NRL 2016

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Three squad cars serve Damaru his notice

http://www.looppng.com/content/three-squad-cars-serve-damaru-his-notice

Three squad cars went to the National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Directorate boss’ house and served him his suspension notice this morning.

Hunters grab 16-point win against Devils

Warriors build self-belief with win

Trailing 14-8 at half-time after taking an early 8-0 lead, the Warriors scored three second half tries then defended grimly over the last five minutes to hang on for their third win of the season.

McFadden says one of the most pleasing aspects of the game was the way the Warriors fought back for their first win over the Bulldogs at Westpac Stadium in six outings.

"We didn't stop playing, particularly when we were behind in the second half," he said.

"They had a fair bit of momentum going into halftime, but we came out and turned that around very quickly."

Classy Cowboys too good for Souths

The reigning premiers showed it all against a hapless Bunnies side that has lost four of their past five, and will sweat on the health of star Greg Inglis after the fullback left the field with apparent concussion symptoms in the second half.

Justin O'Neill bagged a brace in his 100th NRL game, but the decision over the three Dally M points will not be an easy one, with Lachlan Coote, Johnathan Thurston and Michael Morgan all having huge nights.

Both sides packed a lot of football into a high-quality first half.

Returning Raiders halves make instant impact

Austin (knee) and Sezer (cheekbone) returned earlier than expected after missing the previous three weeks following injuries suffered in the Round 1 win over Penrith.

The Raiders halves looked comfortable in what was just their second NRL game as a pairing, preferring to play a more measured game given the greasy conditions.

Both Austin and Sezer finished with virtually identical stats. The Canberra No.6 ran for 46 metres and made 18 tackles, while the Raiders halfback managed 39 metres and 17 tackles.

Bondi Boys ready for old Rooster Roger

Although Tuivasa-Sheck's 'homecoming' won't be to his old regular home ground of Allianz Stadium, he has publicly said it will be a big game for him against his old club.

Roosters halfback Jackson Hastings told NRL.com that while there hadn't been a lot made within the playing group about Tuivasa-Sheck's return, he also conceded it would be an interesting experience playing opposite the prolific custodian for a change.

PNG Loop's Breakfast Bites

VC: UPNG infrastructure a time bomb

http://www.looppng.com/content/vc-upng-infrastructure-time-bomb

Little to no maintenance of buildings at the University of Papua New Guinea has resulted in most of its infrastructure being labelled as a time bomb.

Hunters register win against Cutters by 14-point lead

Impressive Cowboys shut out Dragons

In front of a season-best 17,444 crowd the Cowboys were given all they could handle early by the typically plucky Dragons, who seemed to drag the usually sparkling Cowboys' attack down to their level.

But after an extended feeling-out period it was Cowboys fullback Lachlan Coote (two try assists, two line-break assists) setting up the huge win with a second-half masterclass.

The Cowboys pressed early, forcing three repeat sets in the Dragons' red zone, but the defensive wall stood firm early on before the contest degenerated into a scoreless error fest.

Broncos hold off brave Titans

The Titans lost five-eighth Tyrone Roberts to injury during the week then prop David Shillington during the warm-up, and few would have given them much chance of competing with the competition favourites.

Brisbane at one stage led 22-4, but Daniel Mortimer and Zeb Taia got the Titans back into the match, combining twice to get the Gold Coast within six points.

In the end it was the experience of the Broncos side that delivered them the win, with the Brisbane now sitting top of the NRL ladder after tonight's eight-point win.

Stewart return inspires Manly win

The 10-point loss was Cronulla's 33rd defeat from 39 matches at the venue, easily their worst record at any ground in the NRL. 

The Trbojevic brothers were outstanding for Manly, both crossing for a try in a game that will help new coach Trent Barrett sleep well tonight. 

Tom ran for 196 metres in his first game on the wing in 2016, while Jake was rock-solid in defence, racking up 45 tackles. 

Klemmer free to play

The panel of Paul Whatuira, Don McKinnon and Bob Lidnereliberated for nine minutes, before agreeing with the defence counsel that Klemmer's actions were not in fact illegal.

A guilty verdict would have seen the NSW forward miss matches against the Eels as well as the Round 4 Good Friday blockbuster with the Rabbitohs.

The decision sees Klemmer avoid his second suspension of 2016 after serving a one game ban for making dangerous contact on Melbourne's Kenny Bromwich in a pre-season trial.