Recap | The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup - Round 17

Fourth win on end for Warriors

Richard Becht, warriors.kiwi

Fullback Taine Tuaupiki scored 16 points including a first-half double to lead the Warriors to a 24-18 win over second-placed Canberra Raiders in Saturday’s 17th-round Knock-On Effect NSW Cup encounter at Go Media Stadium.

Stretching their winning running to four matches, the Warriors moved to 23 points, just one behind the Raiders in third spot and two behind competition leaders the North Sydney Bears who play on Sunday.

Boosted by NRL forwards Bunty Afoa, Tom Ale and Jacob Laban, the Warriors made a brilliant start with Tuaupiki crossing for the first of his tries in just the second minute.

It was soon negated through a converted Corey Horsburgh try which evened the score up at 6-6.

The Warriors reorganised themselves, got in the grind and then picked up two tries in a matter of three minutes, first through Tuaupiki again and then winger Motu Pasikala who chased down a kick just inside the dead ball line. Television replays showed he had knocked on but the try had been awarded and there was no way of overturning it with no Bunker operating for the match.

The lucky break opened up a 16-6 lead which the Warriors maintained until the final seconds of the half when the Raiders trimmed the margin to 16-8 with a penalty goal.

In greasy conditions, the contest became an arm wrestle with the error count climbing, neither team troubling the scoreboard. The Warriors also had to contend with having Demitric Sifakula sent to the sin bin.

Then in the 58th minute, centre Setu Tu hunted down a kick to score – Tuaupiki converting – for the Warriors to open up a 22-6 advantage.

Canberra responded to have the game in the balance at 22-14 but not before some controversy.

A melee erupted after the try was scored with most of the players involved. After a long stoppage Warriors forwards Tom Ale and Jacob Laban plus Canberra’s Horsburgh were ordered off, the game down to 11 on 12 for the final 14 minutes.

Tuaupiki kicked a penalty to make it 24-14 as the Warriors managed the final stages of the game cleverly before conceding a 79th minute try.

Western Suburbs Magpies v Penrith Panthers

Amituanai hat-trick helps Panthers to dominant win

Anthony Eltarraf

Game Summary

Daeon Amituanai’s hat-trick helped the Penrith Panthers seal a dominant 30-6 victory over the Western Suburbs Magpies at Lidcombe Oval in Round 17.

It was all the Panthers from the opening whistle, with winger Amituanai opening the scoring just three minutes into the game, scoring in the right corner.

Mid-season recruit Asu Kepaoa then went over on the opposite side before his fellow winger Nick Murphy punished the Magpies’ right edge defence again, scoring his side’s third try of the match but only extending the score to 12-0 with all conversion attempts unsuccessful.

Halfback Zack Lamont was next to add his name to the scoresheet through a brilliant solo effort, before a first-half double for Amituanai gave the Panthers a 20-0 lead. The visitors dominated the first half, scoring five unanswered tries to take a 20-0 lead into the break.

Western Suburbs’ Declan Casey kickstarted the second half for the Magpies, scoring from dummy-half to bring the margin within 14.

The Panthers were quick to regain momentum with Mavrik Geyer breaking through the Magpies’ line before offloading to Tyrone Peachey to touch down.

A strong solo run from Amituanai saw the right winger secure a hat-trick and seal his side’s dominant 30-6 victory over the Magpies at Lidcombe Oval.

Talking Points

• Daeon Amituanai scored an impressive hat-trick, with the winger terrorising the Magpies’ left-edge defence.
• Penrith’s back line absolutely dominated the game, with five of their seven backs adding their names to the scoresheet.
• The Magpies’ edge defence really struggled against the strength and speed of the Panthers’ attack.
• The win was Penrith’s first since Round Nine.

Key Moment

With the Panthers failing to convert all of their first half tries, the Magpies were still very much in the game after Declan Casey’s try. But Tyrone Peachey’s try to answer back really sealed the victory for the Panthers and made it too hard for the Magpies to come back. A barging Mavrik Geyer broke the Magpies’ line before offloading to Peachey to score on the left edge.

What’s Next?

The Magpies travel to Henson Park to take on the Newtown Jets in Round 18, while the Panthers enjoy a week off with the bye.

Sydney Roosters v Newtown Jets

Roosters bring the heat to Wentworth Park

Ella Mullins

Game Summary

The Sydney Roosters have ended their nine-match dry spell after a second-half revival and impressive Tyreece Tait performance saw them take home their first win since Round Eight, 32-18 over the Newtown Jets at Wentworth Park.

The hosts drew first blood during their second set for the match after a gap in the Jets’ defensive line gave the Roosters the upper hand. Tyreece Tait squeezed into the left-hand corner and gave his side an early four-point lead before an unsuccessful conversion. 

The Jets hit back shortly, but a tackle bust resulted in a lost ball and a turnover for the Newtown.

Momentum off the back of a set piece was all the Jets needed to level the score. It was second-rower Kyle Pickering who notched the team’s first try for the afternoon, instigated by hooker Jayden Berrell. Pickering’s efforts set up Mawene Hiroti for a simple conversion to take a 6-4 lead.

The Jets were on a roll with back-to-back tries after a siege down the left wing when an offload from Hiroti found the palms of Tom Rodwell. Under pressure, the winger led the Roosters’ defence to the edge of the field, before cutting back inside to score. Following the conversion Newtown led 12-4.

The Roosters were in strife after tenacious defending from Tuku Hau Tapuha forced a loose carry. A forward pass minutes later dampened the Roosters attempt at finding the try-line.

Tapuha was causing havoc once more ripping through the Roosters after the fourth tackle. The prop was on the receiving end of a pass from dummy-half and right underneath the posts, Tapuha scored his first try for the match. Hiroti’s conversion was successful (18-4).

A series of unfortunate events ensued for Newtown. From disallowed tries to knock-ons, the Jets were eager to score one last time before the halftime siren but were denied by a unified Roosters defence.

After struggling throughout the first half to accumulate points, the Roosters got their breakthrough following a grubber from half Sandon Smith. Centre Michael Jennings danced around the Jets, pouncing on the ball for a try just metres away from the goal posts. After missing his first conversion, Smith got his redemption with a clean kick off the tee and the score was now 18-10 with Newtown holding a defendable lead.

The Roosters closed in on the Jets after a controversial call saw the red and blue capitalise in the right corner. Fullback Kyron Fekitoa and Smith teamed up to obtain another six points for their side. With two points standing between the Roosters and a victory, the final minutes were a heated affair.

Newtown nearly put the icing on the cake with an outstanding solo effort from Daniel Atkinson. The fullback’s chip and chase was clinical, but an unfortunate knock-on forced a turnover.

Taking advantage of newly found momentum, Tyreece Tait was quick off the back foot, leaving a close-by Chris Vea’ila stunned. Tait’s second try followed by Smith’s conversion saw the Roosters take the lead in the 68^th minute (22-18).

With six minutes remaining, Tait sparked trouble for the Jets with his hat-trick try deep in the left pocket. Smith failed to convert to leave the score at 26-18.

In the final 30 seconds, Tait sealed the deal for the Roosters with his fourth and final try for the match. The 18-year-old beat his own personal record of a double, leading his side to victory. After the successful conversion, the score remained 32-18 until the full-time siren.

Talking Points

• The Jets domination in the first half set the tone for a fiery match. However, the Roosters hungry for success dismantled Newtown in the final 40 minutes.
• Despite the Jets many attempts to regain the lead, the solo efforts of Tyreece Tait shook the Jets and led the Roosters to a much-needed win.
• The Roosters’ win over the fourth-placed Jets was their fourth for The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup season.

Key Moment

Tyreece Tait’s scoreboard domination with four tries was a crucial for the Roosters’ early lead, and eventually their second-half comeback.

What’s Next?

The Jets will return home to Henson Park next Saturday to host the Western Suburbs Magpies, while the Roosters will play St George Illawarra Dragons at Allianz Stadium.

Newcastle Knights v Parramatta Eels

Eels hang on after fast start

Mason Cernoy

Game Summary

Finding themselves 20-0 up at halftime, the Parramatta Eels came out on top 30-6 against the Newcastle Knights, after battling through an error-riddled second half the McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.

It was a fast start for the blue and gold, who nearly conceded the first try of the match when Laitia Moceidreke caught a bomb on the fly and made a break down the sideline. When he found David Armstrong he looked certain to score but Ethan Sanders did incredibly well to deny him. Unfortunately Armstrong had to leave the field afterward following an injury.

The Eels would then get some early, quality ball after Kyle McCarthy couldn’t defuse a kick, and a shift to the left-hand side allowed Isaac Lumelume to score the first try in the fourth minute.

Lumelume made another key contribution early in the piece, when he reeled in a kick for touch from Newcastle to put his side back on the attack. This begun an extended period of good field position for Parramatta, who were awarded several set restarts and penalties, as well as a forced drop-out by Meni Luke, before Jake Tago crossed for a try off a face ball from Daejarn Asi.

Shortly after, Jack Cogger threw a cut-out to Moceidreke, who made a break down the sideline and found Krystian Mapapalangi, who snapped the ankles of two defenders with a left-foot step and cut back inside but fell agonisingly short of scoring the try, knocking on and eventually leaving the field with a suspected shoulder injruy.

The Knights were starting to grind back into the match, with Riley Jones forcing a drop-out, but Parramatta won the ball back from a short kick and made their way back into attacking territory over a few sets. Sanders then hit Tago with a short ball to score his second try after beating a few defenders with ease.

As the half was closing out, Lorenzo Mulitalo took an strong carry that saw him bust through the line and run for nearly 40 metres, putting Parramatta back on the front foot. Ethan Sanders capitalised on this momentum by putting a pinpoint chip through which split Jenkins and McCarthy for Lumelume to score his second.

After a dominant first half, it appeared as though it may be more of the same in the second when the Eels came really close to scoring off the first set of the half, but a forward pass burst their bubble.

This set the tone for the second half, where both sides were coming up with too many errors to find any ascendancy. After both sides handed each other a few chances, Parramatta came up with the first try of the second half in the 53rd minute when they spun the ball left and Morgan Harper crossed the line.

Following the try, a fight had broken out between the two sides before Mulitalo and Sebstatian Su’a were both sent to the sin-bin.

During this period, the Knights were finally able to get on the scoreboard when Jack Cogger placed a grubber through for Thomas Cant, who pounced on it while playing in the centres to maintain his try-scoring form.

After the two men in the bin returned to the field, there was a bit of back-and-forth between the two sides. After a 50-metre scoot from Jacob Davis, the Knights scored their second off the back of it when Zach Herring hit Brock Greacen with a short ball. He raced away from Cini to get the ball down in the corner.

It was too little, too late for the Knights to mount a comeback, however, and Eels hooker Ryley Smith finished the game in style when he scooted through the fatigued Newcastle middles to end the game with a score-line of 30-8.

Talking Points

• Parramatta’s halves outclassed Newcastle’s in this match, with both Asi and Sanders having some sparkling moments in attack as well as producing some key defensive plays. Outside backs Lumelume and Tago were also very impressive throughout the match.
• It was a tough day at the office for Thomas Cant and Riley Jones, who both spent lengthy stints in the centres following Armstrong and Mapapalangi’s departures from the field.
• Charlie Guymer was a standout amongst the Eels’ forwards and played with plenty of grit.
• Thomas Cant continued his try-scoring form following a hat-trick against the Roosters last week.
• The Eels have jumped the Knights on the ladder following their Round 17 victory.

Key Moment

Ethan Sanders’ try-saver on David Armstrong at the start of the game was a great effort. It would have likely been a very different game if Armstrong had crossed in the second minute, as Lumelume would not have scored his first try and Parramatta may not have gone on a roll in the first half.

What’s Next?

The Knights will be off to Canberra to take on the Raiders in Round 18, and The Eels will be back at CommBank Stadium for their clash against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

South Sydney Rabbitohs v St George Illawarra Dragons

Dragons overcome Rabbitohs at Redfern

Joel Beatton, dragons.com.au

The St George Illawarra Dragons pulled off a 32-18 win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs in their Knock-On Effect NSW Cup meeting at Redfern Oval on Saturday afternoon, behind a Cooper Roberts double.

It took an hour for the Rabbitohs to eventually crack the Dragons’ line after the visitors jumped out to a 20-0 lead.

The Rabbitohs’ late flurry proved not enough, however, with Ben Woolf’s men holding firm to put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Savelio Tamale sped into space down the left flank in the opening exchanges to send the Rabbitohs an early warning shot before an eventual drop put an end to the Dragons’ raid.

The first points of the afternoon came through Tamale’s wing partner Roberts, who took in a Lyhkan King-Togia ball to stroll over after the Rabbitohs’ left edge had been stripped for numbers.

Fa’amanu Brown slotted the extras to make it 6-0 the way of the visitors just 11 minutes in before Hamish Stewart was placed on report the following set for a dangerous tackle on Rabbitohs fullback Bayleigh Bentley-Hape.

The Dragons’ second came not long after in near-identical fashion to their first with King-Togia crafting a cut-out ball for Roberts to scurry over in the right-hand corner. Brown’s conversion attempt smacked into both uprights and out as the score remained 10-0 in the visitors’ favour.

Roberts threatened to snatch the Dragons’ third the following set going aerial to take in a Jonah Glover bomb only for the ball to eventually hit the deck.

Brown jinked his way over to extend the Red V’s lead further a half-hour in before converting his own try to make it a 16-point advantage.

Connor Muhleisen tore into the backfield the very next set to continue the Dragons’ momentum only for the Rabbitohs to come up with a needed kick defusal several plays later and end the possession.

The Dragons were gifted an early, second-half opportunity thanks to the kick-off travelling out on the full and they obliged with Hayden Buchanan steaming through off a King-Togia short ball for his first try at The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup level.

It proved a familiar sight for the duo whose dangerous partnership produced a bulk of points for the Steelers at UNE SG Ball Cup level earlier in the year.

Haele Finau was placed on report midway through the second period for a high shot which sparked a push-and-shove.

The Rabbitohs finally broke through the Dragons’ defensive line an hour in through big man Billy Tsikrikas who found some space midfield and outran the cover to score.

They went back-to-back the following set through winger Leon Te Hau to surge back into the contest entering the final stages.

The hosts steamed straight back onto the attack after their fifth-tackle option yielded six more tackles only for a crunching Brown hit to dislodge the ball and earn the Dragons possession.

The Dragons managed to stop the bleeding through Jonah Glover who scooped up a Rabbitohs error coming off their own line and dove over with Brown’s conversion extending the lead back beyond a pair of converted tries.

The visitors grabbed another the next set through Tamale who pounced on a Brown grubber in the left corner to seal the result for Woolf’s squad.

The Rabbitohs grabbed a try after the hooter, but it proved in vain with the Red V holding on for a key win away from home.

North Sydney Bears v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs