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Queensland State of Origin side named

North Queensland Cowboys hardman Carl Webb was unlucky to miss inclusion in the Maroons side named today to meet the NSW Blues at ANZ Stadium next Wednesday. Broncos improver Ben Hannant keeps his place on the Maroons bench.

Brisbane team-mate Karmichael Hunt will still keep the fullback position, meaning Billy Slater will again be injected from the reserve bench.

Titans forward Ashley Harrison - who also started game two despite being initially named on the bench - has been chosen in the second-row for Origin

Melbourne rake Cameron Smith will again captain the team in the absence of Darren Lockyer (knee).

In 13 previous visits to ANZ Stadium, Queensland have managed only one win and a draw with 11 losses.

Queensland: Karmichael Hunt, Darius Boyd, Greg Inglis, Brent Tate, Israel Folau, Johnathan Thurston, Scott Prince, Steve Price, Cameron Smith (capt), Petero Civoniceva, Michael Crocker, Ashley Harrison, Dallas Johnson. Interchange: Billy Slater, Ben Hannant, Nate Myles, Sam Thaiday.

NRL Teams and Lineups Round 16 2008

NRL Teams and Squad Lineups for Round 16 of the NRL this weekend.

FRIDAY

Penrith Panthers v Brisbane Broncos at CUA Stadium, 7.45pm
Panthers: Rhys Wesser, Luke Rooney, Michael Jennings, Maurice Blair, Brad Tighe, Wade Graham, Luke Lewis, Tony Puletua, Keith Peters, Matthew Bell, Frank Pritchard, Trent Waterhouse, Nathan Smith. Interchange: Masada Iosefa, Tim Grant, Junior Moors, Shane Rodney, Jarrod Sammut (one to be omitted).
Broncos: Josh Hoffman, Denan Kemp, Joel Moon, Nick Emmett, Kaine Manihera, PJ Marsh, Shane Perry, Nick Kenny, Michael Ennis, Ashton Sims, Corey Parker (capt), Greg Eastwood, Tonie Carroll. Interchange: Joel Clinton, David Taylor, Isaak Ah Mau, Andrew McCullough, Derrick Watkins (one to be omitted).
Referee: Gavin Badger

Sydney Roosters v Bulldogs at Sydney Football Stadium, 7.45pm
Roosters: Amos Roberts, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Mitchell Aubusson, Sia Soliola, Sam Perrett, Setaimata Sa, James Aubusson, Mark O’Meley (capt), Jake Friend, Frank-Paul Nuuausala, Lopini Paea, Sean Rudder, Riley Brown. Interchange: David Shillington, Mickey Paea, Anthony Cherrington, Brent Grose, Shaun Foley (one to be omitted).
Bulldogs: Nick Youngquest, Hazem El Masri, Daryl Millard, Tim Winitana, Heka Nanai, Arana Taumata, Ben Roberts, Jarrad Hickey, Corey Hughes, Fred Briggs, Sonny Bill Williams, Andrew Ryan, Reni Maitua. Interchange: Lee Te Maari, Danny Williams, Brad Morrin, Michael Sullivan.
Referee: Jared Maxwell

SATURDAY

Gold Coast Titans v St George Illawarra Dragons at Skilled Park, 5.30pm
Titans: Preston Campbell, Ben Jeffrey, Luke O’Dwyer, Brett Delaney, Jordan Atkins, Mat Rogers, Brad Davis, Michael Henderson, Nathan Friend, Michael Hodgson, Brad Meyers, Mark Minichiello, Josh Graham. Interchange: James Stosic, Will Matthews, Gavin Cooper, Luke Swain, Clint Amos (one to be omitted).
Dragons: Brett Morris, Jason Nightingale, Josh Morris, Chase Stanley, Michael Lett, Jamie Soward, Ben Hornby (capt), Justin Poore, Dean Young, Jason Ryles, Beau Scott, Ben Creagh, Stuart Webb. Interchange: Jarrod Saffy, Dan Hunt, Lagi Setu, Rangi Chase, Kirk Reynoldson (one to be omitted).
Referee: Bernard Sutton

Manly Sea Eagles v Newcastle Knights at Bluetongue Stadium, 7.30pm
Sea Eagles: Michael Robertson, Michael Bani, Steve Bell, Steve Matai, David Williams, Jamie Lyon, Matt Orford (capt), Brent Kite, Matt Ballin, Josh Perry, Anthony Watmough, Glenn Stewart, Luke Williamson. Interchange: Heath L’Estrange, Glenn Hall, Mark Bryant, Steve Menzies, Nick Bradley-Qalilawa, Adam Cuthbertson (two to be omitted).
Knights: Wes Naiqama, James McManus, Junior Sau, Adam MacDougall, Cooper Vuna, Chris Bailey, Jarrod Mullen, Steve Simpson (capt), Matt Hilder, Jesse Royal, Chris Houston, Cory Paterson, Zeb Taia. Interchange: Daniel Tolar, Richard Faaoso, Danny Wicks, Scott Dureau.
Referee: Shayne Hayne

North Queensland Cowboys v South Sydney Rabbitohs at Dairy Farmers Stadium, 7.30pm
Cowboys: Anthony Watts, Mark Henry, Ashley Graham, Ben Harris, John Williams, Sione Faumuina, Chris Sheppard, Ray Cashmere, Aaron Payne (capt), Carl Webb, Nick Slyney, Scott Bolton, Steve Southern. Interchange: Brandon Boor, Ben Vaeau, Greg Byrnes, Shane Tronc
Rabbitohs: Luke Capewell, Nathan Merritt, Jamie Simpson, Beau Champion, Fetuli Talanoa, Craig Wing, Chris Sandow, Scott Geddes, Issac Luke, Roy Asotasi (capt), Luke Stuart, David Faalogo, John Sutton
Interchange: George Ndaira, Shannan McPherson, David Kidwell, Manase Manuokafoa, Ben Lowe, Shannon Hegarty, Michael Greenfield (three to be omitted).
Referee: Tony De Las Heras

SUNDAY

Wests Tigers v New Zealand Warriors at Leichhardt Oval, 2pm
Tigers: Brett Hodgson (capt), Taniela Tuiaki, Dean Collis, Chris Lawrence, Beau Ryan, Benji Marshall, Mathew Head, Bronson Harrison, Robbie Farah, Bryce Gibbs, Ben Te’o, Chris Heighington, Liam Fulton. Interchange: John Morris, Dene Halatau, Corey Payne, Daine Laurie, Ryan Tandy (one to be omitted).
Warriors: Lance Hohaia, Aidan Kirk, Jerome Ropati, Simon Mannering, Malo Solomona, Michael Witt, Nathan Fien, Ruben Wiki, Ian Henderson, Sam Rapira, Ben Matulino, Logan Swann, Micheal Luck (capt). Interchange: Patrick Ah Van, Evarn Tuimavave, Epalahame Lauaki, Sonny Fai.
Referee: Steve Lyons

Parramatta Eels v Melbourne Storm at Parramatta Stadium, 3pm.
Eels: Luke Burt, Taulima Tautai, Krisnan Inu, Joel Reddy, Tony Williams, Feleti Mateo, Brett Finch, Nathan Cayless (capt), Mark Riddell, Josh Cordoba, Nathan Hindmarsh, Daniel Wagon, Chad Robinson, Interchange: Matthew Keating, Todd Lowrie, Weller Hauraki, Brendan Oake.
Storm: Steve Turner, Brett Anderson, Joseph Tomane, Jeremy Smith, Sam Joe, Matt Geyer, Cooper Cronk, Jeff Lima, Russ Aitken, Scott Anderson, Antonio Kaufusi, Sika Manu, Adam Blair. Interchange: Liam Foran, Kevin Proctor, Aiden Tolman, Clifford Manua, Sinbad Kali, Lucas Miller (two to be omitted).
Referee: Ben Cummins

MONDAY

Canberra Raiders v Cronulla Sharks at Canberra Stadium, 7pm.
Raiders: David Milne, Justin Carney, Colin Best, Brett Kelly, Bronx Goodwin, Terry Campese, Todd Carney, Troy Thompson, Glen Buttriss, Dane Tilse, Glen Turner, Joe Picker, Alan Tongue (capt). Interchange: Josh Miller, Ryan Hinchcliffe, Trevor Thurling, Michael Weyman, Ben Jones.
Sharks: Mitch Brown, Misi Taulapapa, Ben Pomeroy, David Simmons, Luke Covell, Brett Seymour, Brett Kimmorley, Ben Ross, Isaac De Gois, Danny Nutley, Luke Douglas, Fraser Anderson, Blake Green. Interchange: Paul Stephenson, Kade Snowden, Bryan Norrie, Terence Seu Seu, Grant Millington (one to be omitted).
Referee: Sean Hampstead

NSW Blues side named for State of Origin 3, 2008

The NSW Blues Team Lineup and Squad for State of Origin 3 has been announced this morning; as follows:

NSW team: Brett Stewart, Jarryd Hayne, Joel Monaghan, Matt Cooper, Anthony Quinn, Braith Anasta, Mitchell Pearce, Willie Mason, Danny Buderus (capt), Brett White, Craig Fitzgibbon, Ryan Hoffman, Paul Gallen. Interchange: Kurt Gidley, Anthony Laffranchi, Ben Cross, Anthony Tupou.

NSW coach Craig Bellamy says teenager Mitchell Pearce’s elevation to State of Origin halfback has come sooner than expected but he has full faith in him to direct the Blues in next week’s series decider at ANZ Stadium.

Pearce, the 19-year-old son of former Blues great and coach Wayne Pearce, was on Tuesday named to make his Origin debut in the No.7 jersey, alongside Sydney Roosters team-mate Braith Anasta who gained a recall.

The Roosters pair are two of five changes to the NSW side which lost 30-0 in Origin II in Brisbane with Origin I stars Ben Cross and Jarryd Hayne also recalled while Canberra’s Joel Monaghan was picked for his debut in place of injured centre Mark Gasnier (back).

