Round 16

Raining champs: Dragons outlast Raiders in wild conditions

In driving rain and gale force winds the kicking game of Ben Hunt proved vital in a tight contest which featured just four tries.

The Dragons opened the scoring in bizarre fashion when Jordan Rapana attempted a short dropout and Jack Wighton tapped the ball back, only for the ball to land in the hands of Talatau Amone who strolled over for a 4-0 lead.

Another short dropout gone wrong by Canberra handed Zac Lomax a gift two points from in front of the sticks and the Red V led 6-0 after 26 minutes.

Home, sweet home: Warriors too good for Tigers in Auckland

Back on home soil for the first time in 1038 days the Warriors made sure their legion of fans went home happy with their fifth win of the season.

After controlling possession for the first 10 minutes and receiving four straight penalties the Warriors looked to have cracked the Tigers line when Wayde Egan burrowed over from dummy half but the bunker ruled he'd been held up.

The home side were denied a second time when Shaun Johnson launched a pinpoint bomb which Marcelo Montoya knocked on in the air before Ronald Volkman forced the ball in goal.

Cowboys surge to claim derby rights over Broncos

Tries to returning winger Kyle Feldt, Reece Robson and Jeremiah Nanai within 18 minutes blew the game wide open in the second half after the Cowboys took a narrow two-point lead into the break after an absorbing opening. 

Brisbane clawed their way back in the final six minutes with two tries before Murray Taulagi got his second of the evening on fulltime. 

A dominant performance from Scott Drinkwater at fullback was among the highlights of the evening with the No.1 coming up with three try assists in the 14-point win.

Sharks outlast Bulldogs for third-straight win

The accurate kicking of halfback Nicho Hynes, on a surface with plenty of standing water, was key to Cronulla building pressure on the scoreboard against a Bulldogs side who were reduced to a two-man bench midway through the second half. 

The match swung on a potential 12-point turnaround just after the hour mark, with the Dogs denied a try to rookie Kurtis Morrin after the NRL Bunker found a Sharks player was held back in the lead-up, before Nikora scored three minutes later. 

 

Cowboys v Broncos: Feldt a late chance; Reynolds, Mam in halves

Not since 2016 will the local Queensland derby have so much hype in the lead-up with North Queensland sitting in third spot on the Telstra Premiership ladder and Brisbane nicely placed in fifth. 

With a host of players taking part in Origin II and across the rep weekend, both side's have also benefitted from the bye week and will be fresh ahead of the Queensland derby. 

The corresponding clash in round three belonged to the Cowboys in a six tries to two romp at Suncorp Stadium. 

Brisbane have responded since then, winning nine of their past 12 matches.

Rabbitohs v Eels: No.1 gun Latrell returns; Matterson out

The Eels lead the Rabbitohs by four competition points in sixth spot and if results go their way they could be in the top four by the end of the round. 

South Sydney are producing a very inconsistent season and must find some form if they're going to make a dent in this year's competition after going down to the Dragons by 20 points in round 15. 

Latrell Mitchell's return will help but overall Jason Demetriou's side can't rely on the fullback's comeback from a long-term hamstring injury to spark a resurgence. 

Panthers roll on towards minor premiership with defeat of Roosters

Despite a gutsy performance without star playmaker Luke Keary and forward leader Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, the Roosters have now crashed to four consecutive losses for the first time since 2016 and are in 10th place.

Given a ladder position that belies the quality of the Roosters line-up and the way they have been playing without key players, it could be argued that Trent Robinson's men are the best bottom eight team in recent memory.

Lee scores five tries as Knights too good for Titans

Lee set a Newcastle try-scoring record as the Knights romped to a comfortable victory with many of the club's greats on hand to celebrate Beanie for Brain Cancer round.

The 70th minute dismissal of Wallace for a lifting tackle further soured a dismal night for the Gold Coast, who were outgunned from the start and trailed 22-0 at halftime.

Both sides finished the match with 12 men after Newcastle prop David Klemmer was sinbinned for reacting to Wallace's tackle on Knights rookie Simi Sasagi.

Knights v Titans: Saifiti a late inclusion; Fifita back on deck

The Knights launched their campaign with wins over the Roosters and Tigers before hitting the skids with seven straight losses while Gold Coast won two of their first four and pushed Parramatta and Canberra in the other two.

As they head into round 16, the Titans sit last, with a second wooden spoon in four years staring them in the face. The Knights are 12th, three wins outside the eight, but they can take some comfort in the fact their run home includes games against the Bulldogs, Tigers and the Titans again in round 24.

Panthers v Roosters: Origin stars back up; Radley in, Keary out

No fewer than 10 members of the Blues' victorious 17-man squad could be on show at BlueBet Stadium depending on how they pull up and whether coaches Cleary and Robinson choose to rest any of their stars.

Panthers general Nathan Cleary was at his majestic best in Origin Two but the premiers have an able deputy in Sean O'Sullivan should the gun No.7 be given a break.