Rabbits Pluck Eagle Out Of A Hat And Roosters Maul Tigers

By HeBeGeeBee on April 5, 2011 in Sport

A closely contested round four saw six of the eight matches decided by a margin of 8 points or less, four of those even closer than that with just 2 to 3 points in it. Records were broken and our first golden point match of 2011 was played. Tipsters everywhere are shaking their heads at the difficulty of picking a full round and all teams now have competition points. Over the next few rounds any one of the sixteen teams could be sitting on top of the ladder. So get to a game, throw up a flag or don your jersey and scream at the telly, and support your team in the greatest game of all…

RABBITOHS 32 – SEA EAGLES 30

In a display of athleticism and brilliance, Souths posted first points when a Chris Sandow chip to the wing created a break that gave debutant Kane Morgan a moment to shine with a second chip and regather and finally an amazing inside pass to Dylan Farrell who crossed the line just before the eighth minute. Manly scored five minutes later through a fumble from the Bunnies when an opportunistic Jamie Buhrer fell on a loose ball. A tit for tat end to the second half saw both teams going blow for blow but Souths eventually took a 16-10 lead into halftime. The second half was a try fest and Souths ran out to a commanding 32-14 lead with only 10 minutes left on the clock. But the Sea Eagles were not willing to give up on this game and scored a barrage of tries in succession to bring the game closer than comfortable and there was a moment in this match when Bunnies fans wished Chris Sandow had popped over a field goal. In the 77th minute the score was 32-30 with a kick from Manly to come, and as Daly Cherry-Evans lined up the conversion the camera cut to Coach Lang who looked ready to serve his team a verbal spray of epic proportions if it was successful. Luckily for Souths fans Cherry-Evans was unable to slot the ball over and the Sea Eagles made their way back to the Northern Beaches to lament their loss.

Nathan Merritt was magical in this match while Dylan Farrell bagged a hat trick of tries. Manly’s Jamie Buhrer shined to score a double early on and was tireless in defence providing the Sea Eagles with a solid young recruit to cultivate. Jamie Lyon made his return from injury but was over shadowed and outplayed by Greg Inglis, who still appears a few gear changes away from full speed.

Next Round – TIGERS vs. RABBITOHS (Friday 08/04 at 7:30PM at Sydney Football Stadium)

ROOSTERS 24 – TIGERS 6

Shaun Kenny-Dowall scored first in what was to be a comprehensive Roosters win on Sunday at the Sydney Football Stadium. The Tigers were not looking good going into the match, with nine players sidelined due to injuries and suspensions, and they capitulated early on with poor sixth tackle plays. The last time this battle took place the game ran for a whopping 100 minutes but this time it would be all over in the allotted 80. Leading 4-nil the Roosters located a try-line seeking missile named Martin Kennedy who delivered another four pointer and helped the home team to the break with a 12-nil lead. The Tigers needed to post points and did so with a deft pass from hooker Robbie Farah right on the line to give Aaron Woods a clear path over the chalk. Even referee Tony Archer couldn’t stop the next run of tries and when Todd Carney made a break up the middle of the ruck he ran straight over the whistle blower. Though unable to score from that play, Carney got the Roosters into a great attacking position and Anthony Minichiello scored shortly after and brought up his try total to a whopping 103 tries for the club, just short of Bill Mullins’ record of 104 tries. Unfortunately his performance was soured a little towards the end of the match when he was sin binned for a professional foul. Carney sliced through for a try late in the match to put the result beyond doubt and secure the Roosters’ second win of the season.

Next Round – WARRIORS vs. ROOSTERS (Saturday 09/04 at 5:30PM (local) at Mt Smart Stadium)

BRONCOS 18 – PANTHERS 10

The Panthers fans’ woes continued in Brisbane on Friday night with a confident Broncos unit posting their third win on the trot. Legend of the game Darren Lockyer announced his retirement during the week and his teammates aimed up from the start of the game, getting over the line first through second rower Alex Glenn. The Panthers replied awkwardly when Michael Gordon, competing for a cross-field kick, did his best juggler impersonation, eventually getting the ball down to bring the score to 6-4. Surprisingly, the Panthers lead at half time and coach Matthew Elliot certainly must have breathed a sigh of relief with the scoreboard reading 10-6 in favour of Penrith. The second stanza was to be a big letdown for fans of the Western Sydney team, and as with their previous three games they were unable to post any second half points. Lockyer’s experience of 337 matches ended up being the difference, putting through a kick that sat up on its point in goal and allowed Jharal Yow Yeh to pounce on the Panthers. Corey Parker pushed the lead out eight with a late penalty goal and the Broncos gave their fans reason to celebrate.

