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Canberra cruise to big win, as Dogs dive badly

Canberra used their ever improving backline to simply blow the Bulldogs away tonight, the Green Machine scoring 11 tries and totally embarrassing the Bulldogs to the tune of 58-18 - the Bulldogs largest ever loss since way back in 1959.

It’s a shame a larger crowd wasn’t on hand to support the home side, or simply watch the visiting Raiders put on an attacking display that has them firming weekly as a serious darkhorse in the NRL 2008 premiership. The official crowd figure says over 9,000 came through the gates, but someone has seriously fudged these figures. In reality there were probably 5000 to 6000 people at ANZ Stadium in one of the lowest attended matches of the year. Certainly a worrying sign for the NRL.

The Bulldogs’ defensive performance was one of the poorest seen in the NRL this season, as they gifted 5 tries in the first half and 6 in the second, putting the once-imposing Bulldogs defence to absolute shame. As injured players on the sidelines looked on, the morale inside Belmore must be at an all time low, as the Blue and Whites look for answers.

Colin Best notched up a career-topping 4 try effort in ultimately what was a hiding that could have been much worse if not for a 20 minute portion in the second half where the visitors bombed at least three genuine try scoring opportunities. Best seems to have grown in stature since joining the Raiders and will be a handy pickup for the South Sydney side in 2009.

The Raiders were on top from the first whistle, exploding out of the blocks with the type of scintillating attack they usually reserve for Canberra Stadium, and never looked back.

A second man ball from Terry Campese laid on the opening four-pointer David Milne in just the fourth minute, Todd Carney comfortably adding the extras to get the Green Machine up and running.

The Raiders were almost in again minutes later when Glenn Butriss was cut down inches short, and could consider themselves unlucky after Dane Tilse barged his way over but was denied a try due to a double movement.

But it was to matter little, as the Raiders produced one of the tries of the season from their next possession.

Rookie sensation Justin Carney fielded the ball in his own 20 metre area and surged into space before linking with Terry Campese, he in turn released Best who brushed away from an ineffective attempted tackle from Nick Youngquest to go over in the corner.

Glenn Turner sold a simple dummy and crashed over Raiders third try in the 18th minute, with Carney’s conversion giving the Raiders a 16-nil advantage.

It looked like the Bulldogs fortunes were starting to turn when Hazem El Masri plucked a Joe Williams cross-field kick out of the air to get the home side on the board, but a schoolboy error from the kickoff kept the Dogs on the back foot.

Inexplicably, they were unable to get to the re-start on the full, and Joel Monaghan streaked through to gather the loose ball and put the Raiders back on the attack.

The Bulldogs defensive frailty was again shown up when Best crossed for a soft try in the corner to notch up a first-half double, giving the visitors a 20-6 lead after just 23 minutes.

The Bulldogs then came charging back into the contest with tries to Heka Nanai and Andrew Ryan, with the boot of El Masri closing the gap to just two points after 33 minutes.

But the Raiders gained the upper hand in the shadows of half time with a sixty metre effort finished off by Milne, with Carney’s conversion giving the visitors a 26-18 half time lead.

The second half was underway for less than two minutes when Best busted the defensive line and put Joe Picker in for the Raiders sixth try, with Carney adding the extras to put the visitors up by 14.

Best made it a hat-trick with an uninterrupted 50 metre run to the line in the 47th minute to make it 36-18, and a half-century was looking a mere formality for the Raiders.

It was at this point that the Green Machine went from well-oiled to busted, as they proceeded to bomb a plethora of four-pointers.

Justin Carney got the Raiders back into scoring mode when he snared a bomb from his namesake Todd for the Raiders eighth try, with Picker following up with his second six minutes from time, but the Raiders weren’t done yet.

Best grabbed his fourth of the night, strolling over in the 76th minute, before Bronx Goodwin dived over in the 79th minute to complete a night of utter humiliation for the Bulldogs.

CANBERRA 58 (C Best 4 D Milne 2 J Picker 2 J Carney B Goodwin G Turner tries T Carney 5 T Campese 2 goals)
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BULLDOGS 18 (H El Masri H Nanai A Ryan tries H El Masri 3 goals)

Crowd: 9,845.

Dragons on 5 game streak, pip Penrith 13-12

The good news for the Dragons is that they are finally winning games in a grinding fashion. Tonights win was ugly, but regardless the resurgent St George Illawarra side has made it 5 straight victories with a 13-12 NRL win over Penrith at ANZ Stadium.

There was an element of luck in the victory, but confident sides make their own luck a lot of the time and in an instant; just after halftime the Dragons put on 2 quick-fire tries ultimately turning the game before Jamie Soward clinched the win with a field goal eight minutes from time.

Behind by 12-0 after a poor first half, the Dragons didn’t look likely to secure their first 5-match winning streak since 2006.

Then in the space of three minutes, the game turned, the Dragons going back-to-back to lock up the scores against a Penrith side which suddenly looked like it had run out of gas.

St George Illawarra’s first try came via a terrific Ben Creagh run, Jarrod Sammut given no chance of stopping the runaway train as Creagh slammed the ball over the line.

Sammut was again caught out as a Soward chip kick from inside his own half, the headgeared No.6 regathering before finding Josh Morris.

Jason Nightingale knocked on from the kick-off but the Panthers had run out of legs, and on the back of a string of dubious penalties the Dragons marched downfield.

Showing a lack killer instinct, the Dragons went for a sideline penalty goal and a 68th minute field goal in a bid to break the deadlock, Soward making amends with his second attempt at the one-pointer four minutes later.

While the Panthers ushered in a new era by blooding gun youngsters Wade Graham and Masada Iosefa into the top grade, it was the Dragons who were out of sync to start the game after a backline reshuffle from coach Nathan Brown.

Test centre Mark Gasnier was moved to the wing in defence and fullback in attack, but it mattered little as Rhys Wesser opened the scoring after seven minutes when he backed up a bust from Panthers backrower Trent Waterhouse.

Unfortunately for the visitors, Wesser made his way up the tunnel shortly after, his night over due to an abdominal tear to force the Panthers into a reshuffle similar to that of the Dragons.

St George Illawarra turned up the heat defensively in a bid to find a spark, but it was the Panthers who had the better of the opportunities as they threatened a massive upset.

They were denied by some great poor finishing and desperate scrambling from the home side until Luke Lewis scored one of the softer tries of his career as he stepped over from short range.

ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 13 (B Creagh J Morris tries J Soward 2 goals J Soward field goal)
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PENRITH 12 (L Lewis R Wesser tries S Rodney J Sammut goals)

Crowd: 9,032.

Brisbane wobble home as Tigers fade

Wests Tigers should have won tonight. It was that simple, or so it seemed. The Tigers were pretty much the better team for most of the match, looking more likely to pile on points throughout. But it never happened. Brain snapping penalties and shocking kicking in general play saw the Tigers wither and fade as the plucky Broncos stepped up to take the honours 19-18 at Suncorp Stadium tonight, notching just their second win from their last six outings.

A spectacular try on the stroke of half time gave the visitors a 12-8 halftime advantage - but the Broncos lifted for a short period and took full advantage of the brief momentum shift, scoring twice in a 3 minute period to jump away to an 18-12 lead.

The Tigers had threatened most of the night, but proved their ability with an amazing attacking play with Benji Marshall putting Dean Collis into a gap down the right-hand edge, and the classy centre showed impressive skill to then launch a kick back infield, that bounced up perfectly for Liam Fulton.

The workaholic backrower then touched down under the posts to narrow the gap to two.

Hodgson converted from adjacent to the posts to tie the game at 18-all with 14 minutes to play. But while Benji Marshall was instrumental in setting up this try, his defence left the Tigers exposed at various stages and a late error with the game on the line really hurt his sides chances.

 

Nick Emmett went agonisingly close to giving Brisbane the lead in the 71st minute but was ruled held up, before Karmichael Hunt stepped up two minutes later to give the Broncos the lead courtesy of a field goal.

Hunt’s good work looked to have been undone when Darius Boyd knocked on shortly after the re-start, and Broncos backrower Corey Parker let his annoyance be known by seemingly shouldering his teammate.

Marshall let the Broncos off the hook when he turned the ball over with a silly pass, but it wasn’t over yet for the Broncos - John Morris had a chance to square the game in the dying stages.

His attempt from directly in front sailed wide, and the Broncos held on for a much needed win by the barest possible margin.

It was like Groundhog Day for Brisbane as they repeated last week’s horror start against Canberra, conceding an early high tackle penalty and ultimately the opening four-pointer.

Chris Heighington sliced the Brisbane defence up the middle before linking with the ever-present  Brett Hodgson for the opening points.

Hodgson comfortably added the extras to get the visitors off to a flyer, 6-nil in front after just seven minutes.

The Tigers looked like surrendering the early advantage immediately after knocking on from the re-start, but the Broncos couldn’t manufacture a try, and had to settle for a penalty goal to Michael Ennis to cut the deficit to four.

Wests continued to give the home side a piggy-back downfield through penalties, and Brisbane were level in the 16th minute, when Joel Moon forced his way over off the back of a crisp cut-out pass from Ennis.

Brisbane’s makeshift halfback added the extras to give the home side the lead.

Denan Kemp went desperately close to extending the Brisbane lead in the 28th minute, but was ruled to have gone into touch prior to planting the ball down in the corner.

Hodgson then squared the game at eight off the back of a penalty.

The teams looked set to go to the break with the scores tied, but the Tigers got some possession off the back of a scrum, and a brilliant no-look cutout pass from Mathew Head hit Dean Halatau on the chest to put the visitors in front on the stroke of half time.

The Tigers started the second half full of confidence and were looking likely to extend their half-time advantage, before a timely intercept from hulking prop Dave Taylor released the pressure valve for the home side.

Taylor showed considerable pace as well to surge into the Tigers half, before being run down by fellow prop Bryce Gibbs.

Brisbane followed up on the fortuitous intercept with a soft try to Denan Kemp, and Ennis bought the Brisbane crowd to with a cracking touchline conversion to give Brisbane a 14-12 advantage with just under half an hour to play.

All the momentum was with the Broncos, Nick Kenny slid his way over three minutes later to extend the home side’s lead out to six.

Ennis was unable to add the extras to extend the Brisbane’s lead to beyond a converted try, a miss would very nearly proved costly before the result was secured off the boot of Hunt.

BRISBANE 19 (D Kemp N Kenny J Moon tries M Ennis 3 goals K Hunt field goal)
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WESTS TIGERS 18 (L Fulton D Halatau B Hodgson tries B Hodgson 3 goals)

Crowd: 27,864.

NRL Round 15 Tips and Preview

Round 15 of the NRL gets underway tonight, with some tight matches being played right throughout the weekend.

Results are extremely important this Round for teams such as the Wests Tigers, Penrith and Gold Coast.

Can last Round losers; the Wests Tigers and Penrith Panthers get over their injury and form woes, to re-ignite? Can the Titans win away from Robina Stadium or will the struggling Bunnies jag another big scalp?

Will the Parramatta Eels continue their explosive resurgence? And the Dragons, will they complete their first roll of 5 straight wins for the first time in 3 years of NRL?

Plenty of big questions to be answered in this lineup of blockbusters for Round 15, here are the predictions and tips for this Round of the NRL:

Broncos vs Wests Tigers

Bronco’s coach Wayne Bennett has decided against playing Shane Perry at no.7. He’s been struggling in the Queensland cup, and looks slow as a wet week these days.

Joel Moon will play at half, with Nick Emmett into the centres.

Possibly a much needed boost for the Tigers with prop Bryce Gibbs confident of passing a late fitness test - they desperately need front rowers.