Anasta and Pearce replace injured combination Greg Bird (knee) and Peter Wallace (groin) while prop Cross replaces Newcastle team-mate Steve Simpson on the bench and Hayne comes back on the wing in place of Steve Turner.

Blues selectors made only a minor change to the starting forward pack which was mauled in Brisbane, with Willie Mason shifted up to prop and Craig Fitzgibbon reverting to the second row.

It is a strong show of faith by NSW selectors with most of the changes either recalling players who did the job in Origin I or forced through injury.

Bellamy is confident the Blues have picked a side he believes can do the job on Wednesday week and reclaim the series title for the first time since 2005.

He says the Roosters halves partnership is a bonus for the Blues, but insists both Pearce and Anasta would have won selection had they played for separate NRL clubs.

“It’s obviously a pretty early promotion I suppose into this level of footy for him,” said Bellamy of Pearce.

“He has been under the spotlight from us for a little bit.

“It’s a bit of a bonus for us if they’ve both played for the same club.

“If they played for separate clubs they would be in the team in the same circumstances.”

Anasta’s recall - he was dumped after the opening two losses last year - comes after some great club form and Bellamy says NSW will be looking to the 26-year-old to carry those performances into the rep arena.

“I’m sure he will fit (into the team) fine. I imagine he will be happy to be there,” said Bellamy of Anasta.

“He was very unlucky to miss out in those first two games.”

Bellamy said Brisbane young gun Wallace was not considered as it would have been too tough on the 22-year-old to play after having surgery on a ruptured testicle only days after the Origin II loss.

“There were still some dangers that if we had trained him this week and played that was too big an ask,” said Bellamy.

“Wall is a tough kid but it’s just that there’s too many risks after talking to the specialists.”

Meanwhile the lack of changes to the Blues pack, only a positional switch and the recall of Origin I debutant Cross, has handed NSW’s highly criticised Origin II forwards a chance at redemption.

“We tried to get back to the side we had in the first game and they did pretty well,” said chairman of selectors Bob McCarthy.

NSW team: Brett Stewart, Jarryd Hayne, Joel Monaghan, Matt Cooper, Anthony Quinn, Braith Anasta, Mitchell Pearce, Willie Mason, Danny Buderus (capt), Brett White, Craig Fitzgibbon, Ryan Hoffman, Paul Gallen. Interchange: Kurt Gidley, Anthony Laffranchi, Ben Cross, Anthony Tupou.

NRL Power Rankings Round 15 2008

Well, it’s been a long time coming - but the Green Machine returned this week and the Grubber had no hesitation in slotting them into Top spot on the NRL Power Rankings. Their no.1 supporter, Mr Akuma would be a happy man as his side turned on the after-burners to leave the Bulldogs in a whole heap of trouble.

Over at Toyota Park, the Sharks got their gritty win - but has Paul Gallen become the new Geoff Toovey? Already at odds with the NRL public earlier in his career over grubby tactics, the work-horse forward has now become a consistent voice in the referees ears. Come on Paul, you’re driving referee’s and those with ’sports-ears’ mad! Give us a rest.

1. Canberra Raiders: The Green Machine flexed some major muscle in Round 15, playing against a rudderless Bulldogs side the Canberra boys grew in confidence after every try and simply blew the Belmore boys off the park. Colin Best getting back to career best form combined with a good showing from the Raiders forwards. Will be interesting to watch in the run to the Top 8 Finals.

Grubbers Comment: Truth in the rumour that Michael Weyman got fired up for this game, after his coach for next year Wayne Bennett sent him a ‘Tony Ferguson’ diet pack to prepare him for the Dragons in 2009. Strong to Certain.

2. Melbourne Storm: Took a while to get into full swing, but the high flying Melbourne side copped a rocket at half time from NSW coach Craig Bellamy and returned to the field to put the struggling Cowboys to the slaughter. Could have scored even more points if not for the North Queensland slowing tactics. Consistent motivation remains the a hurdle for the Storm, along with possible injury damage coming out of State of Origin 3.

Grubbers Comment: Odds that Craig Bellamy bargained with his side at half-time; saying “Ok, you win this game well guys and I will let you Queenslanders win Origin 3?” 100/1

3. St George Illawarra Dragons: Didn’t win in style, but the Dragons are well and truly back. Slotting into the Top 8 and winning games in the grind when they have to. Still have a great side on paper and have beaten all the top teams on the ladder so far in NRL 2008. Coach and players must be reveling in this season now the pressure of next year has been lifted off their shoulders. Could prove a real handful in the finals.

Grubbers Comment: Odds that the Dragons have a cut-out of Wayne Bennett in the dressing sheds before and during the game, which has helped them win over the past month? 5/1

4. Manly Sea Eagles: Only won by a small margin, but got the goods on a tough road trip to Aukland, NZ. The Warriors put up a massive fight, but the Eagles had the late counter punch to snatch the 2 points. Have shown in recent weeks they can win the tough, gritty games - something they weren’t doing earlier in the year. A question mark remains over their halves, but while they are winning - Des Hasler and Co probably don’t care.

