In summary
And that just about wraps things up for today. The Sea Eagles are safely into the NRL finals after their convincing win over the Panthers, who were made to sweat over their place in the eight for much of this afternoon. The Roosters secured second spot with a comeback victory over the Titans, while the ladder-leading Melbourne Storm signed off on their home-and-away season with a comfortable win over the Raiders. Winx, the superhorse, was again magnificent in winning a 19th straight race at Randwick Racecourse and it was a good day for Victorians, after their women’s rep side won the inaugural AFLW State of Origin game with ease. There you have it, Saturday in a nutshell. Come back again tomorrow to see if the Dragons can beat the Bulldogs and make the NRL finals, and to follow the Diamonds’ Quad Series match against the Silver Ferns. Kate O’Halloran will be at the controls from 1:30pm on Sunday, please do join her then. From me, though, thanks for joining us today and until next time.
Victoria beat Allies by 97 points
AFLW State of Origin: It’s Victoria’s night – convincingly so – as the siren sounds at Etihad and the scoreboard shows the Vics beat the Allies 17.11 (113) to 2.4 (16). Jasmin Garner booted five majors and Daisey Pearace had 37 possessions in standout performances. It might have been utterly one-sided, but that may have served to whet the appetite ahead of season two.
Football: “Liverpool put a price of €200m and that was why we decided to step back,” Barcelona director Albert Soler said. “This club and this president will not put this club’s assets at risk like that. Going into the market place with so much money, the financial demands made of us were exorbitant.”
Formula One: The final practice session before the Italian Grand Prix has been mostly washed out, with just seven drivers able to complete a timed lap. Felipe Massa topped the timesheets amid heavy rain at Monza, where Daniel Ricciardo will start Sunday’s race near the back of the grid after receiving a penalty for engine changes.
AFLW State of Origin: We’re just about to start the final quarter across town at Etihad Stadium, where the Victorians have extended their lead to blowout proportions – they’re ahead 11.8 (74) to 2.2 (14). Jasmine Garner has kicked three goals for the Vics whil;e Daisy Pearce has a game-high 29 possessions.
FT: Storm beat Raiders by 20 points
Storm 26-6 Raiders – 80 mins: There it is! The minor premiers wrap up a convincing win and will head into next weekend’s match against the Eels in fine form. Joey Leilua finishes the game on the pitch, which is possibly the most remarkable aspect of this encounter. He can now look forward to Mad Monday.
“Really pleasing to get that result,” says Cameron Smith. “The Raiders were brave tonight. They had nothing to lose and they really tested us. Nice to get the win for a few of the boys who are playing their last home and away game for the Storm.”
The presentation of the JJ Giltinan Shield is coming up at AAMI Park.
Updated
Try! Tohu Harris scores!
Storm 32-6 Raiders – 78 mins: The Storm do have their try in the end though, as Harris takes the ball and three Raiders players over the line soon after to score his second of the night! Cameron Smith.... etc.
Storm 26-6 Raiders – 77 mins: Controversy! Needless to say, it involves Leilua, who tries to take out Addo-Carr, only to miss him. Still, the Storm player is forced out of play before he steps back in and grabs the ball in the in-goal. A penalty try? Nope, says the referee.
Storm 26-6 Raiders – 75 mins: It takes just one more minute before Joey blows up. He gets in Scott’s face, gets his shirt ripped in the process and then makes baby noises at his adversary.
Storm 26-6 Raiders – 74 mins: Joey Leilua at it again. He’s got about six minutes to keep his head. But that’s not guaranteed.
Storm 26-6 Raiders – 70 mins: Rapana touches down right the corner – or does he? No, he doesn’t, as the replays show. He did his best, but he couldn’t quite bend his wrist around the ball. He does, however, take the cameraman down with him – caught spectacularly on TV after the director decides to switch cameras just at the right moment!
NO TRY! He put down the cameraman... But not the ball. 😬 #NRLStormRaiders #9WWOS pic.twitter.com/TtPNsY74Zm
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) September 2, 2017
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Storm 26-6 Raiders – 68 mins: Slater’s through here, in that dashing, scampering way of his, but he’s still got Wighton to beat – and he can’t.
Storm 26-6 Raiders – 65 mins: The biggest cheer of the night is reserved for Cronk, who appears to have scored but is called back for offside! The crowd don’t like it, naturally, but it’s a fair call by referee, and backed up by the Bunker.
Try! Suliasi Vunivalu scores!