For tonight’s game the Tigers seem far more potent in the backs, while the Bronco’s look stronger in the forwards. I’m tipping an upset. Tigers to win.

Dragons vs Penrith

Also tonight at ANZ Stadium, the Dragons are playing for their 5th win in a row, taking on Penrith, who has just hit the wall over the past two weeks, especially with the injury’s.

I’m going to tip St. George-Illawarra.

Bulldogs vs Canberra

Tomorrow the Bulldogs and Canberra do battle at ANZ Stadium. We’ll be their commentating this game at 5.30, and we may be their on our own.

Canberra was outstanding last week against Brisbane, the Bulldogs are still crippled by injury.

But Canberra simply can’t win away from home, so I’ll tip the Doggies to win a low scoring game.

Melbourne vs North Queensland

Tomorrow night Melbourne should carve up North Queensland at Olympic Park.

NZ Warriors vs Manly

On Sunday watch for an improved showing by the New Zealand Warriors against Manly in Auckland.

The Warriors have powerhouse winger Manu Vatuvei, five-eighth Michael Witt and interchange forward Epalahame Luaki back from injury. But I’ll still tip the Sea Eagles.

Newcastle vs Roosters

Newcastle is at home to the Sydney Roosters. The Knights have already beaten the Roosters once this year and I think they can do it again. Newcastle in an upset.

Cronulla vs Parramatta

Cronulla and Parramatta do battle at Shark Park. There should be a sell-out crowd on hand, but there probably won’t be.

I’m tipping Parramatta. Form over the past two weeks has been too good and they appear to have too many points in them for the Sharks.

Souths vs Gold Coast

And in Monday night football South Sydney takes on Gold Coast at ANZ Stadium. This is an ideal opportunity for the Rabbitohs to finally climb off the bottom of the table against a Titans team which is seemingly impossible to beat at home, but close to useless away from home.

I’ll tip the Gold Coast but not with any confidence.

Some really good match ups this weekend so enjoy!

Bouncer family heartless, will sue Fatty despite death

THE family of misunderstood bouncer Greg Stacey offered their condolences to the Vautin family yesterday - but confirmed they will still continue legal action against The Footy Show host Paul Vautin. An obvious mistake that was not only made by Fatty, but by many watching the Footy Show has been taken to a ridiculous level by the Stacey family.

As confirmed by Paul Vautin, anyone with a disabled person in their family would never wish to ridicule or point the finger at someone else as they know only too well the difficult situation faced day in day out. With the passing this week of Vautin’s brother, many felt the Stacey family would retract their threats and choose to make peace after the misunderstanding.

As it stands, the Stacey family are continuing their efforts to chase Vautin in what can now only be described as a cash grab, considering Vautin has apologised repeatedly for the mix-up and pointed out clearly that a person in his position with a disabled brother would never ridicule someone in the same situation.

While Vautin grieved the passing of his disabled brother Geoff in Brisbane, a case was still being compiled against his on-air accusations that Mr Stacey, a benign epileptic, appeared “blind” drunk while working the door of Brisbane’s Caxton Hotel on State of Origin night. A misconception made by thousands of viewers after seeing the brief footage during the telecast.

Greg’s father Peter Stacey confirmed that the Vautin family had phoned to apologise for comments made against his son.

And, while he admitted that Vautin would probably not have made the comments had he known about the illness, he added: “But it’s done now.”

“We also got a call from Vautin’s mum confirming that her son Geoff was terribly ill. But we haven’t called them back because we didn’t know what to say,” Mr Stacey said.

“Our hearts go out to the family, particularly his mother, but that doesn’t change what’s happened to us and our son.

“It’s going to be a hard time for Paul. I really do sympathise for him.”

Vautin has apologised to the bouncer for his comments and was expected to repeat it during Thursday’s airing of The Footy Show.

But when asked if the long-time host would front the program tomorrow night, a Channel 9 spokesman said: “We are respecting the privacy of the Vautin family as they grieve the loss of a son and brother. We will be in contact with Paul through the week.”

Geoffrey Vautin, who had Down syndrome, died in a Brisbane care facility at 12.30am yesterday.

The death came only 2 days after he was brought into the media storm over his Fattys comments.

Vautin said he would never deliberately ridicule a disabled person - revealing that his own brother had Down syndrome.

In a statement released by his manager John Gibbs late yesterday, Vautin said his brother would be “sadly missed but always remembered”.

“I am too upset and am grieving with my family to make further comment,” he said.

“I would appreciate that you allow my family our private time.”

It has been a tough week for Vautin and The Footy Show, with 2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley alleging segments ridiculing the disabled were often a deliberate aim of the show. Former panel member Hadley is always looking to ‘get one up’ on his former employer Channel 9 and used his position to drive the knife in. Hadley while enjoying a large following among the over 60’s crowd has built up an ever growing pool of enemies in Rugby League circles.

Hadley said “Street Talk” staff were often sent in search of “nuffies” - a claim Nine has rejected.

“They search around for homeless people, derelicts, alcoholics, people who look different,” Hadley said.

Interesting comments from the 2GB host considering that Hadley himself spends a good portion of his weekly show berating panel member Darryl Brohman, various callers and other staff members.

Betting in overdrive for NRL Round 15 matches

Punters have really loaded up for the upcoming NRL Round 15, with plenty on money being taken for this weekend. Totals being invested so far under the TAB SportsBet banner are estimated to exceed $200,000 in only the first 2 hours of trading today.

After their recent showing of form, the Parramatta Eels have been heavily backed by investors, big money seeing them firm from $2 long shots to $1.85 favourites against Cronulla on Sunday afternoon, even though the match is being played at Toyota Park, Cronulla.

Other well followed teams are the St George Illawarra Dragons -7.5 v Penrith, Manly -5.5 v Warriors and Gold Coast -6.5 v Souths.

A list of big money bets are listed below.

$50,000 @ $2.00 ON PARRAMATTA V CRONULLA
$30,000 @ $1.90 ON ST GEO ILL -7.5 V PENRITH
$25,000 @ $1.90 ON MANLY -5.5 V WARRIORS
$25,000 @ $1.90 ON GOLD COAST -6.5 V SOUTHS
$22,000 @ $1.85 ON ST GEO ILL -7.5 V PENRITH
$20,000 @ $1.90 ON PARRAMATTA V CRONULLA
$5,000 @ $1.90 ON ST GEO ILL -7.5 V PENRITH
$3,000 @ $1.80 ON ST GEO ILL -7.5 V PENRITH

Insiders say the best chances of an upset result rests with Canberra, confident after hammering Brisbane at home last week and now against an injury depleted Bulldogs outfit… and Newcastle, coming off a strong win late against Nth Qld on Monday night, who face Sydney Roosters on Sunday.

Cowboys set to lose Matt Bowen for season

The situation at the Cowboys is set to get worse, after news today that gamebreaking fullback Matt Bowen will miss the rest of the 2008 NRL year to undergo extensive surgery to fix cartilage damage in his problematic right knee.

The former Queensland State of Origin representative has rarely been able to play this year after off-season surgery and a follow up procedure after his last game against South Sydney in round eight.

“We have exhausted all avenues to get Matthew back on the field this season and it is in his best interests that we go down this path to get him back to full fitness,”said Cowboys football manager Dean Lance.

“At all times our players are most important, and considering Matthew’s ability and standing in the club it is important that we do the right thing and not rush him along.”

Bowen will undergo surgery next month where cartilage that was taken from Bowen’s knee and has been grown on an artificial matrix will be used to repair the problem area.

Doctors estimate a 6-9 month period for Bowen to recover full strength in his knee, meaning the 2008 NRL season is a write-off and all focus should be on getting ready for Round 1, 2009.

The loss of Bowen for the rest of 2008 is another major setback to a horror NRL year for the Cowboys as they languish at 2nd last spot on the NRL table and are in the midst of a 7-game losing streak. The Cowboys have lurched from one disaster to another, losing their coach and feeling the heat after consistent injuries to key players so far this year.