Grubbers Comment: Chances that Manly and their supporters have finally forgotten who Michael Monaghan was, now they are sitting atop the NRL Ladder? 10/1

5. Sydney Roosters: Another heart stopping game, the Roosters ram-raiding Newcastle to jag another victory. While they are oozing confidence, it seems coach Brad Fittler is the key to their NRL success this year. Fittler’s ability to get their attitude right and ‘lift’ them before and during a game seems to be a regular occurrence. With Mitchell Pearce and Braith Anasta set to join the NSW State of Origin ranks, the game breaking halves pairing could grow even further in confidence.

Grubbers Comment: Odds that Brad Fittler will suit up and play Captain-Coach of the Sydney Roosters in the absence of his prodigy Braith Anasta? 250/1

6. Cronulla Sharks: The Shire lads played out the ideal game-plan to beat the Eels, Paul Gallen leading from the front and putting his team in a position to snatch victory after the bell. Look lost at times in attack with only their kicks threatening, but Ricky Stuart has this side battle-hardened and they continue to win in close encounters. Have virtually guaranteed themselves a Top 8 finish. Hold on to your hats Cronulla, you’re going to the finals - can your team win the comp?

Grubbers Comment: Odds that Brett Kimmorley was going to ‘wink’ in the style of Paul Gallen as he lay on the ground waiting for video referee intervention? 1000/1

7. Brisbane Broncos: Were lucky in their victory over the Wests Tigers, the Broncos never looked likely and will be happy to have snagged a win given their shocking injury toll at present. Their spare parts side did enough to stay in touch with the NRL entertainers; Wests Tigers - and they got the bounce of the ball late in the action. When their stars return in the coming weeks, could be a perfect refresher coming into the finals. Should be a contender at seasons end.

Grubbers Comment: Chances of Ivan Henjack getting cold feet at the last minute before going from water-boy to having to fill the biggest coaching shoes in NRL and Rugby League history in 2009? 25/1

8. South Sydney Rabbitohs: The Gladiators touch. Was it Russell Crowe in the sheds before the game that gave the Bunnies the power? Regardless, they got the chocolates. A spirited performance albeit against an injury hit Gold Coast Titans side. Surely Jason Taylor has found the halves pairing he can stick with on a weekly basis, Chris Sandow the 7th choice half for the year looks to have the goods. Issac Luke and John Sutton would be State of Origin representatives if they played for a top 8 side this year.

Grubbers Comment: Odds that Jason Taylor was going to mention John Lang in the post-game interview if the Bunnies won? 150/1

9. Gold Coast Titans: Still have a problem with away games, but given their performance with no reserves - they can be excused. Never stopped probing all night and while Nathan Friend had several key defensive misses, his livewire, scheming attack was impressive. Mark Minichiello was an absolute machine, punching out big metres and tackling consistently. Probably only a speed bump for John Cartwright at the Titans, but injuries must be a concern in the weeks ahead. Have some tough games coming up.

Grubbers Comment: Likelihood that the shorts worn by the Gold Coast Titans are the most unfit colour for NRL that has ever been seen? 2/1

10. Parramatta Eels: Never looked comfortable against Cronulla, should have been able to adapt to the physical and slowing tactics of the Sharks. Nearly able to snatch a game they didn’t really deserve to win and don’t look too affected by injury at this stage. The Eels are still yet to prove themselves consistently in 2008, however the form of Feleti Mateo continues to propel them along at critical times. Halves pairing looks much better than earlier in the year.

Grubbers Comment: Odds that Feleti Mateo is a lovechild of Jim Dymock from the former stars romps at Kicks Nightclub, Parramatta Leagues?

11. Penrith Panthers: The luckless Panthers can’t take a trick. They have improved out of sight in the past 2 months and were close enough again to grab this game. Injuries have really made it difficult for them, but in saying that - they are playing a carefree brand of football and once they cut out the simple errors they will win more games. Seemed to have freed themselves from the pressure of the season start and anything could happen from here.

Grubbers Comment: Likelihood of Luke Lewis now changing his mind again and trying to get back into his agreement with Souths after the Bunnies start winning and the Panthers start losing? 10/1

12. Newcastle Knights: Another side that could have just as easily won and given the game was at home, they probably should have. Managed to keep the high flying Roosters to only a handful of points and won’t be too disheartened by this loss. Results fell in their favour and the Knights don’t really lose their position on the ladder. Led well by Kurt Gidley and Danny Buderus, the Knights do however have a tough road trip to Brookvale Oval this weekend and winning there could be just the medicine to get things going again.

Grubbers Comment: Odds that Wes Naiqama is really a relative of Noa Nandruku? 25/1

13. Wests Tigers: Have hit a major hurdle in the past fortnight, were traveling beautifully until injury, the Eels and Broncos struck. Biggest problem is their lack of go-forward at present, with so many of their engine room sitting idle - their entertaining backs are finding it impossible to make in-roads out wide. Chris Heighnington continues to amaze, simply in top shelf form for the club. The Tigers do however have a good draw in the next few weeks, facing the struggling Warriors at Leichhardt and then the BYE. Will need to beat the Warriors, as after the BYE they face the Melbourne Storm who will be over their Origin commitments and ready to get busy.

