Benji Marshall eclipsed Todd Carney in the battle of the marquee playmakers at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday to cap off a magnificent opening weekend of the NRL season.
In a round where two games went to golden point and three others went down to the wire, rugby league roared into 2012 in stunning style, supporting predictions of one of the closest title battles in the competition’s history.
Marshall’s superb 35-metre field goal sealed a 17-16 golden-point victory for title favourites Wests Tigers over Cronulla after Carney almost single-handedly dragged his side back into the game.
Two of the game’s most lustrous talents went blow for blow in the searing heat, with 2010 Dally M Medallist Carney emulating Marshall’s virtuoso try in the second half then almost winning the game with a field goal in golden point before Marshall struck.
In Sunday’s other match, premiers Manly needed a late Glenn Stewart try to win the battle of last season’s grand finalists, beating the Warriors 26-20 in another epic encounter before a crowd of almost 40,000 at New Zealand rugby union mecca Eden Park.
The Sea Eagles raced in three tries in the first quarter but had to hold off a blistering fightback by the youthful Warriors sparked by brilliant young half Shaun Johnson before rookie head coach Geoff Toovey could breathe a sigh of relief.
Marshall’s extra-time clincher followed the golden-point field goal by Jamie Soward in St George Illawarra’s 15-14 win over Newcastle and their former coach Wayne Bennett in Friday night’s season opener.
While Carney and Marshall slugged it out on Sunday, glamour fullbacks Billy Slater and Josh Dugan did likewise at a sodden Canberra 24 hours earlier.
Dugan looked to have sealed a shock win for the Raiders with a field goal six minutes from time, only for Slater to soar for a towering bomb at the death and score a try to snatch the 24-19 win in another memorable match.
In the other first-round thriller, Penrith led with seven minutes to go only to be run down by new coach Des Hasler’s Bulldogs through tries to John Morris and Bryson Goodwin.
Sharks coach Shane Flanagan was bitterly disappointed by some refereeing decisions in his side’s loss to Wests Tigers, but was heartened at the performance from his team, who have been out of finals contention for the past three years.
“You like to challenge yourselves against the best,” Flanagan said.
“The Tigers have been tipped to win the comp and we went right to the end and I think we should have won.”
Flanagan was pleased with star recruit Carney’s contribution and said he expected more to come from the former Sydney Roosters and Canberra ace.
“I thought he played really well second half,” said Flanagan.
“Along with everyone else he was a little bit short in the first half, but I was really pleased with how he played.”
The Tigers looked anything but premiership favourites for much of the game, but did enough to get over the line thanks to Marshall.
England international back-rower Gareth Ellis ranked the Kiwi superstar as the best he’s played alongside.
“As a creative talent, he’s one of a kind,” Ellis said.
“He’s won us another game here today and I’ve lost count of the number of times he’s done it in the time I’ve been here.
“We see him at training putting over kicks like that from 50-odd metres all the time and he did it today when the pressure was on.”
For all the glitz and glamour from some of the game’s biggest names, it is last year’s wooden spooners the Gold Coast Titans who sit atop the table following their surprise 18-0 win over Johnathan Thurston’s North Queensland in Townsville on Saturday night.
Prize recruit Jamal Idris starred for the Titans with a tryscoring double on debut.
Australian Rules
Guest
Do I respond to both?
Australian Rules
Guest
Well that would make sense wouldn't it? Perhaps subtitled foreign movies?
josho
Guest
Bad call happens every game a discretionary ruling, the sharks would know as much about these bs calls as anyone. Not quite the same as a first grade ref completly disregarding the rules of the game in golden point and instead of one team having a fresh set of 6 40 metres out the opposition get it and kick a game winning field goal with no further opportunity given to the losing team to overcome this dud call.
Blaze
Guest
Come off it... I suppose the arl and the super league was in on it too, hence the reason why they still don't have a premiership.... The refs don't have that much power to consistently "make" the sharks lose... I'm sorry to say but it's the sharks that don't get themselves over the line... If it were the refs week in week out and was proven to be there would be refs suspended all over the shop... Everyone gets the same rub of the green, to think otherwise is purely bad sportsmanship.. Yes they had a clear clanger go against them the other day, but get real... if you seriously think there is a conspiracy against the sharks then maybe it's not the sharks that have the problem... Maybe, just maybe it's their fans.
josho
Guest
"But it’s the teams that don’t leave it up to the refs to make bad decisions that prosper" What a load of BS. Decisions that have cost the Sharks several games over the last 24 months would have cost most if not all teams a win. What if Minichelo gets pulled up for being in front of the kicked yesterday - do the Roosters still come away with 2 points because they didn't "leave it up to the refs to make bad decisions". The Sharks are getting screwed over by the game on a much larger scale than any other team. Everyone's opinion is naturally skewed in favour of their team which is why this goes un noticed, low political and media profile, low expectation - noone gives a toss because it's the Sharks. It has to be exposed for people to sit up and take notice, it's not exposed because it's the Sharks. Like I said if it were happening to the Dragons on a regular basis everyone would know about it. Percewption is reality - the NRL had better get their (insert four letter word) together.
Ash
Guest
All the admittance of errors etc in reality does nothing. The Sharks still didn't get anything out of it and the Tigers did. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
The Link
Guest
They are really strong Pay TV numbers, Panthers Dogs wouldn't be too far off the NRL Pay TV record i'd say.
Blaze
Guest
A conspiracy against the sharks from the nrl? Now I have heard it all.... I too watch every game via foxtel...There is no 'to hell with the sharks mentality'.. And yes, yesterday's balls up was a biggy... But a conspiracy? All teams get bad decisions... But it's the teams that don't leave it up to the refs to make bad decisions that prosper... Refs are human, they stuff up, and they get suspended... Same as players do when they stuff up... Just seems to me you take more notice of the stuff ups that occur against the shark because you are a fan... I'm sure there are plenty of fans from other teams that may think the same about their teams.... Everyone has biased opinions and that's cool.... But to actually believe that there is some sort of conspiracy against the sharks from the nrl is ludicrous. All teams lose thru bad decisions... That's what happens in our great game...
Whites
Guest
Should have read peeeko's comment. Mine seems rather redundant.
JVGO
Guest
In a lot of places NFL is played in an absolute winter blitzkreig. Night games would be way less attractive for those fans.
JVGO
Guest
Well the round is actually finished yet AR, but I’m glad you’ve been following things so closely and have enjoyed each match. Souths and Easts tonight may be worth your time as well. I wonder if on a quiet monday night the pubs around Paddington and Woollahra will play some old RU classics or something in order to keep the League crowd away.
JVGO
Guest
Well the round is actually finished yet AR, but I'm glad you've been following things so closely and have enjoyed each match. Souths and Easts tonight may be worth your time as well.
Whites
Guest
Bookmark these websites. tvtonight.com.au -check ratings for daily top 20's. Daily(some delays for Fri/Sat). astra.org.au -check news for weekly top 10's. Every Monday. thinktv.com.au -go to media releases for weekly top 40's(includes regional) regionaltam.com.au -go to weekly ratings for a regional breakdown. The last 2 can be delayed up to 2-3 weeks.
josho
Guest
Absolutely one of the reasons the Sharks lose is because of the Sharks, if not THE reason. However, are they not entitled to a level playing field or the correct interpretation of the rules when they do get their act together. Are they not entitled to have 50/50 calls be just that (you win some, you lose some) rather than what they have been getting which is more accurately described as "you lose some, you lose some more". These dud decisions have cots them numerous games, no question. Their average performances have no doubt cost them more. But how are they to improve when they can't build any momentum naturally, if when they do play well they get dudded. They can't win. So they are forever an after thought for the NRL which perpetuates this very treatment. Off the field the Sharks are far from a power house but on the field all sides should be judged equally. Forget the salary cap this is first and foremost the NRL's duty to ensure a fair competition for each of its competitors and they are failing, repeatedly.
Matt F
Roar Guru
I'd notice at the time, just like I noticed the Sharsks being dudded yesterday, but after a little while I'd probably forget about it, no matter which team it is. If it were my own team then I'd probably remember it for a while but for any of the other 15 teams I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it, though as I said I would notice at the time. Of course one of the reasons why the Sharks haven't been so succesful, and may have lost a few close games, could also be because the Sharks, particuarly over the last few seasons, haven't actually been good enough.
Australian Rules
Guest
Agreed. Was a great opening round...Warriors v Manly was one of the more entertaining games I've seen in a while.
GC Tiger
Guest
Was a great weekend of footy had everything, hopefully tonight we a bit of biff and it will be complete. @ Josho. Let it go. The warriors have 10 times more decisions go against them than any other team, The Raiders are treated worst by the NRL. The sharks have developed a reputation for being grubs(Gallen, Bird etc), poor supporter base, not winning and generally not being entertainers, That will change over time due to better players and they will become popular again, once you are winning you won't let the bias effect you so much. It happens to all teams at one stage or another, a great team beats adversity.
Blazza
Guest
Sharkies fans complaining about calls that don't go there way every game but other teams like Brisbane,Melbourne,Manly etc. Have you ever seen the NBA ? They have the worst officiating you will ever see, changing rules if your a rookie or superstar, the certain bigger market teams getting calls smaller market teams don't. There was a book done about corrupt NBA referee's. Until Cronulla become a powerhouse team they are not going to be getting calls their way, I can't explain why but it is what it is. Every game has bad calls in our sport and until everything is black and white things will never change.
josho
Guest
It happens, the only time the Sharks don't get dudded, much less robbed blind like yesterday or against Manly last year, is if the game is out of reach for the other team. I have fox and watch between 4 and 5 games week in week out and clearly all of the Sharks games. About 100 games a year. I'm well aware of the 50 50 decisions which cost teams from time to time, and they generally level out over a season. But no team. No team gets dudded the way the Sharks do. No team gets the non-discretionary (not in the rules) decisions go against them that the Sharks do. It does happen to each team eventually over a season but not consistently. Not like it does with the Sharks. I'm merely wondering why that is because 2012 would represent 5-6 years of this, that's a trend not a coincidence. Above is my theory.
King of the Gorgonites
Roar Guru
I stadn corrected . i was running on the numbers the numbers man stated. i now know that the crowd was 37K. i thought last year was 42K, but perhaps i was wrong.