Storm 26-6 Raiders – 62 mins: Vunivalu hits back immediately with his 23rd of the season! The NRL’s leading tryscorer latches onto a little grubber kick by Chambers before powering over the line. So he’s still two ahead of Rapana, with Alex Johnstone now one behind on 22. Smith kicks the extras, of course.
Try! Jordan Rapana scores!
Storm 20-6 Raiders – 58 mins: Canberra are on the board! And it’s quite some try, as Rapana pulls of a superb diving catch in the in-goal! That’s his 21st try of the season.
Classic catch!
— NRL (@NRL) September 2, 2017
Rapana adds another highlight to the reel! #NRLStormRaiders #NRL pic.twitter.com/ncQiuoIXFI
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AFLW State of Origin: In scenes reminiscent of rugby league’s State of Origin, Victoria are playing the Queensland role and the Allies that of NSW. It’s half-time and Victoria are leading 8.5 (53) to 2.2 (14). The start of an are of domination? Could well be.
Storm 20-0 Raiders – 53 mins: Chambers gets absolutely hammered! He’s propelled backwards and put on his backside by a huge Junior Paulo hit!
Stopped in his tracks!#NRLStormRaiders #NRL pic.twitter.com/xJMjlJxJB4
— NRL (@NRL) September 2, 2017
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Storm 20-0 Raiders – 49 mins: Harris now appears to throw an elbow on Sezar, and he’s promptly put on report.
I'm only watching this second half because I'm expecting a Joey Leulia brain snap #NRLStormRaiders
— Scott D (@scott86d) September 2, 2017
Storm 20-0 Raiders – 44 mins: Leilua continues to flirt with disciplinary action, this time in a, ahem, robust tackle in which his forearm flies close to Edwards’ head three times. (Each one misses.)
Storm 20-0 Raiders – 42 mins: Austin launches a bomb which Slater does well to keep take under the posts in the Storm’s in-goal. And the pair repeat the sequence soon after.
Second half underway at AAMI Park
Storm 20-0 Raiders – 41 mins: OK, here we go, just 40 minutes left of this NRL home-and-away season. And it looks like the Storm will be signing off with another win.
Hear from @storm coach, Craig Bellamy in the lead up to the 2nd Half of #NRLStormRaiders.#NRL pic.twitter.com/I1oT43eDW3
— NRL (@NRL) September 2, 2017
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Football: Uh-oh, bad news for the Socceroos ahead of their crunch World Cup qualifier against Thailand on Tuesday: Japan’s captain, Makoto Hasebe, has withdrawn from the Japan team that will travel to Saudi Arabia for their own final match. Remember, the Socceroos will hope already-qualified Japan don’t ease off the gas and go on to get something out of their trip to the Middle East to boost Australian hopes. Shinji Kagawa is already missing from the Japanese squad, who play in Jeddah in a later kick-off, meaning the Saudis will know exactly what they have to do to edge out the Socceroos from the second automatic Asian qualification spot.
AFLW State of Origin: Over to Etihad, where Victoria are leading the Allies 5.3 (33) to 2.1 (13) midway through the second quarter.
HT: Storm lead by 20 points
Storm 20-0 Raiders – 40 mins: There goes the siren and the hosts head in at the break well in control. Still, Billy Slater’s not overly delighted. “We started well let them in with some easy field position and a few penalties. We want to fix that up,” says the Storm man on his way off the pitch.
Storm 20-0 Raiders – 37 mins: It’s pretty frantic at AAMI Park. Joey Leilua looks like he’s going to bust a gasket, Blake Austin is goose-stepping about the place and the premiers are looking very much the part.
Storm 20-0 Raiders – 33 mins: Jack Wighton looks like he’s about to break away and enter a foot race with Slater to the line, but he’s ankle-tapped at the last, and the break comes to nothing.
Storm 20-0 Raiders – 29 mins: Well that was strange. The commentary on Fox Sports went a bit funky for a moment there – all echoey and psychedelic. Not unenjoyable but a bit incongruous given what we’re watching.
Felt like I was at Burning Man after 5 cid tabs there for a minute #NRLStormRaiders
— Punt Pod (@PuntPod) September 2, 2017
Storm 20-0 Raiders – 26 mins: The Raiders go close to getting themselves on the scoresheet, but the young winger Cotric is deemed to have put his foot out of touch. And you know what, they’re right.
TRY! Tohu Harris scores!
Storm 20-0 Raiders – 19 mins: It’s one-way traffic here as the Storm go over again, thanks to a jinking run through the final line of Canberran defence. Smith lines up the kick and... you know the deal. And he gets another pop to make it an eight-point try after a penalty goes against Tapane, who went at the ball in Harris’s hands with his feet first.
