NRL 2022

With Chad Townsend and Tom Dearden clicking in the halves, Murray Taulagi and Val Holmes on fire out wide, and Reuben Cotter playing out of his skin up front, North Queensland look every bit a premiership contender - a remarkable turnaround for a side that finished 15th in 2021.

The Storm did it tough without Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jahrome Hughes against the Panthers but Craig Bellamy's men rarely put two below-par performances back-to-back so Todd Payten's men need to be on high alert.

Anthony Griffin's men went toe-to-toe with the Gold Coast for 89 minutes before Jamayne Isaako's try secured a golden point victory for the Titans.

The Warriors were blown off the park in the first half but four tries in 15 minutes dragged them back within two points with two minutes to play but the Bunnies held on.

After the Dragons this week and the Knights in round 12, the Warriors face Manly, Cronulla and Penrith in consecutive weeks so it's imperative they get some confidence and momentum up ahead of that tough stretch.

Trbojevic was in obvious pain after dislocating his left shoulder diving on a kick in the Sea Eagles in-goal midway through the second half and is in serious doubt to play for NSW in the June 8 Origin opener.

Manly led 20-16 at the time and defended bravely but were unable to hold on without Trbojevic and the sinbinning of forward Sean Keppie in the 73rd minute.

Moses was also sin-binned just before halftime for a professional foul and the Sea Eagles took advantage to race to a 20-10 lead but they were unable to withstand the sustained pressure from the Eels.

The Tigers led 18-0 at halftime but Mick Potter's first half time speech since taking over as Canterbury's interim coach mid week coincided with a dramatic turn around after the break.

The Bulldogs piled on three unanswered tries but the sin-binning of centre Aaron Schoupp for a lifting tackle on Starford To'a turned the game back in favour of the home team, who piled on three late tries to move ahead of their rivals on the ladder.

Both sides are coming off Magic Round defeats, a third in four weeks for Manly, so the stakes will be high and CommBank Stadium is sure to be buzzing.

Their previous meeting in round 22 last year resulted in a 56-10 cakewalk for the Sea Eagles as Reuben Garrick piled on 28 points, just two shy of Ron Rowles' record of 30 set way back in 1954.

A repeat of that sort of scoreline is unlikely but the Eels are sure to be on high alert as they confront a Manly backline packed with threats and desperate to make a statement after being held scoreless in Magic Round.

Despite the upheaval the Bulldogs must find a way to turn their form around under interim coach Mick Potter and climb off the bottom of the ladder, while the Tigers are equally desperate after three straight losses.

Sitting 15th and 16th with two wins apiece, both sides head into the Friday night clash under extreme pressure and looking to recapture the buzz that carried them to memorable wins in recent weeks - the Tigers over Parramatta and Souths in round six and seven, and the Dogs over the Roosters in round eight.

The Broncos lost Reynolds on Thursday morning to a groin issue and while they weren't at their attacking best without their playmaker early, they repelled Newcastle's attacking raids before shutting the Knights out in the second half.

A contentious try to Selwyn Cobbo in the 67th minute, who singlehandedly tormented the Knights throughout the contest, gave the Broncos an eight-point lead after Newcastle fought their way back to 14-12 in the second half.

Adam O'Brien's men secured a relieving win over the Bulldogs in Magic Round but they face an uphill challenge in the form of the Broncos, who have hit form and are beginning to show signs of the club they once were in the glory years.

It will be an intriguing occasion for Knights recruit Anthony Milford, who is expected to line up against the Broncos after departing the club last season.

The Bulldogs issued a statement on Monday confirming the embattled coach had “stood down”, effective immediately.

“We would sincerely like to thank Trent for all of his hard work and effort over the past 18 months in what has been a very difficult time for the Club,” the statement read.

“As this is a challenging time for all parties, the Club would like to respect Trent’s privacy and wish him all the best for the future.”

The last time the Cowboys won five in a row was early in 2016, in the midst of a golden era for the club which included their maiden premiership in 2015 and a grand final appearance in 2017.

The game opened in spectacular fashion with Murray Taulagi setting up a try for Scott Drinkwater with an outrageous flick pass as he was being bundled over the sidelined before Wests Tigers debutant Junior Tupou flew high to snare a Jackson Hastings bomb to score the first try of his career.