape and Saldanha found their second tries of the game, closing in on Blacktown's lead to 42-20. Despite their efforts, they struggled to overcome the 22-point deficit.

The match concluded with Blacktown firmly in control, Humphreys taking a penalty shot to put two more on the board securing a decisive 42-20 victory.

Talking Points

• Blacktown’s Jamie Humphreys was near-flawless in his kicking game and even scored a try of his own.
• The Sea Eagles put 18 points on the board in the opening nine minutes of the second half.
• Bayleigh Bentley-Hape and Jude Saldanha each scored two tries for the Rabbitohs, contributing a combined 16 points of the Bunnies' 20.
• The Rabbitohs' Henry O’Kane left the field for a Head Injury Assessment (HIA) in the 37^th minute and didn’t return.

Key Moment

With just 90 seconds remaining in the first half, Blacktown surged with another linebreak. Jamie Humphreys went over for his first try of the match then sealed the deal with a conversion, adding another six points to Blacktown's tally. It sent the Sea Eagles into halftime with a commanding 22-8 lead.

What’s Next?

The Sea Eagles will enjoy a well-deserved break with a bye in Round 17, allowing them to regroup before their clash with the North Sydney Bears in Round 18. Meanwhile, the Rabbitohs will shift their focus towards their upcoming match with St George Illawarra Dragons at Redfern Oval next week.

Western Suburbs Magpies v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Bulldogs blitz through Magpies in second-half supremacy

Mitchell Roese 

Game Summary

Following the bye week and a huge victory in round 14, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have surged into the top four with a 38-16 victory over the Western Suburbs Magpies at Campbelltown Sports Ground on Sunday afternoon.

After being held scoreless through majority of the first half, the blue and white turned on the heat to run in six second half tries, leaving the Magpies unresponsive to close out round 16 of The Knock On Effect NSW Cup.

Magpies’ Solomone Saukuru opened the scoring in the 9th minute. The mammoth centre too strong close to the line, powering past two defenders to the line. Tallyn Da Silva was unsuccessful with the conversion out wide (6-0).

The hosts extended their lead through skipper James Valevatu in the 30th minute following a healthy break from Tim Johannssen. Wilson scooted from dummy half, before scrappiness around the ruck lead to Valevatu scooping up the try. Da Silva converted adjacent to the uprights, making it 10-0.

Following efforts without points, Canterbury-Bankstown crossed the line in the 35th minute. A silky backline shift down the left edge hit winger Jonathan Sua on the fly where he tip toed his way to the corner. Blake Taaffe’s conversion was unsuccessful, leaving Western Suburbs in front 10-4 at the half.

Carrying forth their momentum into the second stanza, the Bulldogs hit the front in the 44th minute. Jordan Samrani’s run put his side on the front foot, before Poasa Faamausili was unstoppable on his charge to the line in the ensuing tackle. Eli Clark successful with the conversion.

Western Suburbs surged downfield and restored their advantage three minutes later through Bailey Hodges. The forward caught the inside defenders napping, steeping off his left to dive under the posts for 16-10.

Kitione Kautoga brought his side within two points with his try in the 53rd minute, before both fullback Hayze Perham and halfback and captain Joseph O’Neill scored in the 56th and 61st minute to help push the Bulldogs ahead in the contest, 26-16 with 20 minutes to play.

A double to Jordan Samrani inside the final fifteen minutes capped off a commanding second half performance from the Bulldogs, 38-16 victors on the road.

Talking Points:

• Today’s performance marks consecutive victories for the Bulldogs, propelling them into third position on the competition ladder.
• Canterbury-Bankstown have scored six tries in a single half in back-to-back matches.

Key Moment

After remaining scoreless through countless attempts at their opponent’s line, Jonathan Sua’s try late in the first half got the ball rolling as the Bulldogs ran in six tries to one in the second forty.

What’s next?

Western Suburbs host the Penrith Panthers at Lidcombe Oval on Saturday afternoon, before the Bulldogs cap off round 17 on Sunday afternoon with their meeting against the North Sydney Bears at North Sydney Oval.