Cowboys Rustle Roosters Feathers And Panthers Prey On Bunnies

By HeBeGeeBee on June 1, 2011 in Sport

Round 12 started off with some heavily depleted team lists due to Origin duties last Wednesday and despite the absence of many regular first graders the footy was outstanding. The Sharks gave the Storm a scare in Melbourne and the Eels and Knights provided a low scoring but exciting match. We are one round away from the halfway mark of this season and one bookie in particular believes the minor premiership is already a sure thing for the Dragons (yep, he is already paying out on Dragons fro minor premiers).

PANTHERS 22 – RABBITOHS 10

The Panthers pounced on an unsuspecting Rabbitohs outfit at CentreBet Stadium on Monday night, winning by four tries to two. Luke Lewis posted first points with only three minutes elapsed on the clock after some essential second phase play from the forward pack. The Bunnies responded ten minutes later when a sneaky kick from John Sutton bounced off Travis Burns’ chest into Dave Taylor’s arms, who proceeded to throw an over the head pass to a flying James Roberts. The rest of the first half was all Penrith with tries to Trent Waterhouse and Adrian Purtell, and they went into the break with a 16-4 lead. A possible fight-back from the Bunnies got off on the right foot when Isaac Luke found his way through five Panthers players close to the line to bring the score back to an achievable six-point margin. The next 25 minutes saw a battle in the middle with the scales tipping in favour of the Big Cats when they posted the final try of the game through Lachlan Coote, giving them a much needed win.

Next Round –RABBITOHS vs. STORM (05/06 at 3:00PM at ANZ Stadium)

COWBOYS 20 – ROOSTERS 6

Jonathon Thurston put a hapless Roosters team to the sword on Saturday night in Townsville after backing up from Origin. It was an uneventful first half with only the one try to Glenn Hall who ran a decisive line through some tame defence to collect a spectacular pass from the man of the hour, Thurston. With a penalty goal kicked by Thurston on the stroke of half time, the Cowboys held a comfortable 8-point lead. They continued to post points in the second half through James Tamou and Jonathan Thurston. The Roosters never really got started and spent most of the match concentrating on defence, finally grabbing a consolation try in the 71st minute through Frank Paul ‘The Wrecking Ball’ Nuuausala.

Next Round – ROOSTERS vs. WARRIORS (04/06-19:30PM SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM)

SEA EAGLES 34 – BRONCOS 10

Manly decimated an under-strength Baby Broncos team in the first game of the Friday night double-header. Origin time is always tough on the Queensland teams but more so on the Broncos and this game was to produce a similar outcome to years past. Brisbane secured the first points of the match with a penalty and even though Manly were first to score a try through William Hopoate, the Broncs went into the break with a 10-4 lead. The second half was a try-a-thon for the Sea Eagles, who comprehensively destroyed the Broncos five tries to nil with young halfback Daly Cherry Evans grabbing a double and Hopoate scoring the last try of the match for his own double.

BULLDOGS 28 – TITANS 6

The Bulldogs found their winning ways again with a 22-point win over a shaky Titans team who looked uncomfortable on the field. Two quick tries to start the match, both coming from new recruit Frank Pritchard, were an ominous sign for Gold Coast fans. The Bulldogs lead 16-0 going into the break and the Titans had a mountain to climb to get back into the match in the second half and remain competitive. Bulldogs fans were treated to some Ben Barba magic as he repeatedly sliced through some weak defence and the Doggies continued to extend the lead with tries to Steve Turner and Josh Morris. The Titans were lucky to get on the board late in the game when a charge down from Luke Bailey ended with a Scott Prince try.

KNIGHTS 8 – EELS 6

The Eels got off to a good start when a short kick-off found its way back into their possession, immediately putting them on the attack, but they were unable to capitalise on their chances at all in the first forty minutes. With both teams scoring a try a piece, this was a close game and was played right through to the final hooter with only a penalty goal separating them at the end. A try to Wes Naiqama in the first half and a penalty goal to Kurt Gidley in the second half was enough to get the Knights a win in this game and a spirited fight back from the Eels as the clock ran down was doused by some exceptional defence from the Novacastrians.

STORM 14 – SHARKS 8

A scoreless first half from both teams set the tone for a drag-down battle in the second forty. We were treated to exactly that with Paul Gallen and Cameron Smith pulling out every trick in their arsenals. Although Melbourne were first on the board through Dane Nielsen, the Sharks at one point held an 8-6 lead and it looked like it was going to be the upset of the round. As always though, the composure of the methodical Melbourne Storm proved the difference with Sisa Waqa scoring the match winner.

DRAGONS 24 – TIGERS 18

With eleven State of Origin players in the team the Dragons would prove to be a hard tower to topple, and considering this year’s unbelievable defensive effort, which has them conceding only eight points on average per match, the Tigers faced an uphill battle. The first half was an invasion from the Red Vs that saw them post four tries to one. Even a valiant effort form the Tigers in the second half was not enough to turn the tide. Mark Gasnier scored the match winner to get the Dragons two points again this round and many see this year’s comp as a one horse race with some bookies paying out already on a St George Illawarra minor premiership.