Brave Raiders deny Panthers
By Steve Jancetic
March 22, 2008
PENRITH coach Matt Elliott didn't have to go far in search of an explanation for his side's dismal 20-16 NRL loss to a gutsy Canberra at CUA Stadium.
"There is an expectation at first grade level, the basic fundamentals of catching and passing the ball are essential things,'' Elliott said.
"It makes it difficult for the other people, you've got to be personally accountable, it makes it difficult for your teammates when you don't do that.''
Put simply, the Panthers failed to dish up a performance worthy of the NRL.
With the Raiders down to 15 fit players following first-half injuries to William Zillman and prop Scott Logan and the Panthers holding a 16-14 lead, the game was there for Penrith to win.
Instead they handed two vital competition points to the opposition which, going on this performance, could come back to bite them with Penrith and the Raiders looking early favourites to battle it out for the wooden spoon.
"The ball control and the errors, it's something that we can't tolerate - it's that simple,'' Elliott said.
"You're not going to win games, you're not going to give yourself the opportunity to win games.''
The performance of half-back Jarrod Sammut was the one shining light for the home side, the livewire No.7 unlucky to be denied a spectacular solo try by the video referee that would have given the Panthers a 20-12 lead at the break.
To Canberra's credit they persisted in the face of adversity, luckless fullback Zillman looking headed for his second left knee reconstruction in as many seasons after hobbling off just before halftime.
Logan also failed to return after the break after suffering a suspected cheekbone fracture, but the Raiders put it all behind them with Marshall Chalk scoring what proved to be the only points of the second half when he dived over in the corner after 54 minutes.
"To be reduced to 15 players and play 40 minutes like that, I thought we came out and really controlled possession at the start of the second half ... that pressure field position mounted into errors for Penrith,'' coach Neil Henry said.
"We probably didn't make the most of our opportunities, we squandered a bit of possession at the back end of sets.
"That's an indication there's some confidence in this group there, I think that was a pretty gutsy performance.''
Zillman raced 80 metres to score on Canberra's first touch of the ball and, when Bronx Goodwin made it 12-0 after as many minutes, the only real defence was coming from the Panthers fans - both tryscorers were pelted with missiles from the crowd as they dived over.
Penrith finally got rolling when Maurice Blair sent Rhys Wesser over and they grabbed the lead on 30 minutes when Brad Tighe scored on the back of a brilliant Sammut 40-20.
Sammut was robbed of what seemed a fair four-pointer of his own five minutes later when the video referee found hooker Paul Aiton in an offside position after Sammut had regained his own grubber.
Replays suggested Aiton's impact on the play appeared minimal.
AAP
Knights rookie secures upset win
By Darren Walton
March 22, 2008
A FIELD goal to rookie half-back Scott Dureau three minutes into golden-point extra time gave Newcastle a heartstopping 13-12 victory over Manly at EnergyAustralia Stadium.
The win kept the Knights unbeaten and consigned the Sea Eagles - beaten grand finalists in 2007 - to their second successive loss of the new season.
Newcastle looked dead and buried trailing 12-2 late in the game before mounting a spirited comeback.
But they still looked to have blown it when replacement forward Richie Fa'aoso spilt the ball with the line wide open with just under four minutes left on the clock.
But Fa'aoso turned villain to hero when he steamed onto an inside ball from five-eighth Jarrod Mullen with two minutes and 20 seconds remaining to give the Knights hope.
Fullback Kurt Gidley calmly slotted the conversion to tie the game up and send the match into overtime before Dureau performed his heroics in only his third first-grade game to send the local crowd of 18,117 into a frenzy with his field goal from 30 metres out.
The thrilling finish capped a dramatic night in which Manly's former former Newcastle crowd favourite Josh Perry was placed on report for a headbutt on Knights forward Danny Wicks and the video referee was again in the spotlight.
Manly fans had good reason to cry foul after Englishmen Russell Smith made two highly contentious calls against the Eagles.
First, with Manly trailing 2-0, Eagles hooker Matt Ballin was denied what looked a perfectly legitimate try in the 21st minute.
Newcastle fullback Gidley spilt a Matt Orford bomb and Ballin collected the loose ball and raced 20 metres to touch down.
But Smith adjudged Manly second rower Anthony Watmough, who was not in any way involved in the play, had been offside from Orford's kick and awarded the Knights a penalty.