Grubbers Comment: Truth in the rumour that Tigers players have nick-named teammate Ben Teo “Scrooge” after the prominent forward has started ringing every other club trying to push his value up? 2/1

14. NZ Warriors: The ditch men did a lot right and nearly pulled off a major upset against Manly at Mt Smart. Have lost most of their confidence and losing games at home has really hurt them so far. Simple errors are unacceptable at this level, their dropping of the kick-off on two occasions is simply suicide in the NRL of today. Halves aren’t quite at the level they should be and Ivan Cleary has some tough decisions on his hands in the weeks ahead.

Grubbers Comment: Chances that all remaining NZ Warriors supporters have reverted back to watching local NPC Rugby Union after their Rugby League side struggles yet again? $1.05

15. North Queensland Cowboys: Not much is going right for the Cowboys, the players have a lot to answer for considering they fell out of love with their coach and had him booted; convincing management that Graham Murray was the issue. It seems the North Queensland players do a better job of selling a story to the back-office, as opposed to winning on the field. Looked interested for about 30 minutes, but when the going got tough they feigned injury and did what they could to limit the damage without having to play. Serious issues up North.

Grubbers Comment: Truth in the rumour that Graham Murray has mailed certain players a ‘feather’ in an envelope after they backstabbed him and have gone on to perform even worse under new guidance. 5/1

16. Bulldogs: All the predictions have come true. No wonder Sonny Bill Williams wanted to get out, he’s just spent 12 months in a leaky boat at Belmore as his mentors Willie Mason and Mark O’Meley jumped ship before things got too rocky. Years ago this side was known as a tough, defensively sound unit. Oh how times have changed, lack any star power to beat the major sides and it looks like coach Steve Folkes will have no alternative but to move on and let the new coach and players prepare for next year.

Grubbers Comment: Odds that would have been given to punters, on the the likelihood of both Willie Mason and Malcolm Noad being long gone from the Bulldogs come mid-2009? 750/1

Souths snatch victory over Titans 24-23

Souths have managed a huge upset tonight at ANZ Stadium, beating an injury ravaged Titans side 24-23 in a close and entertaining affair. The Bunnies looked likely for the majority of the match, but simple errors and the constant menace of enterprising Titans attack ensured a close contest throughout.

By sticking with Chris Sandow at half-back, the Bunnies were able to ensure they had cohesion for once; the results were there for all to see. While Souths were impressive in the forwards, it was hooker Issac Luke who again stole the show. The robust rake scoring the first two tries, bustling over from dummy half and proving a handful all night for his opposite Nathan Friend.

While rushing final tackle plays at times, Souths look a whole lot sharper with the ball in hand and are certainly threatening the line much more than earlier in the 2008 NRL season.

The Titans had a night they would probably want to forget. Their discipline was erratic for most of the night and as they lost several key players to injury; their depleted bench was always going to prove an endurance problem. The Gold Coast were forced to play the final 15 minutes with only 13 fit players, the likes of Luke Bailey, Daniel Conn and Preston Campbell all sidelined with injuries.

The Gold Coast remained in the contest with the good kicking of Mat Rogers and the creativity of Scott Prince. Queensland half Prince scoring a nice solo try under the posts in the 2nd half, with plenty of attention from Souths defenders, the wiley no.7 was somehow able to skip through the tacklers to get his team ahead.

The Titans were trying desperately to slow the ruck down, the tactics costing them a 9-3 lopsided penalty count which could have been much worse had referee Steve Lyons pinged them for more infringements that went unnoticed. The game wasn’t with controversy, the referee and officials missing up to 3 blatant lost balls in tackles; allowing the game to play on. The NRL also much intervene to stop the growing incidents of ‘milking’ in the game at present, Titans pivot Mat Rogers pulling off an Italian Soccer special early in the match to somehow get his team a 5th tackle penalty with a Souths player not laying a hand on him.

To compound the errors from the officials, video referee Russell Smith came up with another pearler on a held up decision. With Anthony Laffranchi crashing over the Souths line, as 3 defenders tried to hold him up - on-field referee Steve Lyons referred the decision to Smith in the video box. With evidence totally inconclusive, the only viable results were; Ref’s Call, Benefit of the Doubt or the outside bet of No Try. Amazingly Russell Smith came up with none of these and simply threw up the green light - to the dismay of both Souths and Titans players. Video referee results are no truly a lottery, with players, fans and commentators having no idea what the outcome will be.

The final stages had the crowd on their feet as the Bunnies scored with 8 minutes remaining, locking the scores up and setting the scene for golden point at 22 points all.

All the momentum was with Souths; but somehow the wounded Titans made massive metres down field and Scott Prince was able to snap a field goal from 30m without any pressure from Bunnies defenders. The attempt seemed to catch everyone off guard and suddenly the South Sydney side was trailing again 23-22.

