NRL Round 24: Roosters seize top spot as Warriors and Knights strengthen finals claims

Edward Briggs

The Roosters moved to the top of the ladder after a tense win over Penrith, while the Warriors strengthened their top-two hopes by dismantling Brisbane for the second time this season. Newcastle also booked its finals place, while the Dolphins continued their charge towards the top four. At the other end, Manly’s finals hopes officially disappeared.

Roosters 12-6 Panthers

The Roosters have taken top spot with a hard-fought 12-6 victory over Penrith at Commbank Stadium in a game that never lacked intensity.

Penrith had the better of the opening exchanges, but the Roosters repeatedly held firm, including surviving five straight defensive stands during a period of sustained pressure. That resilience eventually paid off when Daly Cherry-Evans straightened the attack and beat two defenders to score in the 20th minute.

Sam Walker converted, then added a penalty before half-time to give the Roosters an 8-0 lead.

Penrith kept coming after the break, but the Roosters’ defence continued to hold. Dylan Edwards came close to breaking through before Robert Toia produced a crucial tackle, while Walker’s kicking game repeatedly relieved the pressure.

The Panthers finally found a way through in the 66th minute when Lindsay Smith crashed over from a short ball by Moses Leota. Nathan Cleary converted to make it 8-6 and set up a frantic finish.

Cherry-Evans, however, had the final say. A Mark Nawaqanitawase contest resulted in a spilled ball and a controversial dropout decision, before the veteran halfback stepped through the line in the next set to score his second try.

Penrith threw everything at the Roosters in the closing stages, but the home side refused to crack.

Sea Eagles 0-22 Dolphins

The Dolphins continued their excellent season with a composed 22-0 victory over Manly at Brookvale, ending the Sea Eagles’ finals hopes in the process.

Manly had plenty of possession and field position early but repeatedly failed to turn it into points. Dropped balls, forward passes and poor last-tackle options allowed the Dolphins to survive wave after wave of pressure.

Kodi Nikorima eventually opened the scoring after the Dolphins began to find some space, with Jamayne Isaako converting after having already kicked a penalty goal.

Manly’s problems continued after half-time. Jason Saab and Haumole Olakau’atu both made costly errors before Selwyn Cobbo stretched the Dolphins’ advantage to 12-0.

Isaako then intercepted deep in his own half and sent Jack Bostock away to make it 18-0. Manly did manage to put the ball over the line late, but Lehi Hopoate’s effort was ruled out after he was found to have touched the ground outside the field of play.

Isaako put the finishing touches on the win in the 74th minute, scoring in the corner and reaching 1000 points for the Dolphins in the process.

Bulldogs 6-22 Rabbitohs

South Sydney moved within one win of securing a finals berth after comfortably accounting for the Bulldogs 22-6.

The Bulldogs had opportunities early, but Souths’ goal-line defence repeatedly denied them. Instead, the Rabbitohs opened the scoring when Cody Walker’s grubber found David Fifita, who followed through to ground the ball.

Tallis Duncan then created Souths’ second, finding Alex Johnston with a long pass after breaking into space.

The Rabbitohs extended their lead immediately after half-time when Duncan powered through the Bulldogs’ edge defence, before Campbell Graham added another try from a Jayden Sullivan kick.

Sullivan was struggling with a groin problem but continued playing, while Adam Elliott also suffered an injury during the match.

The Bulldogs finally opened their account when Stephen Crichton combined with Matt Burton to send Enari Tuala over in the corner. Matt Dufty scored late, but Souths had already established too much of a lead.

The Rabbitohs’ goalkicking remained a concern, with only one of five attempts successful, but their defence ensured it ultimately mattered little.

Sharks 20-24 Raiders

Canberra came from behind to defeat Cronulla 24-20 at Shark Park, although the Sharks were left to rue the loss of five-eighth Braydon Trindall.

Trindall opened the scoring himself after following through on his own kick, but injured his shoulder while doing so and had to leave the field after suffering a dislocation.

The Raiders responded through Xavier Savage, who burned Ronaldo Mulitalo down the right edge after a superb pass from Kaeo Weekes.

Owen Pattie then put Canberra ahead from dummy half before Ethan Strange’s long pass created another opening for the Raiders.

Cronulla hit back before half-time, with Blayke Brailey sending Teig Wilton over to leave the Sharks trailing 18-14 at the break.

The Raiders extended their advantage early in the second half when captain Joseph Tapine powered through five defenders to score. Cronulla controlled much of the territory afterwards but struggled to create the decisive opportunity without Trindall directing the attack.

The Sharks remained within striking distance but ultimately could not find the try they needed.

Eels 32-30 Cowboys

Parramatta may be out of the finals race, but the Eels have shown they can still cause plenty of damage after edging North Queensland 32-30 in a chaotic contest.

The game was barely five minutes old before Brian Kelly had burst 60 metres and Parramatta were threatening. North Queensland struck first through Reed Mahoney, but the Eels quickly responded through Apa Twidle.

The lead changed hands repeatedly from there. Ronald Volkman and Tallyn Da Silva both crossed for Parramatta, while Braidon Burns replied for the Cowboys before half-time.

The second half descended into an attacking shootout. Josh Addo-Carr ended his long try-scoring drought, only for Jaxon Purdue and Reuben Cotter to respond for North Queensland. A penalty try after an offside call brought Parramatta level again at 24-24.

The Cowboys appeared to seize control when two perfectly weighted kicks eventually created a try for Tom Chester, putting them 30-24 ahead.

Parramatta refused to go away. Jordan Samrani finished off an extraordinary long pass from Junior Paulo to level the scores before Mitchell Moses kicked a late penalty goal to restore the Eels’ lead.

Scott Drinkwater attempted two-point field goals in the dying minutes, but neither found the mark. A late Cowboys error finally ended their hopes.

Broncos 6-40 Warriors

The Warriors have strengthened their push for a top-two finish with a second emphatic victory over Brisbane this season, crushing the Broncos 40-6 at Suncorp Stadium.

The result was made even more impressive by the Warriors losing Luke Metcalf to another hamstring injury, while Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad was sent to the sin bin following a tackle that also left Reece Walsh with a high ankle sprain.

None of it stopped New Zealand.

Jacob Laban opened the scoring after a superb pass from Wayde Egan, before Chanel Harris-Tavita helped extend the advantage. Then, despite being down to 12 men, the Warriors scored again when Alofiana Khan-Pereira intercepted and raced 100 metres.

Metcalf injured himself while converting the try, leaving Harris-Tavita to take over the kicking and playmaking duties. He added two penalty goals as the Warriors went to half-time 20-0 ahead.

The second half was more of the same. Nicoll-Klokstad rose to take a bomb, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak produced an acrobatic finish and Ali Leiataua scored a solo try as the Warriors raced further ahead.

Xavier Willison finally got Brisbane on the board, but the result was never in serious doubt. Leka Halasima completed the rout late.

The Warriors are now level on points with Penrith, trailing only on for-and-against, with all three of their remaining matches against teams below them on the ladder.

Knights 36-26 Titans

Newcastle have secured their place in the finals after overcoming Gold Coast 36-26 in an entertaining clash in the Hunter.

The Knights raced to a 16-0 lead, with Dane Gagai scoring twice and Fletcher Hunt creating an opportunity for Greg Marzhew. The Titans eventually responded through Beau Fermor and Jayden Campbell to reduce the margin to six at half-time.

Gagai left the field with a hamstring injury, but Newcastle continued to find ways through the Titans’ defence.

Kalyn Ponga was involved in the Knights’ next try, linking with Hunt after slicing through the line, before Fletcher Sharpe produced a brilliant individual effort to extend the lead.

Marzhew then added his second and Sharpe his second as Newcastle surged to a 36-14 advantage.

Gold Coast refused to surrender, with Fermor scoring again before Lachlan Ilias finished a sharp counterattack. Another Campbell conversion reduced the final margin to ten, but the Knights had done enough to secure their finals place.

Tigers 22-24 Dragons

St George Illawarra have won consecutive matches for the first time this season, holding off a late Wests Tigers fightback to win 24-22 at Commbank Stadium.

The Tigers opened the scoring through Sunia Turuva, but the Dragons responded through Tyrell Sloan before Hamish Stewart and Moses Suli crossed to give the visitors an 18-6 half-time lead.

Wests Tigers improved after the break. Samuela Fainu finished a movement involving Adam Doueihi and Alex Seyfarth to cut the margin to six, but the Dragons quickly restored their 12-point advantage when Lyhkan King-Togia finished after Sloan’s kick.

The Tigers then produced a remarkable late rally.

Debutant Solomane Saukuru scored his first NRL try with ten minutes remaining, before scoring again six minutes later. Doueihi’s conversion from the sideline reduced the deficit to just two points.

The Tigers had one final chance in the closing seconds, but an error ended the attack and allowed the Dragons to escape with a 24-22 victory.