South Sydney survived a late Shark attack to record a 32-22 victory over Cronulla at Suncorp Stadium but the game could have enormous ramifications for the Queensland Origin side with two incumbents placed on report. The Rabbitohs looked on the path to certain victory when they raced to a 20-0 lead inside 30 minutes only for Cronulla to launch a second-half fightback and pull within sight of victory to trail 20-16 with 14 minutes to play. But Cronulla’s late fightback was thwarted when the referee Chris Sutton halted play in the 73rd minute to place Chad Townsend on report for what appeared to be an innocuous neck contact tackle two tackles earlier.
Manly speedster Jason Saab has thrown down the gauntlet to Josh Addo-Carr, reigniting calls for a 100-metre rugby league sprint showdown to declare the NRL s fastest man once and for all. Perhaps inspired by famous fan Harry challenging teammate Tom Trbojevic to tear up and down the Manly Corso, Saab says there s only one way to crown the game s ultimate speed king. With all 16 clubs arriving in Brisbane for Magic Round this weekend, it s understood NRL CEO Andrew Abdo was receptive to the idea of a 100-metre dash, similar to the sponsored AFL event each grand final day. Addo-Carr remains the fastest rugby league player recorded during a game after the Storm star was clocked at a blistering 38.5km/h in a 2019 clash against North Queensland.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters is confident his team can handle the red-hot form of Manly star Tom Trbojevic as stats reveal the Sea Eagles fullback is creating big plays almost every six times he touches the ball. Since returning from a hamstring strain four weeks ago, Trbojevic has racked up incredible numbers . five tries, eight try assists and seven line break assists from just 130 touches of the ball. Trbojevic’s stunning form to spark a Manly revival prompted former Broncos great Steve Renouf to rate him “the most influential player in the competition” in his NRL.com column on Thursday.
There s light at the end of the tunnel after Bunnies embarrassing loss A Set the default text size A Set large text size Replay A Set the default text size A Set large text size After watching the South Sydney Rabbitohs getting thumped 50-0 by the Melbourne Storm I have a whole lot of different emotions and opinions that every Bunnies supporter is feeling and thinking after that game. First of all how good was Josh Addo-Carr scoring six tries and becoming the first player in over 70 years to do it, but also be the first Melbourne Storm player to score five or more tries in a single game? Jahrome Hughes, Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Brandon Smith were also tearing through the Bunnies and showed that they’re going to try and defend their title as premiers.
There s light at the end of the tunnel after Bunnies embarrassing loss A Set the default text size A Set large text size Replay A Set the default text size A Set large text size After watching the South Sydney Rabbitohs getting thumped 50-0 by the Melbourne Storm I have a whole lot of different emotions and opinions that every Bunnies supporter is feeling and thinking after that game. First of all how good was Josh Addo-Carr scoring six tries and becoming the first player in over 70 years to do it, but also be the first Melbourne Storm player to score five or more tries in a single game? Jahrome Hughes, Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Brandon Smith were also tearing through the Bunnies and showed that they’re going to try and defend their title as premiers.
Round 9 Late Mail Dragons v Bulldogs, Sunday 4.05pm at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium Dragons: Mathew Feagai will make his NRL debut in place of Cody Ramsey (rib) on the wing, while Junior Amone also makes his NRL debut from the bench. Tyrell Fuimaono comes in at centre to repace Zac Lomax (dislocated thumb). Ramsey and Adam Clune dropped out of the extended squad 24 hours before kick-off while Poasa Faamausili was the last man cut an hour before kick-off. Jackson Ford is 18th man. Dragons fullback Matt Dufty has scored nine tries in his past eight games at Kogarah. Bulldogs: Lachlan Lewis and Ofahiki Ogden were added to the bench an hour before kick-off with Matt Doorey reverting to 18th man.
South Sydney will get a first-up glance of their possible life without Adam Reynolds next season with Dean Hawkins set to replace the No.7 for their clash against premiers Melbourne. With Reynolds sidelined for at least a fortnight, coach Wayne Bennett confirmed Hawkins has been elevated to the halves alongside Benji Marshall for Thursday night s rematch after initially being named on the bench. Hawkins played just 14 minutes in his NRL debut against the Broncos in round five but is set for longer minutes this time around due the Rabbitohs latest injury woes. The 22-year-old returned from a three-week layoff last week after a freak accident meant he needed 15 stitches to his leg after he tried to climb over a fence to celebrate his debut with friends and family.