With minutes to go, Souths used their thrust in the forwards to roll down field and get within range. Their quick play the balls allowing them to grab quality metres and after a John Sutton bust they had the Titans at sixes and sevens. With a try on offer, Gold Coast defender Jordan Aitkens took the chance to slow the Sutton play the ball and simply held on too long. Referee Lyons having no other option but to award a penalty to Souths from 30m out and to the left of the posts; hooker Issac Luke stepping up and calmly potting the 2 pointer to give his side the advantage.

Souths moving to 10 competition points and leaving the Cowboys all alone at the foot of the ladder. The loss really hurts the Titans and leaves them slightly adrift from the lead pack on the NRL ladder. Gold Coast meet the in-form Dragons in what is shaping as a quality contest next weekend.

Roosters hold out plucky Knights 16-14

With a stiff Newcastle breeze at their backs, the Roosters managed to pip the Knights 16-14 in a close round 15 NRL battle at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

It came down to the wire as Wes Naqaima looked to touch down a high ball on the full-time siren which would have handed the Knights the win.

But video referee Tim Mander ruled against the home side, judging a Roosters defender had arrived first to ground the ball safely in the in-goal.

It was an error-riddled second half but both teams fought hard, struggling to gain ground in a neck-and-neck contest that could have gone either way until the final minute.

The Roosters were denied a try in the opening minutes but Shaun Kenny-Dowall changed the visitors’ fortunes in the next set of six, barely staying in the field of play to ground a Braith Anasta bomb.

Later Kenny-Dowall grabbed a dream bounce from another high ball to turn the lead to the Roosters’ favour for the second time of the afternoon.

But it was not all deficit-creating tries for the Sydney winger - Kenny-Dowall made several unforced handling errors which hampered the Roosters’ go-forward.

Kurt Gidley was clinical with the boot for the home team, booting two conversions and a penalty goal, and Cory Paterson and Danny Buderus finished with a try each, both of which turned the game to the Knights’ favour.

- Roosters: 16 (S Kenny-Dowall 2, D Shillington tries; C Fitzgibbon 2 conversions)

- Knights: 14 (C Paterson, D Buderis tries; K Gidley 2 conversions, penalty goal)

Manly muscle up, beating Warriors 20-14

MANLY have muscled up to take the honours in a physical contest with the Warriors 20-14 in Auckland today. The Sea Eagles getting home with a try to Brent Kite in the late stages, State of Origin hopeful Kite has a nervous wait after being put on report for a high shot during the tough match-up in NZ.

Ultimately it was the Warriors’ mistakes deep in their own territory finally proved decisive as they allowed the Eagles to nab 2 tries in the final 8 minutes.

The Sea Eagles have now won seven of their last eight matches and lead the competition on points difference.

Despite having most of the play in the first half, Manly were unable to prevent the Warriors scoring the first points after Manu Vatuvei ran 60 metres to a rousing cheer from the crowd of about 7000 after a Steve Price offload.

Vatuvei, playing in his first NRL game since he was sidelined in April, showed he had not lost any pace from his injured leg, but was later taken off the ground, in what may be a troubling sign for the big winger.

Although the Sea Eagles replied shortly after, the Warriors went into the break leading by two points (6-4) in a low-scoring half.

During the second half the weather turned dark and the lights were turned on, and both sides were denied tight chances in the slippery conditions.

Early in the second half the Warriors earlier luck ran out when another turnover gave the Sea Eagles the platform to attack and second rower Glenn Stewart went over.

The Warriors drew level at 10-10 minutes later when second rower Simon Mannering forced his way over.

With 14 minutes to go, they hit the front again when a Nathan Fien cross-kick was plucked out of the air by Kirk to score.

Still, another turnover in their own territory was punished by Manly, with hooker Matt Ballin scoring from dummy half, and Matt Orford adding the extras to edge the Sea Eagles in front 16-14.

Prop Brent Kite added the icing with Manly’s fourth try three minutes from time.

The loss will be all the more worrying for the Warriors as their squad was playing at almost full strength with the return from injury of Vatuvei, sidelined in April, and five-eighth Michael Witt.

It is the third loss in a row at home for the Warriors, where they looked strong earlier in the season.

Noddy dive gets Sharks home over Eels 16-14

The Sharks were at their brutal best today, their quick line speed and stifling defence sucking the life out of the Eels and ensuring the game was a low scoring affair. They gang tackled consistently and slowed the game down to a snails pace, rarely allowing the Eels to incorporate their expansive game that has been evident in the past fortnight.

While few points were on offer, with the scores locked at 14 all and less than a minute remaining the experience of Brett Kimmorley got his team home. Attempting a field goal from 45m out, the Sharks halfback feigned injury after high contact from Fui Fui Moi Moi on the charge down ensuring the Sharks got the video decision to have a penalty awarded. Luke Covell comfortably adding the extras to get the Sharks home

The only bad news for the locals was Cronulla star Greg Bird suffering a posterior cruciate knee ligament injury that will almost certainly rule him out of State of Origin 3.

Bird was tackled just shy of the Eels tryline in the 29th minute by Eels halfback Brett Finch and immediately grimaced in pain as his left knee buckled under the weight of both players.

Sharks officials said Bird had injured his PCL and would likely miss between two and six weeks, although that diagnosis cannot be confirmed until scans tomorrow.