Storm 12-0 Raiders – 15 mins: There are more milestones to be reached tonight: Nelson Asofa-Solomona is playing his 50th NRL match while should Slater score, he will match ex-Sea Eagles forward Steve Menzies for the second most tries scored.
NRL: Roosters coach Trent Robinson has been talking about that earlier comeback win in Sydney. “So we had to catch up to some of the teams that have been circling at the top last year and this year. And I felt like we’ve accelerated throughout the year in where we’ve got to,” he said. “We’re finishing games like a team that’s been around for a long, long time. Teams, they can see us finishing well. That puts a memory in their mind at the back end of games as well against us.” The less said about what happened before the fast finish, the better.
Storm 12-0 Raiders – 10 mins: Billy Slater get monstered by a posse of four green hulks in an indication that the Raiders aren’t going to lie down and be steamrollered tonight.
TRY! Jesse Bromwich scores!
Storm 12-0 Raiders – 7 mins: And another! Smith pings the ball to Bromwich who simply uses his bulk to carry himself across the line. Well, not actually across the line – he puts the ball down right on the line, but that’s enough and the Storm are electrifying! No problems for Smith with the kick.
TRY! Felise Kaufusi scores!
Storm 6-0 Raiders – 3 mins: Well that didn’t take long. Billy Slater taps a cross-field punt back towards Kaufusi, who turns on his heel, picks the ball up off the ground, turns around again and runs it in unchallenged. There’s some confusion and the decision goes upstairs, but that was just shockingly lax defensive work from the Raiders. The try stands and Smith adds the extras without fuss.
Updated
Underway at AAMI Park!
Storm 0-0 Raiders – 1 min: Canberra kick things off, but not before attention is drawn to veteran halfback Cooper Cronk – playing his final home and away game – and Storm captain Cameron Smith, who is drawing level with Darren Lockyer for the most NRL games played at 355.
AFLW: Across town, at Etihad Stadium, we’re about to be treated to something new and exciting: the AFLW’s first State of Origin match. Victoria take on the Allies, with a host of top-flight players on show, including the likes of Daisey Pearce and Brianna Davey for Victoria and Chelsea Randall and Katie Brennan for the Allies.
NRL: So, just one more game to go tonight – the Storm against the Raiders. That’s coming right up at AAMI Park, with kick-off in about 10 minutes. Nothing is riding on the outcome, the Storm having wrapped up the minor premiership, and the Raiders having failed to trouble the eight. Still, with Cooper Cronk signing off on the home-and-away season there’s still interest.
FT: Manly beat Panthers by 16 points
Sea Eagles 28-12 Panthers – 80 mins: And there it is! All over at Brookie, and both teams will play finals, despite Penrith having sweated on the unthinkable happening for much of the game. Manly utterly dominated; Penrith struggled badly for about 75 minutes of the 80.
But in many respects, North Queensland are the biggest losers tonight, and their place in the eight is now at risk – their immediate future will be determined tomorrow when the Dragons play the Bulldogs. Victory for the Dragons will send them into finals, and North Queensland will be able to go on holiday.
TRY! Reagan Campbell-Gillard scores!
Sea Eagles 28-12 Panthers – 80 mins: And another! Blake jinks this way and that before offloading to Campbell-Gillard, who touches down to give the score some kind of respectability. The kick is good too.
TRY! Tyrone May scores!
Sea Eagles 28-6 Panthers – 76 mins: Phew! Panthers fans can relax – they’re going to play finals football! This try – and the conversion by Cleary – seals the deal, and the collective sigh of relief around the foot of the mountains can almost be heard at Brookie!
A late but very important Try for the @PenrithPanthers!#NRLManlyPanthers#NRL pic.twitter.com/7gB5nPZgCM
— NRL (@NRL) September 2, 2017
Sea Eagles 28-0 Panthers – 70 mins: Into the final 10 minutes and there’s been a bit of a letup in the intense Manly pressure these past few minutes. That’s understandable, given their efforts for much of the night.
Sea Eagles 28-0 Panthers – 69 mins: Oh dear, Koroisau lifts up Watene-Zelezniak beyond the horizontal and is called on it. Not a good look at all, although he realises his error straight away and holds his hands up.
Sea Eagles 28-0 Panthers – 64 mins: Dylan Walker’s got some beef here – he’s been on a mission all night long, to be honest, and has had plenty to say.
