NRL Magic Round Delivers Blowouts, Broncos Booed Again, Panthers Stay Clear on Top

Edward Briggs

Magic Round returned to Brisbane with packed crowds, big scorelines and plenty of pressure beginning to build across the competition. The Sharks opened the weekend in style, the Dolphins continued their rise, Manly piled on the points again under Kieran Foran, and the Warriors deepened Brisbane’s misery in front of their own fans. Penrith meanwhile closed the round looking every bit the competition benchmark once again.

Cronulla Sharks 38 – 16 Canterbury Bulldogs

Cronulla kicked off Magic Round with a ruthless first-half display that set up a convincing 38-16 victory over Canterbury. Wearing a retro-inspired strip that evoked memories of their famous early-2000s finals win over the Bulldogs, the Sharks looked sharp from the outset.

Brayden Trindall opened the scoring before Ronaldo Mulitalo marked his return from an ACL injury with a try that was almost upgraded to an eight-point effort after contact from Connor Tracey. The Bulldogs’ poor discipline and repeated errors continually handed Cronulla field position, with Will Kennedy and Hohepa Puru both crossing before halftime.

Jacob Preston briefly gave Canterbury some life after a towering Matt Burton bomb shifted momentum, but Nicho Hynes immediately restored control with a slicing run before the break to make it 30-6 at halftime.

The second half tightened as Stephen Crichton’s long-range effort threatened to spark a comeback before Kennedy produced a desperate try-saving effort on Enari Tuala. Mulitalo’s second sealed the result, while a late Bronson Xerri try did little to soften a fifth straight Bulldogs loss.

Dolphins 32 – 10 South Sydney Rabbitohs

The Dolphins continued their impressive recent form with a polished 32-10 win over South Sydney, built almost entirely on a dominant opening half.

Souths controlled possession early and looked threatening through Latrell Mitchell and Campbell Graham, but despite plenty of ball they simply could not crack the Dolphins’ defence. Instead, it was Kristian Woolf’s side that turned territory into points.

Jamayne Isaako opened with a penalty goal before Selwyn Cobbo crossed after slick work from Herbie Farnworth. Max Plath then sold a huge dummy to score under the posts, while Kodi Nikorima and Farnworth combined brilliantly for another try as the Dolphins stormed to a 20-0 lead.

The Rabbitohs’ completion rate and discipline deserted them as rain arrived and errors mounted. While South Sydney briefly threatened after tries to Bayleigh Bentley-Hape and Euan Aitken, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s late burst through the middle ended any hope of a comeback. The only concern for the Dolphins came with Nikorima leaving the field with a hamstring injury during the second half.

Manly Sea Eagles 46 – 18 Wests Tigers

Manly continued their resurgence under interim coach Kieran Foran with an emphatic 46-18 demolition of the Tigers.

The Sea Eagles feasted on Wests’ errors from the very beginning. Tolutau Koula opened the scoring after Taylan May’s poor kick gifted possession, while Jason Saab’s pace quickly stretched the margin further. Luke Brooks and Koula then combined to send Lehi Hopoate over as the Tigers struggled badly under pressure.

Luke Laulilii briefly gave Wests some hope with a strong finish on the left edge, but Haumole Olakau’atu dominated the right side all evening and helped create another try for Clayton Faulalo before halftime.

The second half became an avalanche. Olakau’atu powered over himself, Saab completed a hat-trick, Taniela Paseka crossed while Heath Mason sat in the sin bin, and Faulalo repeatedly sliced apart the Tigers’ defensive edge. Late consolation tries from Jeral Skelton and Kai Pearce-Paul barely dented the damage.

North Queensland Cowboys 18 – 12 Sydney Roosters

The Cowboys produced one of their grittiest wins in recent seasons, holding off the Roosters 18-12 despite playing part of the first half with Matt Lodge in the sin bin.

Sydney started strongly and struck first through Cody Ramsey after sharp work from Connor Watson and Robert Toia. But oddly, Lodge’s sin bin seemed to disrupt the Roosters more than the Cowboys.

North Queensland suddenly found rhythm, scoring three tries in ten minutes through Braidon Burns twice and Scott Drinkwater after a series of Roosters errors. Jake Clifford’s perfect kicking pushed the Cowboys out to an 18-6 advantage.