Without their key playmaker, the Sharks were still able to rally for one of their better wins this season, storming home for a two tries apiece victory in front of 17,547 fans.

But the result was mired in controversy after video referee Bill Harrigan awarded a contentious penalty in the 79th minute to the Sharks just 10m out and directly in front of goal after Eels prop Fuifui Moimoi collided with Brett Kimmorley after his long range drop goal attempt.

Kimmorley suffered contact to his chin from Moimoi and stayed on the ground, allowing time for Harrigan to review footage and tell whistleblower Shayne Hayne to award the penalty, ending the 14-all dead lock.

Luke Covell stepped up and slotted the simplest of penalty goals to secure the Sharks a win which keeps them equal top of the NRL table.

Although it was a controversial finish, the Sharks had been the better side despite the Eels being first to score when Taulima Tautai strolled over in the corner in just the 10th minute after an earlier 40m bust by Feleti Mateo.

Sharks hooker Isaac De Gois struck back in the 24th minute with a soft try from dummy half to reduce the deficit to 8-6 which remained the score into the halftime break.

Paul Gallen remained busy for the Sharks, the back rower involved in everything and constantly in the referees ear trying to give his side an edge.

The two sides traded penalty goals after the break before a sensational play by Sharks five-eighth Brett Seymour handed his side the lead for the first time in the 57th minute.

Seymour punched the ball free of rookie flanker Tony Williams inside the goal area allowing big Luke Douglas to fall onto the ball to grab the try and send his side to the lead for the first time in the match.

Sharks centre Ben Pomeroy could have secured the win in the 72nd minute but was well held up in goal by Joel Reddy and Tautai on the last tackle.

With Shayne Hayne only keeping a small 10m and running a slow ruck speed, the Eels never look likely to break free from the shackles. The Sharks reveling in the slug fest and keeping the Eels pinned deep in their half for most of the second term.

The Eels did get their late chance through interchange hooker Matt Keating, the rookie rake chancing his hand and burrowing over only to be held up by Douglas under the posts, but on the very next play Finch swung the ball wide for Krisnan Inu to put Williams across for the leveller.

After fullback Luke Burt’s conversion attempt fell just inches below the crossbar, the race for field goals was on. Brett Finch taking a long range chance for the Eels in their first set but it was well short, allowing the Sharks to have improved field position as they hit the ball up. As their set came to an end, Kimmorley tried his luck from around 45m and after getting pummeled by Moi Moi the crafty no.7 played the incident to perfection and lay on the ground hoping for video referee intervention.

The Sharks getting the call they needed and potting the 2 points from in front to seal the home win. Cronulla delighting their home fans and moving to 22 points and virtually ensuring they will form some part of the NRL Top 8 this season.

Anthony Minichiello outted again; is it too much?

Surely Minichiello must consider walking away.

While there is no doubting the supreme ability of the Roosters fullback, after nearly 3 seasons of stop start football - only his top skill level allows him to walk in and out of the first grade Sydney Roosters side after so much injury interruption.

How much longer can it go on? Minichiello must consider his own health and the Roosters must surely be looking to the future, finding a fullback that will be a long term prospect; not a month to month consideration.

The former Australian custodian was hooked from the training paddock yesterday after earlier scans came through and confirmed he has a bulging disk in his neck which is touching on his spine.

Early reports rule-out the chance that the injury could be career-ending, at this early stage it seems Minichiello will be off the field for around 4-6 weeks. These time frames put a heap of pressure on the Roosters NRL finals claims for 2008. Injecting Minichiello back into the side around finals time is certainly not ideal. He has the ability, there is no doubting that - however combinations and match fitness must be assessed by Fittler.

Acting upon scans taken on Thursday, the specialist has advised that Minichiello rest during this period to recover from the injury.

No immediate surgery is required.

Sydney Roosters club Doctor John Orchard has confirmed that the current injury is not directly related to the fullback’s previous lower back injuries.

“I am disappointed that I will be out for the 4-6 weeks,” said Minichiello.

“However I’m relieved with the diagnosis and am looking forward to re-joining my team mates after this time.”

Meanwhile, club physio Tony Ayoub admits Minichiello’s quick response to early treatment has shown positive signs.

“Anthony has been receiving physio treatment for this injury and has improved substantially in this time,” said Ayoub.

“We will continue this treatment and aim to have him back on the field as soon as possible.”

The Roosters have confirmed Amos Roberts will replace Minichiello in the No.1 jersey for their clash with the Knights on Sunday at EnergyAustralia Stadium.

While Minichiello’s injury resulted in a backline reshuffle for the Roosters, Knights coach Brian Smith was forced to take similar action with his pack after NSW prop Ben Cross was given the all clear to resume playing following the broken hand suffered in Origin I.

Smith confirmed Cross would start in the front row, but exactly who would make way for his return remained unclear.

Either way, it’s set the scene for a titanic battle up the middle, one that even has coach Smith salivating.

“I’m looking forward to this, it’s probably the first time since I’ve been here that we’re ready for a big test against a big team,” Smith.

