That’s what i find disheartening. I thought the Wests Group were more professional than this.
Another crazy day of footy!
Firstly, for the third game in a row this weekend, a team lets a big lead slip to get run down from behind… with the Bulldogs coming back from 20-0 against the Raiders at a sold out Canberra Stadium to win 32-20.
The Warriors almost suffered a similar fate, leading 14-0 before the Dragons levelled things up in the 2nd half, only for the Kiwis to kick a 69th minute field goal to take the lead and hold on for a 15-14 win.
And last but not least, the first draw of the year, the Cowboys and Panthers sharing the points after Golden Point could not break a 30-30 deadlock at the end of regulation time. The Cowboys came back twice, trailing 18-6 in the first half, and then behind 30-18 late in the 2nd half.
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Yvonne Sampson has just pointed out that was the Cowboys’ first drawn match since 2004 (20-all vs Souths in Gosford - that match came 24 hours after the first televised match of golden point saw the Knights beat the Broncos 17-16 at Suncorp Stadium).
That season, there were only two draws, the other also involved Souths, when they drew 34-all vs the Broncos at the old SFS.
In the 2005 season, there was only one draw - and yet again it involved Souths, when they drew 21-all against the reigning premiers Bulldogs at Engie Stadium.
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The Raiders v Bulldogs match attracted a crowd of over 23,000, the biggest attendance for a first grade rugby league match at Canberra Stadium for 30 years.
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There have been some excellent games this year and it’s got me interested again, especially since there’s no cricket at the moment.***
It’s a pity Les Dragoons couldn’t quite carry on the ‘coming home with a shredded sail’ theme of this round. Gut wrenching to watch the Raiders blow a 20-0 lead. Les Dragoons were rank underdogs of course; they generally play much better at WIN Stadium than Kogarah.
Good to see an old fashioned draw as well.
***I don’t watch the IPL in any event, so the current suspension matters nought.
It’s been the theme of the weekend!
I see right now, it’s Storm 34, Tigers 0 at half time.. will we see another team let a big half time lead slip? I think not (not this game anyway).
Tigers just never looked like scoring. Proud of my boys for actually playing more than 25 minutes of footy this week
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In the end, Melbourne Storm defeated Wests Tigers 64-0.
Not the first time the Storm have beaten the Tigers by that scoreline in Melbourne - they also did so in round 18, 2001 at (what was then known as) Colonial Stadium, now known as Marvel Stadium.
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Okay i never knew that. I don’t think it would have worked. For a Newcastle team to take off it would have had to be all in. Don’t know what Lee Maughan’s thoughts on that idea were. Cause he was cooking up the idea of a Newcastle team joining the NSWRL as far back as 1977
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Ryan Papenhuyzen scored 36 points, the most ever by a Storm player in a game, eclipsing the record set by Matt Geyer in 1999. He also scored four tries in a game for the third time in his career.
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Matt 
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Don’t forget the original Newcastle NSWRL team from 1908-09.
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His haul alone was more than what every other team scored over the weekend; it was even more than what the rest of the Storm team scored (28 points).
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I’ll take a look at it. Pretty sure that book is out if print but i have found a couple if copies on eBay
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Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has put himself in the running for the head coaching job at the NRL’s latest expansion franchise the Perth Bears.
Brad Arthur is reportedly the favourite to be the inaugural coach of the Bears in 2027, but Meninga has thrown his hat in the ring.
Daily Telegraph journalist Brent Read confirmed Meninga is keen to coach the Bears in their inaugural season in 2027.
“We’re all wondering who’s going to coach the Perth Bears, we’ve heard Brad Arthur, we’ve heard Sam Burgess, well I can tell you Mal Meninga has thrown his hat in the ring to coach the Perth Bears,” Read said on NRL 360.
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I got my copy when a bookstore on the Hunter Street Mall were clearing copies out for $2 when I was a kid. Had a spare $2…
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Las Vegas 2026 line-up revealed as NRL, Super League sides confirmed.
Rugby league will return to Allegiant Stadium on March 1 next year with six club sides from around the world taking to the field in what is fast becoming one of the biggest events on the sport’s calendar.
And Code Sports have now confirmed that it will be Canterbury Bulldogs, St George-Illawarra Dragons, Newcastle Knights and the North Queensland Cowboys who have been given the green light to make the trip.
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