The Cowboys downward spiral continues

Guest writer and NRL tragic Ricky Ricardo returns today and gives his opinion on the North Queensland Cowboys and their horror run of form.

Can the North Queensland Cowboys stop the rot?

Ricky Ricardo

That is a question that many fans are asking themselves. Is their team really in a bad form slump or will it be reversed with one good performance? Only time will give us the answer to that question, but at this stage it doesn’t look likely.

The Cowboys have now lost a club record 7 games in a row. That’s demoralising for any team surely, just ask the Rabbitohs. The effect that would have on player morale, team confidence both during the game and during training is just gut-wrenching to even think about. As a follower of the NRL, you cannot help but feel for the club as they go through this hard time. Sure they have had injuries to key players, suspensions to back-up players and State of Origin players, but good teams have the youth and experience to back up those players day in day out.

Jonathon Thurston is definitely not pulling his weight. As the side’s leading playmaker he needs to step up and have a more prominent role in the club’s performances. He’s losing his grip at a rapid rate as the game’s best player. He was the key to their success for the past two years as the Cowboys made it to the latter stages of the finals. But he’s losing his touch most definitely. Question us, can he get it back and inspire the Cowboys to a mid season surge? It has been done before by other teams and with each team capable of beating any other, it can most certainly happen again.

And yes, Matthew Bowen, arguably one of the best fullbacks in the game is injured, again, for a prolonged period of time. That is one area that the Cowboys really struggle, depth when their frontliners are out of the side. His meter gains are outstanding in virtually every NRL match he plays, his ability to break the line is incredible and for such a small man, he is exceptionally strong. There is no one there to cover for him at fullback. The Cowboys need someone while he is out to provide that same spark. They need someone and they need someone quick. Questions is, who?

Is the wooden spoon something that the Cowboys want? They seem to be in a two-horse race with fellow strugglers South Sydney. Both of whom are on 8 points and languishing at the bottom of the table. For the Cowboys sake, and for the sake of their fans, they need to hope that it is not them in order to remain a top flight team for many seasons to come.

Their results can only be brought upon themselves when you think about it. Dumping Coach Graham Murray before the season even started, Matthew Bowen missing out on most of the season so far, Thurston and Webb playing State of Origin, Murray forced to walk away halfway through the year, Millward taking over and seemingly not being able to lift morale.>

How can a team possibly come back from this list of disasters, all in a single year? And things were only made worse following Luke O Donnell’s suspension for two separate incidents two weeks ago. He is out for another month leaving Carl Webb as the only prominent forward in the side, the other player they rely on to get results and provide the run they need. Jonathon Thurston is the other player of course.

Lacklustre, dreadful and disorganised are just some of the words being used to describe the Cowboys and their recent performances. Ok so the Knights copped 13 straight losses last year and it’s taken them a good year to recover - but to lose 7 games in a row and your last 4 home games within that, is definitely not something the Cowboys need. As many are saying, it could be the straw that breaks their back and sends them spiraling back to the dark old days of the NRL when they simply were not competitive.

Overall, if the Cowboys don’t improve and improve quickly, they will get the wooden spoon and for the sake of their club and their history, that’s definitely not something they want on their record.

NRL Teams Round 15, 2008

Its back to a full round of matches this week, NRL Round 15 teams 2008 and squad lineups are listed below. Things get underway with the Brisbane Broncos meeting the Wests Tigers on Friday night in what is shaping as a critical match for both teams.

