Roar Guru
The North Queensland Cowboys had a good start to their title defence in the first session of the Auckland Nines defeating the Newcastle Knights by 16 points, though it was the New Zealand Warriors who claimed the biggest win of the session, 26 points better than the Brisbane Broncos.
Final scores
Roosters def. by Rabbitohs 13-14
Eels def. by Storm 4-14
Knights def. by Cowboys 12-28
Panthers def. Tigers 23-7
Warriors def. Bulldogs 34-8
Sea Eagles def. Broncos 11-8
Dragons def. by Raiders 20-28
Sharks def. Titans 23-12
The 2016 NRL preseason kicks-off today at Eden Park, with the first day of the Auckland Nines tournament. Join The Roar for all the frenetic action from 10:30am (AEDT).
CLICK HERE FOR OUR BLOG OF THE DAY 1 AFTERNOON SESSION
The Auckland Nines returns to Eden Park, with 16 teams vying for a massive prizepool of over $2.4 million.
WANT TO LIVE STREAM THE AUCKLAND NINES? HERE’S HOW
The Rabbitohs, off the back of a monumental season in 2014, defeated the Sharks in dramatic circumstances in last year’s grand final, after a clutch Valentine Holmes field goal sent the game into overtime.
This year, the Warriors once again go in as favourites, with the return of Shaun Johnson and the debut of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck likely to be the catalysts for their success.
The reigning premiers, the North Queensland Cowboys, are another team to watch, having picked a star-studded squad that includes Lachlan Coote, Michael Morgan, Kyle Feldt and Jake Granville.
The Nines is an early chance for fans to get a look at their stars in action, as well as the stars of the future to push their claims for a Round 1 berth. The likes of Curtis Rona and Semi Radradra have lit up Eden park in past tournaments, and gone on to be leading try-scorers for their club.
it is also a chance to see some old heads go round again; this year Jason Croker, Braith Anasta and Matt Bowen join their old teams for one last crack.
I’m tipping the Cowboys to ride the confidence of last year to Nines victory, defeating the New Zealand Warriors in the final. But there are plenty of other strong squads that could surprise the rest of the competition if they click.
Join us for the first day of the Auckland Nines, live on The Roar, and post your comments below.
2016 Auckland Nines Pools
POOL A (WAIHEKE) |
POOL B (RANGITOTO) |
POOL C (HUNUA) |
POOL D (PIHA) |
Roosters Rabbitohs Eels Storm |
Knights Cowboys Panthers Tigers |
Warriors Bulldogs Sea Eagles Broncos |
Dragons Raiders Sharks Titans |
2016 Auckland Nines match schedule
Time (AEDT) | Match | Pool |
10:30 AM | Roosters vs Rabbitohs | Blue |
10:55 AM | Eels vs Storm | Blue |
11:20 AM | Knights vs Cowboys | Green |
11:45 AM | Panthers vs Tigers | Green |
12:20 PM | Warriors vs Bulldogs | Yellow |
12:45 PM | Sea Eagles vs Broncos | Yellow |
1:10 PM | Dragons vs Raiders | Red |
1:35 PM | Sharks vs Titans | Red |
2:25 PM | Roosters vs Eels | Blue |
2:50 PM | Rabbitohs vs Storm | Blue |
3:15 PM | Knights vs Panthers | Green |
3:40 PM | Cowboys vs Tigers | Green |
4:15 PM | Warriors vs Sea Eagles | Yellow |
4:40 PM | Bulldogs vs Broncos | Yellow |
5:05 PM | Dragons vs Sharks | Red |
5:30 PM | Raiders vs Titans | Red |