The Roosters fought back after halftime and controversy erupted when Reuben Cotter was sin-binned for a professional foul despite heavy defensive cover around Sam Walker. Hugo Savala crossed during the extra-man period to close the gap, but Sydney’s composure disappeared late with several uncharacteristic mistakes.

Drinkwater appeared certain to seal victory with a second try in the final minutes, only to lose the ball over the line, though the Cowboys ultimately held firm.

Melbourne Storm 34 – 8 Parramatta Eels

The Storm secured a comfortable 34-8 win over Parramatta, although it was far from a polished Melbourne performance.

Parramatta actually opened the scoring through Sean Russell after a poor defensive miss from Nick Meaney, but the Eels repeatedly wasted possession and good field position throughout the contest with sideways attack and ineffective kicking.

Melbourne capitalised through Moses Leo before Harry Grant sparked the game’s best movement, slicing through the middle and linking with Jahrome Hughes and Sua Faalogo to send Jack Howarth over.

The match drifted badly for long stretches, with errors, penalties and scrappy sets dominating proceedings. But once Cameron Munster crossed early in the second half, the Storm gradually pulled away. Cooper Clarke barged over shortly after, while Faalogo atoned for an earlier mistake with a brilliant long-range break that led to another Grant try.

Josh King capped the scoring late as Melbourne cruised home despite rarely looking near their best.

Newcastle Knights 36 – 12 Gold Coast Titans

Newcastle produced a blistering second half to blow past the Titans 36-12 and secure a third straight victory.

Gold Coast started brightly in their retro Chargers strip, with Oliver Pascoe crashing over early for his first NRL try. The Titans controlled territory for much of the opening half but repeatedly failed to finish opportunities, allowing Fletcher Sharpe to level the scores before halftime.

The match completely changed after the break. Greg Marzhew intercepted and raced the length of the field before Dominic Young took over. The winger’s chip-and-chase effort highlighted a devastating individual performance that eventually produced a hat-trick.

Kurtis Morrin briefly narrowed the margin, but Newcastle’s class out wide proved overwhelming. Dane Gagai forced his way over down the blindside before Sharpe and Young added late tries to complete a dominant finish.

New Zealand Warriors 42 – 12 Brisbane Broncos

The Warriors piled more misery onto Brisbane with a comprehensive 42-12 victory that exposed the Broncos’ discipline and defensive problems yet again.

The night started badly for the Warriors themselves when Tanah Boyd suffered a suspected ACL injury inside eight minutes, but they barely missed a beat afterward. Dallin Watene-Zelezniak opened the scoring before Erin Clark, Wayde Egan and Kurt Capewell all crossed as Brisbane continually handed away penalties.

Pat Carrigan’s sin bin compounded the Broncos’ problems and by halftime the Warriors led 22-0 despite also losing Alofi Khan-Pereira to the bin late in the half.

Adam Reynolds briefly sparked hope with two second-half tries, but Brisbane’s errors kept destroying any momentum they built. Ali Leiataua and Te Maire Martin punished simple mistakes before Watene-Zelezniak produced a spectacular 95-metre intercept try to finish with a double.

The Broncos now head into a desperately needed bye with serious questions surrounding their form.

Penrith Panthers 28 – 6 St George Illawarra Dragons

Penrith closed Magic Round with another professional victory, defeating the Dragons 28-6 in a game far tougher than the final score suggested.

St George Illawarra actually controlled much of the early territory and looked dangerous through Christian Tuipulotu, but crucial errors repeatedly let them down. Penrith, by contrast, were clinical whenever chances appeared.

Thomas Jenkins scored twice in the opening half, while Nathan Cleary landed a superb sideline conversion and controlled the match with typical composure. The Dragons thought they had a memorable moment late in the half when Damien Cook crossed in his 250th NRL appearance, only for the bunker to overturn the try.

Isaiah Papali’i extended Penrith’s lead early in the second half before Tuipulotu finally got the Dragons on the board. Any hopes of a comeback disappeared quickly though as Brian To’o crossed untouched and Luke Garner added the final try of the weekend after combining with Cleary and Jack Cogger.

The Panthers now sit at 10-1 and continue to look every bit the competition’s benchmark side.