FRIDAY

BRISBANE BRONCOS v WESTS TIGERS at Suncorp Stadium, 7.45pm
BRONCOS: Karmichael Hunt, Denan Kemp, Darius Boyd, Joel Moon, Kaine Manihera, David Stagg, Shane Perry, Ben Hannant, Michael Ennis, Ashton Sims, Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker (capt), Tonie Carroll. Interchange: Andrew McCullough, Greg Eastwood, Nick Kenny, David Taylor, Nick Emmett (one to be omitted)
TIGERS: Brett Hodgson (capt), Taniela Tuiaki, Dean Collis, Chris Lawrence, Shannon McDonnell, Benji Marshall, Mathew Head, Ryan Tandy, Robbie Farah, Bronson Harrison, Ben Te’o, Chris Heighington, Dene Halatau. Interchange: John Morris, Liam Fulton, Luke Harlen, Tevita Metuisela
Referee: Sean Hampstead

ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS v PENRITH PANTHERS at ANZ Stadium, 7.45pm
DRAGONS: Brett Morris, Jason Nightingale, Mark Gasnier (capt), Matt Cooper, Josh Morris, Jamie Soward, Ben Hornby, Justin Poore, Dean Young, Jason Ryles, Beau Scott, Ben Creagh, Stuart Webb. Interchange: Lagi Setu, Dan Hunt, Chase Stanley, Rangi Chase, Kirk Reynoldson, Jon Green, Jarrod Saffy (three to be omitted)
PANTHERS: Rhys Wesser, Luke Rooney, Michael Jennings, Brad Tighe, Jarrod Sammut, Maurice Blair, Luke Lewis, Petero Civoniceva (capt), Keith Peters, Matthew Bell, Frank Pritchard, Trent Waterhouse, Nathan Smith. Interchange: Paul Aiton, Tim Grant, Junior Moors, Shane Rodney.
Referee: Jared Maxwell

SATURDAY

BULLDOGS v CANBERRA RAIDERS at ANZ Stadium, 5.30pm
BULLDOGS: Nick Youngquest, Hazem El Masri, Daryl Millard, Tim Winitana, Heka Nanai, Daniel Holdsworth, Ben Roberts, Jarrad Hickey, Corey Hughes, Brad Morrin, Nick Kouparitsas, Andrew Ryan (capt), Reni Maitua. Interchange: Frank Winterstein, Lee Te Maari, Fred Briggs, Michael Sullivan,
RAIDERS: David Milne, Justin Carney, Colin Best, Joel Monaghan, 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 (one to be omitted).
Referee: Gavin Badger

MELBOURNE STORM v NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS at Olympic Park, 7.30pm
STORM: Billy Slater, Steve Turner, Matt Geyer, Israel Folau, Anthony Quinn, Greg Inglis, Cooper Cronk, Jeff Lima, Cameron Smith (capt), Brett White, Michael Crocker, Ryan Hoffman, Dallas Johnson. Interchange: Jeremy Smith, Antonio Kaufusi, Sika Manu, Adam Blair, Aiden Tolman (one to be omitted)
COWBOYS: Anthony Watts, Mark Henry, Ashley Graham, Ben Harris, Ben Farrar, Chris Sheppard, Johnathan Thurston (capt), Ray Cashmere, Aaron Payne, Carl Webb, Sione Faumuina, Jacob Lillyman, Dayne Weston. Interchange: Sam Faust, Matt Bartlett, Scott Bolton, Shane Tronc
Referee: Bernard Sutton

SUNDAY

NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS v MANLY SEA EAGLES at Mt Smart Stadium, 12pm
WARRIORS: Lance Hohaia, Aidan Kirk, Brent Tate, Jerome Ropati, Manu Vatuvei, Michael Witt, Nathan Fien, Ruben Wiki, Ian Henderson, Steve Price (capt), Simon Mannering, Logan Swann, Micheal Luck. Interchange: Evarn Tuimavave, Epalahame Lauaki, Sam Rapira, Ben Matulino, Grant Rovelli (one to be omitted)
SEA EAGLES: Brett Stewart, Michael Robertson, 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, Vic Mauro, Adam Cuthbertson (two to be omitted)
Referee: Tony De Las Heras

NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS v SYDNEY ROOSTERS at EnergyAustralia Stadium, 2pm
KNIGHTS: Kurt Gidley, James McManus, Wes Naiqama, Adam MacDougall, Cooper Vuna, Chris Bailey, Jarrod Mullen, Steve Simpson, Danny Buderus (capt), Jesse Royal, Chris Houston, Cory Paterson, Zeb Taia. Interchange: Matt Hilder, Daniel Tolar, Richard Fa’aoso, Danny Wicks, Ben Cross, Mark Taufua (two to be omitted)
ROOSTERS: Anthony Minichiello, Amos Roberts, Setaimata Sa, Sia Soliola, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Braith Anasta (capt), Mitchell Pearce, Mark O’Meley, Riley Brown, Nate Myles, Willie Mason, Anthony Tupou, Craig Fitzgibbon. Interchange: David Shillington, Lopini Paea, Sam Perrett, James Aubusson, Brent Grose, Anthony Cherrington (two to be omitted).
Referee: Tony Archer

CRONULLA SHARKS v PARRAMATTA EELS at Toyota Stadium, 3pm
SHARKS: Mitch Brown, Misi Taulapapa, Ben Pomeroy, David Simmons, Luke Covell, Brett Seymour, Brett Kimmorley, Ben Ross, Isaac De Gois, Luke Douglas, Paul Gallen (capt), Fraser Anderson, Greg Bird. Interchange: Danny Nutley, Kade Snowden, Bryan Norrie, Terence Seu Seu, Blake Green (one to be omitted)
EELS: Luke Burt, Taulima Tautai, Krisnan Inu, Joel Reddy, Tony Williams, Feleti Mateo, Brett Finch, Nathan Cayless (capt), Mark Riddell, Fuifui Moimoi, Nathan Hindmarsh, Daniel Wagon, Chad Robinson. Interchange: Matthew Keating, Josh Cordoba, Weller Hauraki, Brendan Oake, Junior Paulo (one to be omitted)
Referee: Shayne Hayne

MONDAY

SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS v GOLD COAST TITANS at ANZ Stadium, 7pm
RABBITOHS: Luke Capewell, Nathan Merritt, Jamie Simpson, Beau Champion, Fetuli Talanoa, John Sutton, Chris Sandow, Scott Geddes, Issac Luke, Roy Asotasi (capt), Luke Stuart, David Fa’alogo, Ben Lowe. Interchange: George Ndaira, Shannan McPherson, David Kidwell, Manase Manuokafoa.
TITANS: Preston Campbell, Ben Jeffery, Luke O’Dwyer, Brett Delaney, Jordan Atkins, Mat Rogers, Scott Prince (capt), Luke Bailey (capt), Nathan Friend, Brad Meyers, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Ashley Harrison. Interchange: Aaron Cannings, Michael Hodgson, Daniel Conn, Josh Graham, Michael Henderson, Luke Swain (two to be omitted).
Referee: Steve Lyons

Storm signs Raider Ryan Hinchcliffe

Canberra Raiders hooker Ryan Hinchcliffe has today signed a two-year deal with the Melbourne Storm, joining the club until the end of the 2010 season.

Hinchcliffe has been signed as back-up in the hooker’s role for Storm captain Cam Smith, however he can also play in the back-row when needed.

 ”He’s a tough kid who has pretty good skills around the ruck,” said Storm coach Craig Bellamy.

 “Cam is obviously our captain and hooker, but there’s definitely a spot in the 17 with his ability to fill in at hooker and play in the back-row.

 “With Matt Geyer retiring, we see Ryan possibly playing the role Matt has this year, and Nathan Friend and James Aubusson have played for us over the past couple of years.”

 Hinchcliffe has played 11 NRL games in his career so far, including four in 2008. And while he knows he’ll have a battle on his hands to unseat Smith, he was more than happy to sign with the Storm when the opportunity arose.

 “Initially I did want to stay (in Canberra). I like it here and all my family’s close by,” Hinchcliffe said.

 ”But ask everyone in the NRL and they’ll tell you that the Melbourne Storm is the benchmark. So I’ll head down there, have a good off-season and try and fill a spot for next year.

 “But I’m just worrying about playing every game from now for the Raiders at the moment.

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