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The Auckland Nines have their fourth champion in four years, with the Sydney Roosters surprising everyone to make and win the final against fellow surprise packets the Penrith Panthers in a thriller, ten points to eight.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Penrith Panthers 8
Sydney Roosters 10
Seven talking points from the Auckland Nines
It might be the pre-season, but the Auckland Nines are firing with the final stages promising some exciting action. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage of both semi-finals and the final from 2:40pm (AEDT).
The biggest surprise yesterday was the New Zealand Warriors bombing out of the competition, losing both of their games to the red-hot Parramatta Eels and Manly Sea Eagles.
The Eels and Sea Eagles were joined by the Gold Coast Titans, Penrith Panthers, Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys as the first teams through to the knockout stages.
Meanwhile, the Canterbury Bulldogs, Cronulla Sharks, St George Illawarra Dragons, Wests Tigers and South Sydney Rabbitohs joined the Warriors with two loses, ending their campaign.
That all left all the attention on the Rangitoto and Hunua groups on Sunday morning as first the Storm beat the Knights before the Roosters got the better of Canberra to book their finals spot.
The quarter-finals got underway with a bang as the Panthers used extra time to send the Sea-Eagles packing, before the Eels knocked the Titans out 14-0.
A conversion after the shot clock meant the Broncos went down by a sinlge point to the Roosters, before the Storm knocked the Cowboys out.
Penrith Panthers vs Parramatta Eels
Forget the fact that the match is in Auckland and it’s a local derby to get the semi-finals underway, with the Parramatta Eels looking to defend a stolen crown against the red-hot Penrith Panthers.
While the Panthers sent a young squad to the Nines, the powers that be deciding they didn’t really give a toss, Nathan Cleary has led the men from the foot of the mountains to the semi-finals.
They had to hold their nerve in the quarters, only advancing thanks to an extra time Tyrone May try against the Sea Eagles.
It was announced only an hour before kick-off that Norman would miss the rest of the tournament, the pressure going on the Eels outside backs – Semi Radradra and Bevan French to do most of the work.
While Radradra and French have had big weekends, the creativity Norman created was the leading force for the Eels although their defence, which shut the Titans out to nil must remain strong.
Prediction
With Norman out, it shifts the balance of the match in the Panthers favour. They will grab the win.
Panthers by 4.
Sydney Roosters vs Melbourne Storm
The Roosters didn’t exactly come into the tournament as favourites, but Connor Watson and Latrell Mitchell have led them into the finals.
They had to get the qualification job done this morning with a shut out of the Raiders, taking victory 21-0 with Mitchell scoring a double. Daniel Tupou has also been good outside.
For the Storm, it’s been a case of try scoring for their fast men, Young Tonumapipea and Josh Addo-Carr capitalising on a strong team game through the middle.
An extremely strong quarter-final performance saw them beat the Cowboys, with Brodie Croft also doing a good job.
Prediction
Tough to say for this one. The Roosters probably have the more flare though.
Roosters by 6.
Penrith Panthers vs Sydney Roosters
The grand final has been set as the Panthers taking on the Roosters after some impressive efforts in the semi-finals.
The Panthers came out on top with a shut out of the Eels, not letting in a try despite spending plenty of time protecting their own line.
Nathan Clearly looked strong leading the side in attack, setting up three tries for a 13-0 victory.
The Roosters also had a strong performance with Connor Watson, Latrell Mitchell and Brendan Lewis, who scored an incredible try on the siren to snatch the win starring for the Eastern Suburbs club.
The kicking game of Watson will be incredibly important, because the Panthers defence has been special and they will need extra to break it down for enough points to win.
The final may well be a case of who can make the least errors after a big weekend of football.
Prediction
The Roosters looked to have plenty of energy in the second semi-final, and the amount of defence Penrith had to do may come back to bite them. However, they may have enough attacking weapons to get it done with their defence being the stronger of the two.
Panthers by 2.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the final stages of the Auckland Nines from 2:40pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add a comment below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde