Canterbury-Bankstown, despite appearing more like a self-imploding science experiment for much of the last 18 months, pulled off a stunning upset to begin Round 21 of the NRL competition.
It wasn’t as though the Broncos arrived at ANZ Stadium on Thursday with little for which to play. With a chance to temporarily jump into the top four and add pressure to the Roosters and Dragons, the northerners should have been champing at the bit, frothing at the mouth and ready to deliver a comprehensive beating to a team still struggling to avoid the wooden spoon.
Instead the Broncos were meek, and the resurgent Bulldogs look to have finally turned what appeared a distant corner, stringing together consecutive wins. Don’t be fooled by the scoreline; Brisbane were flattered by two late tries erasing much of the 24-point lead the blue and whites had accumulated by the 66-minute mark.
Those late four-pointers mirrored the double scored by Korbin Sims in the final ten minutes of the first half. When the match was really up for grabs it was the Bulldogs who bared their teeth and took the initiative.
Lachlan Lewis is beginning to look like a future star. His poise on the ball and astute kicking was fundamental in the victory. Without the suspended David Klemmer, in addition to the array of departures this season, the youth have been well and truly empowered by coach Dean Pay.
After midseason pain, the play of Rhyse Martin, Reimis Smith, Kerrod Holland and Lewis himself is reigniting the kennel faithful. The 2019 season is looking a whole lot brighter, with a hungry squad and new acquisitions on the way.
Sadly for the Bulldogs the Morris brothers will be missed. The defensive masterclass they put on before the eyes of a dangerous Broncos backline was something to behold. It might be a tough week on the track for the Broncos as Wayne Bennett laments two points he probably thought were in the bag.
(Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
ANZ Stadium hosted its second of three Round 21 matches when the table-topping Storm and Rabbitohs met on a warm winter’s night in Sydney.
Both will finish in the top four this year, yet the match loomed as a potential psychological advantage for the victor. If anyone feared it might fail to live up to expectations, they were well off the mark.
The Storm had the better of the first period, yet each and every time they threatened to surge clear on the scoreboard the Bunnies found something and came back just as strongly.
The early try to Dale Finucane was matched by a Hymel Hunt four-pointer, and subsequent tries to Josh Addo-Carr and Curtis Scott were negated by the late effort from Sam Burgess.
After a compelling first half that went end to end the Storm took a 16-12 lead into the break.
The second half began as cagey as any period of play in the NRL this season as the Souths muscled up in defence. The pressure led to an Adam Doueihi – whose name commentators continue to mispronounce – try and the conversion from Adam Reynolds saw the Bunnies take the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the game.
Ten minutes later Damien Cook scythed his way through the Melbourne defence and put South Sydney eight clear, a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest.
Up against the best hooker of the modern era, Cook reigned supreme. Origin showed everyone just how talented he is and how effective he can be. With the chance to take Smith on head to head, he ended any speculation as to who is the best nine in the league right now.
The final 20 minutes saw the Rabbitohs hammer the Storm defensively, and Alex Johnston increased the lead with seven minutes remaining. The conversion set up a 30-16 score line and a comprehensive victory.
A late try to Addo-Carr brought the Storm four closer in the final minutes, yet Souths finished 30-20 winners and took the competition lead to boot.
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Earlier in the night, Wests Tigers kept their faint semi-final hopes alive against Newcastle at McDonald Jones Stadium. The black and golds were the better side for much of a match that failed to hit any great heights. Two first-half Tiger tries built a 16-4 lead at the break for the visitors.
Newcastle managed something of a resurgence in the second half, with Kalyn Ponga leading the charge. A barnstorming run from Aidan Guerra and a four-pointer from Ponga himself had the Knights within six before a Luke Brooks field goal and a late penalty saw the Tigers survive 25-16.
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