Sea Eagles 28-0 Panthers – 64 mins: Isaah Yeo motors through the Manly defence now as Penrith show some fight. Tommy Turbo grabs him though and any momentum gained by that move is soon lost as the Sea Eagles’ defence presents a wall – an imposing, muscly, burgundy wall – to the Panthers on their next attack. Immense defence.
Sea Eagles 28-0 Panthers – 61 mins: Just under 20 minutes remaining and it’s still on a knife edge for the Panthers. Surely they’re not going to mess this up, are they?
A Guardian sibling, Niall Connolly, has been in touch on the email: “I have my (your fellow correspondent Paul) brother’s glass half empty attitude to our teams. And it looks like 1996 again for us next week. Matt Ridge was not tackled, Paul.”
Lest we forget:
Sea Eagles 28-0 Panthers – 56 mins: Penrith are rocking. And not in the good way. Their defence is getting opened up every time Manly have the ball. The Sea Eagles get another repeat set of six as DCE dinks the ball into the in-goal and Watene-Zelezniak picks it up and runs out. No let up in pressure.
TRY! Curtis Sironen scores!
Sea Eagles 28-0 Panthers – 53 mins: More good stuff by Manly as Sironen bursts through and Wright adds the extras but this is fast becoming all about Penrith’s chances of reaching the eight. They’re in real danger now of dropping to eighth, and having to sweat on tomorrow’s Dragons’ result. Just another 10 unanswered Manly points and their season will lie in the lap of the gods.
Updated
Sea Eagles 22-0 Panthers – 50 mins: Here come Manly again, this time with Trbojevic handing off to Wright. Penrith’s backline looks vulnerable every time Manly go forward.
Updated
Sea Eagles 22-0 Panthers – 48 mins: There’s another “coming together” after Kelly forces Cleary into knocking on, and everyone piles in. A few hands are thrown (not punches, there’s a difference), and eventually tempers cool and play can continue.
Updated
Sea Eagles 22-0 Panthers – 45 mins: So, if Penrith lose by more than 37 points, they drop to eighth with the Cowboys moving up to seventh, giving St George Illawarra the chance to knock them out of the eight tomorrow with victory over the Bulldogs. Clear?
Updated
TRY! Tom Trbojevic scores!
Sea Eagles 22-0 Panthers – 41 mins: Tommy Turbo’s in! What a start to the half! He starts off the move and having turned on the afterburners very nearly gets away. He’s just caught, but no matter, second later he gets the ball again, stretches those legs and hoons into the in-goal! The kick by Wright is good, and the Panthers need to be concerned here. Remember, the amount they lose by could be season-defining for them.
The @SeaEagles left edge is ON tonight!
— NRL (@NRL) September 2, 2017
Turbo gets a Try.#NRLManlyPanthers#NRL pic.twitter.com/nkf9fiGn5l
Updated
Second half underway at Lottoland!
Sea Eagles 16-0 Panthers – 41 mins: Here we go then. It’s going to need quite some turnaround from the Panthers if they are to get back into this match.
HT: Manly lead by 16 points at the break
Sea Eagles 16-0 Panthers – 40 mins: So far so good for Manly – they’ve done everything asked of them tonight. It’s been a terrific half of football for the hosts, and short of a second-half meltdown, they’re looking good for the finals. Penrith, on the other hand, might do well to begin considering the ramifications of a defeat by more than 37 points. Back in a bit.
Sea Eagles 16-0 Panthers – 38 mins: No dice for Cleary and the Panthers here as time winds down this half. They run out of ideas on the final tackle and the ball is turned over.
Try! Jake Trbojevic scores
Sea Eagles 16-0 Panthers – 34 mins: We have a try! Trbojevic crashes over, under a pile of white jumpers, and as a consequence, we’ll have to go upstairs. There’s “insufficient evidence” the ball was held up, so the try will stand, and once the kick is converted, right in front of the posts, we’ve got a 16-point ball game.
Sea Eagles 10-0 Panthers – 32 mins: Green kicks his fifth 40/20 for the season! What a great effort from the Manly player, and the Sea Eagles can attack again here.
Sea Eagles 10-0 Panthers – 27 mins: Oops, a spill from Uate, under no pressure at all. That was reminiscent of my effort earlier today in the park with my son, which says it all really.
TRY! Daly Cherry-Evans scores!
Sea Eagles 10-0 Panthers – 23 mins: Oh, a lovely move from the Sea Eagles, involving a number of players but most notably Kelly, ends with the supporting DCE tearing through for the try! Wright’s kick is good and the hosts are out to a 10-point lead.
