Canberra have moved into the NRL’s top four for the first time in more than a decade with a 26-22 golden-point win over the Warriors. The Raiders held a comfortable 22-4 lead with 10 minutes to go on Saturday afternoon but let in three late tries to set up a grandstand finish at GIO Stadium.
Skipper Jarrod Croker scored the match-winning try less than 90 seconds into extra time to seal their fourth consecutive win and overtake Canterbury on the ladder. Not since 2003 have the Green Machine been placed so high so late in the season, with six games remaining. Croker, arguably in the form of his career this year, inspired the hard-fought victory with three tries and an assist in front of just under 10,000 fans.
While an entertaining affair, it took a while for both sides to adjust to the cool and windy conditions. The Warriors were first on the board in the 17th minute, when veteran Manu Vatuvei juggled and dived his way to career try No.150 - 11 years after scoring his first. The visitors dominated possession and field position in the first half, but the Raiders somehow went into the break up 12-4.
Croker scored his side’s first try and set Joe Tapine up for another in the final three minutes before the siren, converting both for an unexpected lead. He brought up his double on the hour mark, before Joseph Leilua added another in the 68th minute to go 22-4. But the Raiders conceded three quick tries – two to Thomas Leuluai and the third to David Fusitu’a with just 70 seconds left on the clock.
Issac Luke’s sideline conversion levelled the scores at 22-22 to send them into extra time. It’s the third instance in four games the Warriors have lost in golden point. The Raiders play South Sydney on Sunday week at ANZ Stadium, while the Warriors, who lost Vatuvei to an ankle injury, host Penrith on Saturday.
Parramatta’s NRL top-eight hopes are over after falling 34-14 to the Titans in Saturday evening’s clash on the Gold Coast. In contrast, the seventh-placed Titans remain in sight of their first finals campaign in six years after a five-tries-to-three triumph in front of 15,273 fans at cbus Super Stadium.
The Eels had been holding onto hope that winning their remaining seven matches would keep them in the finals mix. In a year of lurching from controversy to controversy for Parramatta, Eels fans would still have been disheartened by the events of the past week. Wayward five-eighth Corey Norman watched from the Gold Coast sidelines after being suspended for eight weeks and fined $20,000 for a string of off-field incidents, including a conviction for drug possession.
Parramatta were also taken over by a NSW government-appointed administrator on Tuesday in the wake of their salary-cap scandals which resulted in them being fined $1 million and docked 12 competition points. But the loss finally derailed the Eels’ unlikely finals run.
Happier days appear ahead for the Titans. They will back themselves to crack the top eight for the first time since 2010 after downing Parramatta – the first of three straight home fixtures. The Titans overcame the loss of suspended former NSW Origin player Greg Bird to book their second straight win.
After trailing 14-4 at halftime, Parramatta cut the deficit to six points when prolific winger Bevan French crossed in the 58th minute for his 10th try of the season. But the Titans were not to be denied. Back-rower Chris McQueen bagged his double by the 71st minute before halfback Ash Taylor’s 40m intercept try in the dying moments iced the result.
Gold Coast jumped to a 14-0 lead by the 19th minute after tries to Titans recruit Konrad Hurrell, Anthony Don and McQueen. Eels back-rower Ken Edwards put the visitors on the scoreboard running off Clint Gutherson in the 36th minute. Titans veteran hooker Nathan Friend (hamstring) left the field in the 34th minute and Eels rake Isaac de Gois (suspected knee issue) limped off in the 64th.
Melbourne maintained their charge for the NRL minor premiership with a classy 26-10 win over the Sydney Roosters at AAMI Park. The victory gives Melbourne the provisional competition lead, although previous front-runners Cronulla have the chance to go two points clear again on Sunday afternoon when they host Newcastle.
Melbourne scored two late tries, through Tohu Harris and Kevin Proctor, that boosted the margin but the Storm were pushed for much of the match by the Roosters despite their contrasting ladder positions. The last time the teams met, back in round 14, the Storm delivered the Roosters’ worst loss of the season with a 46-0 shellacking.
But it took the visitors just four minutes to improve on that total with Blake Ferguson taking advantage of a kick ricocheting off Cameron Smith, which the fullback scooped up to score. Melbourne hit back 10 minutes later with Dale Finucane running on to a Smith grubber into the in-goal and it was all square at 6-6. The Storm skipper then used the ploy again, this time with Cooper Cronk taking the spoils for a 14-6 lead.
That was the margin until the 64th minute with the defence of both sides holding firm until Cronk found second-rower Proctor on the fly. The Roosters had the last say with centre Shaun Kenny-Dowall able to ground a miracle ball in the dying minutes. Compounding the misery for the Roosters, prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves limped off midway through the first half with a knee injury and failed to return.
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