Broncos 10 d Eels 6

Super Saturday NRL got underway last night with the Eels hosting the Broncos, with veteran Darren Lockyer celebrating the most games for one Rugby League club.

Certainly not a spectacle, the Brisbane side managed to do enough to win 10-6 over a rudderless Parramatta side that now slip to one win from their last 5 starts.

With both sides sitting middle of the ladder, a loss was always going to hurt that little bit more. For the Eels, it stung big time – coming on the back of a heartbreaking last minute loss to the Knights, the double whammy now leaves them stalled in a mid-season slump.

Brisbane might not be turning it on in attack, but they did enough to win – only scrambling Parramatta defence stopping more points. They’ve jagged 5 from their last 7 games which is breathing new life into them after a horror season start.

The Eels are looking more like Cronulla every week, a side unable to score points and suffocating the life out of games – where few points are scored and it certainly isn’t a spectacle.

Sharks 30 d Cowboys 19

The battle of the strugglers turned out better than ever hoped, with the misfiring Cowboys and Sharks trading barbs in two very different halves of footy.

It was all the Cows early, with Neil Henry’s side seemingly turning the corner in the first 40 minutes. They went 18-0 up at halftime, with three tries to forwards.

Mason, Scott and Webb all bullocking over to get their side up.

Given Cronullas style, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were long gone. But Ricky Stuarts men came out a changed team, inside the first 13 minutes of the second half they had raced in 3 tries and it was game on.

The raids were coming from some great Anthony Tupou offloads, the former Rooster generating great second phase options for his team to notch up points.

If North Queensland had any hope of making the finals, you could see it slipping away with every Sharks touchdown – they had simply gone into their shells in the second term.

Only poor goal kicking from the Sharks had stopped them from closing this game out – with the scores locked at 18 all, it was a Thurston field goal with a minute to go that looked to have sealed the game.

But the game through another curve ball, with veteran John Morris slotting a field goal for the Cronulla side to give them a shot at extra time.

Golden point was again a mixed bag, with field goal shots traded and a missed conversion in front by JT – but eventually a Barrett 1 pointer closed it out and amazingly the Sharks remain in the hunt for the finals despite a rollercoaster year.

Souths 16 d Storm 14

The Perth experiment was positive, with over 13,000 fans on hand to witness a solid battle between Melbourne and South Sydney.

Despite a slippery start, where both sides struggled on the slippery deck – once they adjusted it was game on.

The Storm at full strength looked the goods, leading 10-4 with less than half an hour to go. But it was a fighting Bunnies outfit that did enough late in the piece to cling to a handy win.

Melbourne had several chances to close this one out, but a missed chance and a poor conversion attempt from Cam Smith put paid to any Houdini act.

Even a late chance to Billy Slater streaking away with minutes to go was thwarted by the Rabbitohs – who now jump ahead of the Eels and Warriors on the table.

With Russell Crowe on hand to witness the win and a happy John Lang after a fighting win – it was all smiles for the Bunnies who are getting it done in 2010.

By ricky

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