DCE is in!
— NRL (@NRL) September 2, 2017
Kelly heavily involved again.#NRLManlyPanthers#NRL pic.twitter.com/4EfVQpgVbe
Sea Eagles 4-0 Panthers – 18 mins: Uh-oh, here’s an early talking point. And by “talking point” I mean questionable refereeing decision. DCE’s pass is adjudged to have gone forward and Walker won’t go any further.
Sea Eagles 4-0 Panthers – 17 mins: Manly’s pressure is creating Panther errors; here Dean Whare knocks on as he slides to gather a bouncing ball.
Sea Eagles 4-0 Panthers – 14 mins: That’s a good take from Watene-Zelezniak though, as he claims a high ball cleanly despite pressure from their onrushing hosts.
Sea Eagles 4-0 Panthers – 11 mins: Manly are well up for this one. Their intensity has so far been, um, intense. And the Panthers haven’t really been able to match it.
The @SeaEagles defence is muscling up!#NRLManlyPanthers#NRL pic.twitter.com/pySZEQzesk
— NRL (@NRL) September 2, 2017
Updated
Sea Eagles 4-0 Panthers – 8 mins: Matthew Wright missed the conversion by the way, and it’s just the four points for the hosts.
TRY! Brian Kelly scores!
Sea Eagles 4-0 Panthers – 8 mins: Manly are on the board! It’s a flowing passing move from the hosts, culminating in Trbojevic dishing out a quick pass to the marauding Kelly who has jets in his heels and speeds through to touch down!
Updated
Sea Eagles 0-0 Panthers – 6 mins: Matt Moylan is down there on the sidelines, on the same day that Panthers chief executive Brian Fletcher told News Corp there was a 50-50 chance he won’t be at the club next season.
Sea Eagles 0-0 Panthers – 3 mins: The retiring Brett Stewart farewelled Sea Eagles fans before kick-off. Here he is paying homage to the Brookie faithful.
Sea Eagles 0-0 Panthers – 2 mins: Penrith are trying to channel the spirit of Real Madrid by sporting some natty white shorts tonight. Not sure how I feel about them.
Here come the @PenrithPanthers!#NRLManlyPanthers#NRL pic.twitter.com/BWqNdk4Gfr
— NRL (@NRL) September 2, 2017
Underway at Lottoland!
Sea Eagles 0-0 Panthers – 1 min: Actually, we’re not. A false start sees to that. But after a brief delay, Manly’s Wright boots the ball into the evening sky and we are indeed off!
NRL: We’re approaching kick-off time at Lottoland. It’s all set to be a cracker. Here are some numbers to crunch before we get underway:
- These two have faced each other 84 times; the Sea Eagles have won 50; the Panthers 33; and they have drawn once;
- The Panthers have won seven out of the last eight meetings;
- Since round 20, the Sea Eagles have conceded the second most points (31.8 per game) and missed the most tackles (42.4 per game) in the league;
- Penrith are averaging the most tackles inside the opposition 20-metre zone than any other team (35.7 per game), but have the worst strike rate in the league (15.2 per try);
- With 28 wins from 49 matches, Anthony Griffin will have the best record of any Penrith coach at 50 games besides Phil Gould, who won 36 of his first 50 games at the club.
Formula One: “Ricciardo’s upbeat attitude is more than just that of a typically good-humoured Aussie. He has learned to deal with disappointment and emerge the better man for it.” Great read from Giles Richards here, on Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo, ahead of this weekend’s Italian GP:
Tennis: “I’d play on a parking lot.” That’s Maria Sharapova’s response to Caroline Wozniacki’s criticism of US Open organisers for giving the Russian centre court billing on her return to grand slam tennis after a doping ban. “With regards to scheduling, as you know, I don’t make the schedule,” said Sharapova after beating American teenager Sofia Kenin 7-5, 6-2 to reach the fourth round. “I’m a pretty big competitor. If you put me out in the parking lot of Queens in New York City, I’m happy to play there. That’s not what matters to me. All that matters to me is I’m in the fourth round. Yeah, I’m not sure where she is.” (From Reuters)
NRL: OK then, up next is Manly v Penrith. They head into the game level on 30 points, with the Panthers in sixth and the Sea Eagles in eighth. To end the season in the top eight, here’s what each has to do:
- The Panthers need to beat Manly or lose by less than 38 points;
- Manly need a win or draw against the Panthers or for the Bulldogs to beat the Dragons on Sunday.