Then, in the 53rd minute with Manly clinging to a 6-2 lead, Smith curiously awarded the visitors a penalty instead of a try to winger Michael Bani when Newcastle five-eighth was pinged for a strip.
From the strip, Newcastle centre Keith Lulia knocked on, Manly centre Steve Bell re-gathered and offloaded to Bani, who crossed for the Eagles - only for the “no try - penalty'' to flash up on the large screen.
Smith's controversial decisions came just 24 hours after Steve Clarke blundered in not allowing the Sydney Roosters what most deemed a fair try against Brisbane.
The NRL can do without having video referees making headlines for all the wrong reasons so early in the new season.
There was no denying Bani in the 57th minute when he crossed out wide and Orford converted to put the Eagles up 12-2.
An opportunist's try to five-eighth Jamie Lyon on the half hour had given Manly a 6-2 halftime lead.
Lyon swooped on a loose ball in the Newcastle in-goal area after Gidley - under no great pressure - spilt a second Orford bomb to gift the Eagles the lead.
Dureau said his winning field goal was easily the highlight of his burgeoning career.
"Easily,'' he said.
"Last time I played Manly (last year), it was my debut and they beat us by 50. So to beat them like that (tonight), it's just mindblowing.''
Smith relunctantly singled out Fa'aoso for praise after the battling journeyman followed up his match-saving try with a match-winning "play-the-ball that got us the space for Scotty to kick the field goal''.
"Two awesome plays by a really terrific young bloke who's working his socks off to make the most of a really big career opportunity that he's got here at the Knights,'' Smith said before acknowledging the efforts of his entire squad who refused to say die.
"It took the whole 17 guys tonight to get the money, and a bit of extra time as well.
"It was all hands to the pump. No doubt about that.''
Losing coach Des Hasler said "we've got ourselves to blame''.
"It's as simple as that,'' Hasler said.
While Hasler said he would have to review the video before commenting on the Perry incident, Smith offered: "I wasn't sure what happened there. It looked like it was foul play of some kind.
"I was organising what was happening in the box at that stage, (but) it was welcome, whatever it was.''
AAP
Sharks deadly in the storm
By John Salvado
March 23, 2008
CRONULLA have created the first big shock of the NRL season, Brett Kimmorley landing a late field goal as they defeated Melbourne 17-16 at Olympic Park.
The dramatic finale, which saw Melbourne suffer their first home loss since going down to New Zealand Warriors late in 2006, concluded what had been a fiery match, with Cronulla prop Ben Ross and Melbourne counterpart Brett White both sent off.
Ross was given his marching orders by referee Tony Archer for elbowing Cooper Cronk in the head just after the Storm half-back had kicked to Israel Folau for Melbourne's third try, which levelled the scores at 16-16 in the 65th minute.
White was sent off for retaliating and punching Ross in the head.
The incident continued an eventful start to the season for Ross, who lost three teeth and suffered heavy concussion in a heavy head clash with Manly rival Josh Perry last week.
The Sharks raced to a shock 14-0 lead inside the first 11 minutes, through tries from David Simmons, Brett Kearney and Paul Gallen, but they lamented poor goalkicking from Luke Covell, who converted only one of the tries.
Sharks lock Greg Bird set up the second try for Kearney, powering through poor Storm defence before setting up Kearney for the easiest of four-pointers.
Centre Russ Aitken got Melbourne on the scoreboard in in the 15th minute, taking a fine pass from Cronk and crashing over with three Sharks defenders on his back. Aitken was bleeding profusely after copping an accidental knee to the head while grounding the ball.
White scored Melbourne's second try, barging through the Sharks' defensive line, in the 20th minute, and the Storm were firmly on the attack in the final minute of the half, after impressive skipper Cameron Smith's brilliant 40-20 kick in the 39th minute, but they were unable to manufacture a third.
The second half saw the sides involved in a war of attrition.
Covell missed the opportunity to double the Sharks' lead with a penalty goal in the 51st minute, but he made amends 11 minutes later.
Folau then levelled the scores at 16-16 in the 65th minute, in the play that led to the sending-off of Ross and White, but Smith was unable to put the home side ahead, missing the conversion attempt.
Both sides then made a number of handling errors as they chased victory in the final 10 minutes.
Cronk missed a long-range field goal attempt for Melbourne, and the Storm was paid to pay when Kimmorley slotted his 35-metre effort in the 79th minute.
AAP