“It won’t be the be all and end all of whether we win or lose but it’s certainly a great time for us - just over halfway through the season - to measure ourselves against a team in pretty good form and justifiably one of the contenders for the premiership.”

Much interest will centre on the battle between Knights prop Danny Wicks and Roosters veteran Mark O’Meley after the pair exchanged heated words in the aftermath of Newcastle’s dramatic 34-20 round six win.

Wicks scored a blockbusting try late in the game, leaving a handful of Roosters defenders lying in his wake.

Roosters coach Brad Fittler has said he would use the run as a motivational ploy in the lead-up to the game while Smith has put a gag on his young charge.

‘We had a bit of a discussion about how he wanted to be portrayed,” Smith said of Wicks.

“It was my advice to him to lay low.

“Most of us coaches like our footballers, particularly our front rowers, to let their game do the talking and he’s only a young fella making his way in the game.

“He can do without having any extra pressure on him trying to live up to what the media expects of him.”

Storm shoot to top of NRL ladder, flog Cowboys

Melbourne has overcome a sluggish start to hammer North Queensland 48-20 at Olympic Park, consigning the struggling Cowboys to their eighth straight defeat.

A Johnathan Thurston-inspired Cowboys outfit got the jump on the home side, scoring the opening try and adding two more to only trail by two at the break - but the premiers clicked it up a gear in the second stanza, running in six electrified four-pointers.

Three of those went to five-eighth Greg Inglis who continued his State of Origin heroics with a dazzling display.

But despite the dominant scoreline, Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith described the match as “the most boring” he’d been involved in, referring to the Cowboys tactics of slowing play down.

Coach Craig Bellamy also chimed in, accusing North Queensland’s Thurston and Ray Cashmere of feigning injury.

Thurston probably needed a breather after battling the flu during the week, which wasn’t helped by a nine-hour trip to Melbourne after his side’s flight was delayed and diverted.

“They all continued to play … it wasn’t hard to see what they were doing,” Bellamy said.

“At the end of the day they were good tactics but it made for a boring game.”

Thurston was under an injury cloud heading into the game, but underlined his toughness by not only turning up to play, but laying on the game’s first try for Mark Henry with a perfectly-weighted bomb to put the Cowboys up 4-nil after four minutes.

A rampaging Jeremy Smith squared the ledger in the 12th minute off the back of a penalty, and Cameron Smith’s conversion put the defending premiers where everyone expected them to be - in front.

But they weren’t there for long, Thurston’s magic boot engineered another try for the visitors, this time a flat kick for winger John Williams to hand the Cowboys back a two-point advantage.

The only area Thurston was struggling was goal-kicking, missing two difficult conversion attempts.

The Storm gave a stark reminder of their attacking ability when Matt Geyer delivered a deft pass for Billy Slater to streak 60 metres and score in the 26th minute, with Smith’s extras giving Melbourne a 12-8 lead.

The Cowboys were playing an intelligent game, kicking to touch to avoid the Storm’s dangerous broken field runners, but it didn’t seem to bother the titleholders, who continued to launch attacking raids from well within their own half.

An impressive break from Israel Folau was followed up by a Cooper Cronk cross-kick that was fielded impressively by Greg Inglis, who released Geyer for the Storm’s third try of the night in the 35th minute.

North Queensland continued to chance their arm, and it paid dividends from the restart when they regathered a short kick off that they parlayed into points courtesy of a rampaging Carl Webb.

Thurston added the extras from in front to cut the deficit to 14-12 at half time.

Melbourne started the second half with a visible lift in intensity, and looked to have crossed through Steve Turner in the 42nd minute, but the Origin winger was ruled to have lost the ball over the line.

The got on the board for real shortly after when Israel Folau powered his way over from close range, Smith’s conversion kicking the Storm out to a 22-14 lead.

The premiers were starting to get a roll on, and when Inglis swatted Thurston off with ease to go over for the Storm’s fifth, a shellacking was on the cards.

The plays that were coming off earlier in the game for the Cowboys were starting to go against them, an attempted short kickoff was pulled back for offside, and Melbourne were in again shortly after through Turner, with Smith’s conversion making it 32-14 to the home side with 24 minutes to play.

A brilliant offload at the line from Brett White put Inglis into space in the 67th minute, and the Queensland Origin star did the rest, beating three Cowboy defenders to score Melbourne’s seventh.

The home side went in again straight from the restart through Turner, and Inglis added insult to injury when he scored his second when he snatched an intercept and streaked 50 metres to score, Smith’s conversion taking the Storm tally to 48.

Ray Cashmere added a try in the dying seconds to round out the scoring - making the infalted scoreline look a little more respectable and giving coach Ian Millward something to smile about.

“I thought their effort was really great,” said Millward.

“I didn’t think the scoreline reflected the effort that the players put in tonight and I think we can hold our heads high.”

MELBOURNE 48 (G Inglis 3 S Turner 2 J Smith B Slater M Geyer I Folau tries C Smith 6 goals)
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NORTH QUEENSLAND 20 (M Henry J Williams C Webb R Cashmere tries J Thurston 2 goals)

Crowd: 10,880.

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