For the Panthers, Matt Moylan will not play tonight, as he is carrying an ongoing hamstring complaint. You’d guess he would probably have been risked if the Panthers weren’t in the position they are, but with the club’s season all but guaranteed of being extended, he has been left out with one eye on the finals. Kick off’s in about 30 minutes.
NRL: Jarryd Hayne is copping heat for those two kicks. Surprisingly.
I cant imagine that Hayne will get any social media backlash due to those two mistakes.. #NRLRoostersTitans
— Wils (@mattwilson_77) September 2, 2017
Well done to the Titans board..no doubt you made the right choice between Hayne and Henry 😳#NRLRoostersTitans
— J.R. (@dragons2194) September 2, 2017
Hayne should wear his game kit to Mad Monday & fancy dress as a first grader. #NRLRoostersTitans
— Mike M (@michaeldarren79) September 2, 2017
FT: Roosters beat Titans by four points
Roosters 20-16 Titans – 80 mins: Another shonky kick from Hayne, and this is game over now. Gordon lines up right in front of the posts, and as the siren sounds, he ices victory with a penalty goal!
Well, that was hardly classic Roosters, but a win is a win and they secure that all important second place, which means they don’t have to travel to Brisbane next week – or face a partisan Suncorp Stadium crowd. They were far from convincing though, and that will be of concern heading into the finals. For the Titans, you have to take your hat off to them, that was a stirring display and they may count themselves unlucky to leave Sydney with nothing for their efforts. So it’s back to the Goldie for the Titans, where they can enjoy Mad Monday and their holidays in a presumably mature and non-controversial manner.
Updated
Roosters 18-16 Titans – 78 mins: What a breathless finish to this game! There’s still time for one more twist though. Hayne kicks off, kicking nearly parallel to the halfway line, but it doesn’t make 40m.
Updated
TRY! Boyd Cordner scores!
Roosters 18-16 Titans – 76 mins: There it is! Cordner barges over after Pearce finds him at close quarters! The pressure tells, and the crowd go nuts. They’ve been willing the ball over that line. Now this kick is key – and it’s a relatively easy one. Gordon nails it! And it’s the Roosters to lose now!
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Roosters 12-16 Titans – 74 mins: The Titans concede a penalty 35m out and Pearce finds touch. What can they do here now?
Updated
Roosters 12-16 Titans – 72 mins: Eight minutes remaining for the Roosters to find something from somewhere and dig themselves out of this hole, and secure home ground advantage in the finals. It’s getting to squeaky-bum time.
TRY! Michael Gordon scores!
Roosters 12-16 Titans – 70 mins: This isn’t over yet! This try’s all about Joseph Manu, who leaps like a salmon to pluck Keary’s kick out of the air before somehow offloading to the overlapping Gordon! The kick is good – juuuuust – and we have a ball game, as the Americans like to say.
Updated
Roosters 6-16 Titans – 67 mins: Mitchell is held up near the Titans’ line, and they come away with a penalty! They’re full of confidence at the moment, the visitors.
Roosters 6-16 Titans – 65 mins: The Roosters look dangerous here as Keary throws it to Gordon, who in turn looks for Ferguson, but his pass is far too heavy and it goes straight out of play. Disappointing from the Chooks, but pretty much reflective of their performance today.
Roosters 6-16 Titans – 63 mins: “An absolute abomination” is the commentator’s verdict as the Titans conspire to knock-on from the kick-off. That could be just what the Roosters needed.
TRY! Kevin Proctor scores!
Roosters 6-16 Titans – 60 mins: Taylor shows his smarts on the ball as he dinks a kick through for Proctor to pounce on! Amazing stuff from the Titans, who are not in a strong position to cause a real upset now! Taylor boots the extras and they’re 10 up with 20 minutes remaining.
Roosters 6-10 Titans – 59 mins: Let’s hope the youngster Nakubuwai is OK. That really was a sickening hit.
Roosters 6-10 Titans – 59 mins: Oh dear, it all kicks off after Ben Nakubuwai is hit hard by the shoulder of Zane Tetevano. Nakubuwai’s out, sparko, on the floor, and that’s worrying. But clearly not for those on the pitch who throw their handbags around with scant regard for the prone player. Not nice scenes. Nakubuwai is taken off on the medicab as boos ring out and Tetevano is put on report.
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Roosters 6-10 Titans – 56 mins: We have an atmosphere at Allianz now. Nothing quite like an aggrieved supporter to create buzz is a sporting arena. And that dissatisfaction with the officials ramps up as their team is called for another forward pass. Sloppy by the Roosters.