RAIDERS 22 – TITANS 23

Scott Prince was ruled out for this clash in Canberra and the Titans were at long odds to produce their first win of the 2011 season. The Raiders came out and were committed to crossing first and did so early only to be denied by the video ref when footage showed Bronson Harrison had stepped into touch. The Titans, with a steely resolve, then turned the tide by posting first points through a powerful run from Greg Bird but the Green Machine responded seven minutes later when Joel Thompson levelled it up on the scoreboard. Josh Dugan fell ill during the match and was rested for the remainder of the game leaving the Big Green Vikings rudderless at the back. Both teams crossed again before the break and the half time score was 10-12 in favour of the visitors. The second half proved to be an absolute cracker. The scores were locked at 16-16 and then 22-22 on the stroke of the siren, which sent the game into golden point. Raiders fans were shattered when try scoring hero Blake Ferguson fumbled from the kick off, losing the ball and giving the Titans the best possible field position for extra time. The next set saw Greg Bird slot over a field goal to win the game 22-23.

EELS 22 – COWBOYS 20

The Cowboys traveled south geographically and also on the scoreboard in the final minutes of this match. No stranger to the try line, Ashley Graham ‘superman-ed’ his way over in the corner to get the visitors on the board early. A speculator pass from Johnathan Thurston jumped the Cowboys to a 10-nil lead while the home team looked to have forgotten where points were scored. The bash ‘em up in the middle of the park hurt to watch with some heavy impacts occurring until an overlap appeared and Luke Burt crossed the chalk and the record books, getting the Eels on the board and equalling the great Brett Kenny’s record of 110 club tries. In the final ten minutes of the first half the Eels could have easily run away with this game but failed to convert their chances into points and instead went to the break locked at 10-10. Four minutes into the second half, Kalifa Fai Fai Loa captivated league fans with a 75m dash and dodge to score a try that would get the Cowboys back on track, only to again allow the Eels back into the game with some poor defence. Willie Tonga got down low and dug his way over to put the visitors out in front by 20-16 with only twelve minutes remaining but Luke Burt was not finished for the night and surpassed Kenny’s record with a try and sideline conversion three minutes from time to give the Eels a much-needed win.

SHARKS 18 – WARRIORS 26

In a deal done last year to improve gate revenue, this Sharks home game was played in New Zealand, a move that would have upset fans of a team coming off two solid wins. By all accounts the home advantage was gone and the Sharks were greeted by a Flying Fish in the form of Glen Fisiiahi, who outpaced the whole backline to score first. Nathan Gardener was exceptional in this game and looked to have packed his rocket boots for the match, providing a Formula One like run to set up the Shire Sharkies close to the line and allow Jeremy Smith to barge over for a try. Cronulla residents were looking forward to a third win in a row going into half time leading 12-8 only to have ‘The Fish’ outswim the Sharks and post first points in the second half. The Warriors seized their chance to secure their first win of the season and piled on two more tries to lead 26-12 and with only seven mins remaining as the Sharks fans watched this one get away.

KNIGHTS 18 – DRAGONS 20

The Knights hoped to slay the Dragons in Newcastle on Sunday and with Nathan Tinkler’s takeover bid succeeding they had every reason to impress their new owner. On the other side of the coin, supercoach Wayne Bennett had confirmed that he would not be remaining at the St George-Illawarra club for the 2012 season. These two off-field issues seemed to work in favour of the Knights and a disorganised Dragons outfit fumbled their way around for 18 minutes until Darius Boyd grabbed some points from a cross-field kick. The Knights, desperate to post points, did so on the half time buzzer and headed into the break down 14-6. The Dragons managed to find some control in this game and overcame their flustered start to lead 20-6 in the 50th minute, only to again find themselves in a struggle in the final twenty minutes. The Knights hit them with everything they had and got to within two points but the Dragons still had some fire in the belly and narrowly won.

STORM 30 – BULLDOGS 16

The only team to have won every game so far traveled to Melbourne to meet a Storm team coming off a nasty loss to North Queensland last week. The Bulldogs appeared tired and Melbourne struck with a ferocity that saw them score in the opening minute, and from that moment on they never let up on the intensity. The Bulldogs remained competitive but were up against a team that was not ready to face another loss. Man giant Jamal Idris was knocked around heavily early on and seemed to play out the first half stunned. Steve Turner managed to score against his old team but the Bulldogs struggled to keep up. Melbourne fullback Billy Slater provided some near perfect positional play and seemed to be involved in everything. The Bulldogs spent a lot of time defending but managed some attacking flair as the clock ran down. In the end Melbourne were the victors but it did seem that many of the passes in this game were gridiron inspired.