NRL Saturday match report: Api Koroisau stars as Penrith beat Roosters 20-14
Penrith surged home to stun the back-to-back premiers and cap an action-packed Super Saturday. Check out all the reaction from players and coaches and everything you need to know from the NRL triple-header.
Knights
Don't miss out on the headlines from Knights. Followed categories will be added to My News.
TIPS.COM.AU: Over $2 million in prizes to be won
The first Super Saturday of 2020 delivered in style with a terrific triple-header capped by the Panthers surging to an upset win over the reigning premiers.
We’ve got analysis, reaction from players and coaches and everything you need to know about all three encounters — read on.
* Penrith 20 Sydney Roosters 14: Read the full report
* South Sydney 22 Cronulla 18: Read the full report
* Newcastle 20 New Zealand 0: Read the full report
PANTHERS POUNCE TO STUN ROOSTERS
By Michael Carayannis
The Panthers’ remarkable come from behind win was only matched by the return of Viliame Kikau who shrugged off what looked to have been a serious injury to score the matchwinning try and beat Sydney Roosters 20-14.
Penrith caused the season’s first boilover by scoring two second half tries in seven minutes to halt the defending premiers. The Roosters started strongly racing to a 12-0 through tries to Mitch Aubusson and Sio Siua Taukeiaho.
Watch the 2020 NRL Telstra Premiership on KAYO. Every game of every round LIVE & Ad-Break Free during play. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
When Kikau, who started the match from the interchange bench, came from the field after just seven minutes in his stint late in the first half, the Panthers looked destined for a long night.
But the damaging back-rower returned after halftime to crash over for the match winning try with 11 minutes remaining.
“I was trying to pass the ball with my left hand and I felt a big stinger there,” Kikau said. “I couldn’t pass the ball. I felt a had a proper shoulder injury.
“I went back into the sheds and it got all checked out. I got my range back surprisingly.
“The boys hung in there. At halftime the coaches said don’t worry about the points and just to complete our sets.”
The Panthers trailed 12-6 at halftime in front of 10160 people.
MANSOUR HEROICS
After a disastrous last season, former Kangaroos winger Josh Mansour was back to his best helping lay on a game-changing second half try. After making a line-break, Mansour kicked inside to Stephen Crichton in what was his touch of the ball.
“I knew they had me covered in the middle,” Mansour said. “I looked on my inside and I saw Crichton. He is a massive body so he is easy to spot. I thought I would try my luck. We were down on the scoreboard so I was lucky to pull it off.
“Last year was such a disappointing year.”
Jarmoe Luai laid on the Panthers first try with some clever vision. Noticing James Tedesco was defending in the line, Luai put on an early tackle grubber with Brent Naden pouncing on the ball in the in-goal to score.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said “it took us a while to get mentally in the game”.
RUSTY ROOSTERS
The Roosters started the match showing why they are the current two-time premiers.
No player had bigger shoes to fill than Kyle Flanagan who was replacing retired legend Cooper Cronk. He put on the first try with cross-field kick which was pounced on by veteran Aubusson after five minutes. Their second try came from a Jake Friend grubber for Taukeiaho catching Caleb Aekins out after he defended on the short blind side. But the Roosters timing was off at crucial times.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson was critical of his team’s last play options.
“We started really well,” Robinson said. “We looked like us. We had a good start to the game and then just at the end the starting guys fell away a little bit but held their gloves up enough. We didn’t nail it going into halftime.
“We didn’t have one good end of set. We weren’t attacking great for the most part of the game.
“That eventually costs you. I didn’t expect to win by big margins early on but I would’ve liked it to be 14-8.”
PENRITH 20 (S Crichton V Kikau B Naden tries N Cleary 4 goals) bt SYDNEY ROOSTERS 14 (M Aubusson S Taukeiaho tries K Flanagan 3 goals) at Panthers Stadium. Referee: Chris Butler, Adam Gee. Crowd: 10,160.
REYNOLDS ON FIRE AS RABBITOHS CAPTAIN
By Martin Gabor
It was a perfect start for new Rabbitohs skipper Adam Reynolds as Latrell Mitchell failed to fire in his first NRL outing in South Sydney colours at an eerily sombre ANZ Stadium.
Heavy rain before kick-off didn’t help the situation as coronavirus fears meant just 6235 fans rocked up for what could be their last game in weeks as NRL officials continue to work their way through the ever-evolving pandemic.
Mitchell, a high-profile transfer from the Roosters in the off-season, managed just 43 metres in the first half – most of them coming from one bustling kick-return – and came off after 56 minutes as his unheralded forwards dominated their more-fancied rivals upfront to hold on for a 22-18 win over the Sharks
Reynolds burrowed over for the first try of the night as part of an impressive 14-point personal haul.
The former Rooster managed just 43 metres in the first half – most of them coming from one bustling kick-return – and came off after 56 minutes as his unheralded forwards dominated their more-fancied rivals upfront.
Sharks counterpart Wade Graham wasn’t going to be outdone and hit back late in the first half several plays after South Sydney centre James Roberts was sent to the sin bin for a professional foul.
But the numerical advantage amounted to nothing when Campbell Graham crossed with the final play of the first half moments after Cody Walker had procured a repeat set with a majestic kick form near halfway.
The five-eighth showed his class eight minutes into the second half when his deflected grubber sat up perfectly for Ethan Lowe to score what looked to be the sealer, only for the Sharks to find their bite.
Shaun Johnson came up with his second try assist of the evening when he unleashed Sione Katoa with a cut-out pass and the right winger made it two in as many minutes when he spectacularly touched down courtesy of some brilliant lead-up work from Will Kennedy.
The Sharks dominated the final 10 minutes on the back of a lopsided penalty count and looked to have levelled things up in the final minute when Josh Morris crossed, only for Connor Tracey’s pass to be correctly ruled forward.
MITCHELL FAILS TO FINISH
The only way is up for Latrell Mitchell following a quiet start to life as a Bunny. While he took his first bomb, the 22-year-old failed to inject himself into the contest in conditions that didn’t suit his explosive style. It took 21 minutes for him to register a run but it was worth the wait as he busted a couple of tackles to make 23 metres. But that was followed by a poor kick early in the set that went dead and a dropped ball as he returned a kick. He did manage to force a line dropout in the second half but that was as good as it got as he was replaced by Alex Johnston after 56 minutes.
SHARKS SHOW SIGNS OF LIFE
It was a performance that was more Jaws 3 than the epic original for 60 minutes, but a late flurry suggests they can trouble some teams in 2020. Their first try came against 12 men as their forwards were totally outplayed, preventing their backs from asking any questions for the first hour. But some Shaun Johnson class and Sione Katoa’s magic kept them in the hunt as they showed plenty of fighting spirit heading into next week’s crunch game against the Storm.
PROPS TO THE BIG MEN
The biggest query for South Sydney heading into the season was whether their forwards would stand up without Sam and George Burgess, as well as veteran John Sutton. It took just 25 minutes for the fears to be quashed as Junior Tatola (144 metres) and Tom Burgess (100) destroyed a Sharks pack filled with rep stars in a dominant first-half display. Cam Murray, meanwhile, played on the left edge, at lock and right centre to confirm his status as one of the most versatile players in the game.
SOUTH SYDNEY 22 (C Graham E Lowe A Reynolds tries A Reynolds 5 goals) bt CRONULLA 18 (S Katoa 2 W Graham tries S Johnson 3 goals) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: Ben Cummins, Belinda Sharpe. Crowd: 6,235.
KNIGHTS BLITZ DREADFUL WARRIORS IN SHUT-OUT
By Nick Campton
The weather was bad, the Warriors were worse, but the Knights won’t care after they opened the Adam O’Brien era with a 20-0 victory in the Hunter.
Tries to Edrick Lee, Daniel Saifiti and Kalyn Ponga delivered the win for the Knights, but O’Brien will be more pleased at the Warriors being held to nil given this marks Newcastle’s first shut-out since Round 4, 2014.
Newcastle will face stiffer competition as the year goes on, but the 10,239 fans who braved the cold and blustery conditions will go home hopeful O’Brien’s debut win as coach is a preview of things to come.
BIG FELLAS DO THE JOB
It’s still early days under O’Brien, and the Warriors offered scant resistance, but the signs were promising for the Knights. They adapted to the rainy conditions far better than the Warriors, favouring direct play up the middle off the back of new dummy half Jayden Brailey. It wasn’t pretty, but when it’s Round 1 and howling a gale in the pouring, pretty doesn’t do the job.
The fact Newcastle could win a game like this says plenty in itself. David Klemmer played a lone hand at times upfront in 2019, but the Saifiti twins asserted their dominance in the middle throughout the match and Daniel opened the scoring with a rampaging effort close to the line.
The 23-year old may have made his Origin debut last year but he is still just scratching the surface of his talents – one day doesn’t make a summer, but it was an excellent start from Saifiti. Twin brother Jacob has endured a wretched time with injury in recent years but this was one of the best performances of his career - he finished with 108 runs from 14 carries, second only to Klemmer.
FOOTY TIPS! Join Australia’s best footy tipping competition for your chance to win big. Add our experts to your league and join now at TIPS.COM.AU.
PLAYMAKERS PUT IT TOGETHER
There was one sparkling moment from the Knights when Kalyn Ponga latched onto a fine Mitchell Pearce kick to score midway through the second half, finishing off a sharp attacking movement that began with a break by five-eighth Kurt Mann.
Ponga and Pearce’s quality is well-known, and the latter was the most dominant player on the field, but the Knights cannot rely on their two stars to carry them every week. It’s important for Mann to be a regular contributor in attack, and the 27-year old had a very tidy match – he also threw the final pass for Edrick Lee’s try in the first half.
Brailey, who joined the club from Cronulla, is not a flashy player and his attacking instincts are still developing, but his service from dummy half was sharp and at the very least he’ll bring some stability to what has been a problematic position for the Novocastrians.
SAME OLD STORY FOR WARRIORS
The entire afternoon was disastrous for the Warriors. Some appalling discipline early on put them on the back foot – the New Zealanders conceded eight penalties in the first 20 minutes alone and they simply aren’t strong enough defensively to survive such self-inflicted wounds. Only the conditions, and Newcastle’s lack of attacking cohesion, stopped the scoreline from getting totally out of control.
Beyond that, the Warriors played with little imagination or verve in attack. Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was more involved in the attacking quarter, often jumping in at first receiver, but he lacked support. Blake Green and Chanel Harris-Tavita offered little in attack, with Harris-Tavita enduring a torrid time amid constant and heavy pressure from Knights backrower Mitch Barnett.
The Warriors did get one thing right – with 20 minutes to go, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck executed the first successful captain’s challenge in NRL history after he contested a knock on ruling. That’s one for the trivia nights.
NEWCASTLE 20 (E Lee K Ponga D Saifiti tries K Ponga 4 goals) bt NZ WARRIORS 0 at McDonald Jones Stadium. Referee: Henry Perenara, Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski. Crowd: 10,239.