Roosters 6-10 Titans – 50 mins: A roar goes up from the home crowd as Connor Watson strips Hayne of the ball, but they’re soon baying for blood as it’s deemed illegal. Penalty against him and those wearing tricolours in the stands are not happy.
Roosters 6-10 Titans – 46 mins: Is there an upset on the cards here? Mitchell Pearce said he wanted better from his team on his way into the sheds, but that’s the worst possible start after the restart. I guess we’ll see what the Roosters are made of now.
TRY! Anthony Don scores!
Roosters 6-10 Titans – 44 mins: Don, The Don, intercepts nearly on his own goal line and runs the entire length of the pitch to touch down under the posts! Cracking stuff from the Titans player and once Ashley Taylor has hoiked through the posts, the visitors lead for the first time this afternoon!
Don > Winx? 🤔#NRLRoostersTitans #NRL pic.twitter.com/N0iMTzA1Xd
— NRL (@NRL) September 2, 2017
Updated
Second half underway at Allianz
Roosters 6-4 Titans – 41 mins: Here we go again. Can the Roosters sort their act out this half and go on to secure victory and second place? We’ll know in about 40 minutes.
Winx wins 19th straight race
Horse racing: And she’s done it! Winx makes it 19 in a row! Was there ever any doubt? Well, perhaps – she still six lengths behind with 200m remaining and had to dig deep to overhaul Red Excitement over the last 100m. “I could see what was happening. At the top of the straight I was really worried. What she did today is just incredible.”
Winx has won her 19th race in a row. #Winx #7News pic.twitter.com/8SySuOedMd
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) September 2, 2017
“I could see what was happening,” says Hugh Bowman. “At the top of the straight I was really worried. What she did today is just incredible.”
Updated
Horse racing: Just down the road from Allianz, at Royal Randwick, super-horse Winx is about to go for her 19th straight win, in the Chelmsford Stakes. We’ll bring you the result of that race as soon as we have it.
Half-time: Roosters up by two at the break
Roosters 6-4 Titans – 40 mins: It’s all getting a bit scrappy as we head towards the end of the first half, but there won’t be any more score as the siren sounds and the players head into the sheds.
“Terrible.” That’s how Mitchell Pearce sums up the Roosters’ performance so far. “Plenty of work to do second half. We haven’t been good enough,” he says.
Stay tuned, back for the second half.
Roosters 6-4 Titans – 35 mins: The graphic on the telly tells us that Jake Friend is again leading tackles today. And I’ll supplement that with another stat: the Roosters have won 10 games by six points or less this year – the most in the club’s history.
Roosters 6-4 Titans – 33 mins: Cordner bursts onto a Pearce pass and races through under the posts, to the delight of the crowd, but wait, it’s called a forward pass from the touchline and the try is disallowed!
Roosters 6-4 Titans – 30 mins: Half an hour gone and it’s closer on the scoreboard than form and ladder position would have suggested pre-game. The Roosters are yet to get into gear.
Roosters 6-4 Titans – 27 mins: A flurry of action now as Greenwood strains every sinew in his body to get across the line but a posse of five red, white and blue shirts swoop on him and manage to repel him. Then Friend bursts clear for the Chooks, before being hauled down. He plays it quickly and the Roosters look dangerous momentarily. Nothing doing this time though.
Roosters 6-4 Titans – 25 mins: The Roosters are winning the tackle count so far – 114 to the Titans’ 76. A high bomb is fumbled by Don, under pressure from Mitchell, and Keary darts through to pick up the ball and touch down. But it won’t count – Mitchell is pulled up contact in the air, correctly so.
TRY! Leivaha Pulu scores!
Roosters 6-4 Titans – 22 mins: And the pressure does indeed tell as Hayne delivers the telling pass to Pulu, who barrels his way over the line! Taylor’s kick from the touchline... hits the post!
Hayne to Pulu!
— NRL (@NRL) September 2, 2017
The @GCTitans hit back. #NRLRoostersTitans #NRL pic.twitter.com/x50Jn2e4dg
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Roosters 6-0 Titans – 20 mins: The Titans inch towards the try-line but each time the Roosters’ defence holds firm. For now.
Roosters 6-0 Titans – 16 mins: There are those who will say that’s what the Bunker is for, but there are also those who will say “how on earth did Ben Cummins see that as a try in the first place?”. I have no answer to the second poser.
Roosters 6-0 Titans – 15 mins: Ooh! Close to a second for the Chooks. Oh hang on, the ref’s given it! He’s got a try! Ferguson leaps over Hayne and appears to knock the ball on before it’s touched down. At least that’s how it initially appeared. And yes, the replays show that to be the case and the “try” is chalked off.
Roosters 6-0 Titans – 13 mins: Keary heads off on a weaving run but his eventual pass is not caught cleanly by Mitchell and the move breaks down. Dangerman Keary’s looking good so far.
Roosters 6-0 Titans – 11 mins: Plenty of empty seats at Allianz today. Matt Cleary wrote well on the challenges facing the NRL with regards to dwindling attendances earlier this week:
TRY! Latrell Mitchell scores!
Roosters 6-0 Titans – 8 mins: that little period of increased pressure from the Chooks pays off as Mitchell gets on the end of a Luke Keary grubber to get the hosts on the scoreboard! The kick by Michael Gordon is good and we’re up and running at Allianz.
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Roosters 0-0 Titans – 6 mins: The Chooks now go on the front foot for the first time this match, but that man Hayne is there to scoop up a grubber kick through. He slips though and there’ll be a drop out. The Titans take it short, and it works out well for them!
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Roosters 0-0 Titans – 4 mins: A little poke of the toe by Hayne into the Roosters’ in-goal is nearly pounced upon by Zillman, but no dice this time for the Titans, who have started pretty well.
Roosters 0-0 Titans – 2 mins: Having said what a beautiful sunny day it was earlier, the stadium is now under cloud cover. Weather updates aren’t my forte, what can I say?
Underway at Allianz Stadium!
Roosters 0-0 Titans – 1 min: The Roosters are missing Dylan Napa and Aiden Guerra, both rested with an extended run into the finals envisaged, but still there’s an air of inevitability to this one, such has been the Titans’ woeful season.
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NRL: OK, over to Allianz, which I can tell you (because I’ve just been past there on a bus) is bathed in sunshine on the most glorious of spring Sydney days. It’s so gorgeous out there, it almost makes one wish to be down at the beach and not stuck in an office liveblogging NRL games. Almost, I said. Anyway, it’s that commentators’ cliche, “the perfect day for rugby league” and we’re just about ready to go.
Cricket: Of course, the second Test against Bangladesh is supposed to be starting on Monday in Chittagong, but there could be a snag – the rain. It’s forecast to tip it down (who decided to tour Bangladesh in monsoon season, anyway?) next week, meaning Steve Smith’s side might not get a chance to tie the series 1-1. Then again, what’s worse: a washout or a whitewash?
Tennis: Before we turn to the NRL, a quick update on the tennis over in NYC, where Ash Barty’s US Open campaign is over after she went down to Sloane Stephens in the third round in a rare error-strewn performance. Her exit leaves just John Millman to fly the Australian flag at Flushing Meadows. Millman remains on course to meet Roger Federer – he plays German Philipp Kohlschreiber on Sunday morning and if Federer can see off Feliciano Lopez, the pair will meet in the last 16.
Preamble
Hello and welcome one and all to a particularly NRL-heavy edition of sportwatch. With the AFL taking its customary pre-finals break, focus can fall on the great game of rugby league and the last round of the regular season. There’s still plenty of intrigue left – they don’t bill it as “Super Saturday” for nothing – with the final composition of the top eight to be determined.
First up in a beautifully sunny Sydney are the Roosters against the Titans at Allianz Stadium with the Chooks looking for the win that will take them back into second – and ensure they can play at home all the way to the grand final.
In the 5:30pm AEST kick-off, Manly take on Penrith in a must-win encounter – the Sea Eagles need to win to guarantee their place in the eight. Anything less and the Dragons could sneak into the finals if they win against the Bulldogs on Sunday.
And then this evening, it’s the minor premiers, Melbourne, against the Raiders, who are already looking forward to Monday’s frivoloties and a summer holiday. For the Storm, the game is likely to serve as a chance for their fans to congratulate the team, and for Cooper Cronk to continue his farewell tour.
And as an added bonus this evening, we’ll check in with the AFLW State of Origin game at Etihad Stadium which will feature some of the leading lights of the women’s game.
Please do get in touch throughout the day, either on email or via Twitter if brevity is more your thing. You can even wade in below the line. Anyway, we’re nearly ready to get things underway, so kick back, relax and enjoy the day.
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Mike will be here shortly. Since we’re in NRL mode, take the time to find out how Benny Barba fared on his Super League debut overnight in the UK:
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