Rugby League-NRL Round 18 Weekend Results

Raiders Spoil Dragons Party with 19-12 Win

SYDNEY-Canberra winger Adrian Purtell scored a double as the Raiders stunned St George Illawarra with a 19-12 NRL victory at WIN Stadium.

The Raiders gatecrashed what Dragons fans were hoping would be a club record equalling eighth successive win by racing to a 14-0 half time lead despite running into a stiff breeze.

They extended their lead to 18 points just two minutes after the break and it proved a match-winning buffer as Canberra ran out four tries to two victors in front of 14,040 fans.

Canberra halfback Todd Carney sealed the result with a 28m field goal in the 71st minute to push their advantage beyond two converted tries.

Dragons fullback Brett Morris added a consolation try in the final minute after superb lead up work by skipper Mark Gasnier.

It is just Canberra's third win from their last 16 away games and it ends the Dragons midseason surge of a seven match winning streak.

Purtell scored his two tries either side of half time and could have easily claimed a hat trick but was denied by video referee Graeme West who ruled his knee hit the ground simultaneously as he grounded the ball in the right corner in the 37th minute.

His first try came in the 24th minute when he carried Jason Nightingale and Josh Morris across the line for a 14-0 lead.

Then two minutes after the break he completed a superb piece of rebound play from the Raiders when fullback David Milne raced 40m after Ben Hornby's fumble to pass to forward Trevor Thurling who then drew two defenders to put Purtell into open space.

Canberra were in complete control until a controversial penalty by referee Tony De Las Heras against Todd Carney for walking off the mark to play the ball on his own 10m line gave the Dragons a sniff.

The red and whites seized the moment with Rangi Chase's grubber pounced on by Josh Morris in the 51st minute, although it was a benefit of the doubt try decision by the video referee as the ball appeared to contact Nightingale.

While the try seemed to swing the momentum to the home side, the Dragons could not convert any opportunities as the Raiders defence held strong.

It was an emphatic performance by the Raiders and it started early when winger Colin Best scored a brilliant solo try in the 13th minute.

Best got on the outside of Matt Cooper, sprinted around Mark Gasnier, then fended away Jamie Soward and beat covering fullback Brett Morris to complete a 70m try.

Five minutes later Dane Tilse barged his way over from 10m out after a superb offload from Glen Turner to extend Canberra's advantage out to 10-0 in the worst opening quarter of a game for the Dragons since round one.

_______________

Rabbits Make it Five in a Row

Rabbitohs players thank their fans. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

SYDNEY-South Sydney produced yet another exhilarating come back to maintain their fairytale NRL run with a 32-20 win over Parramatta at ANZ Stadium.

While they didn't have to retrieve the 18 and 24 points of the past two weeks they still managed to turnaround a 10-0 deficit to record their fifth win in a row.

Young halfback Chris Sandow, who has yet to taste defeat in a top grade game, was instrumental in four of the Rabbitohs' six tries as Souths extended their longest winning streak in 14 years.

He produced the final pass for two tries, was involved in the build up of another and also set up a fourth with a perfectly weighted kick.

The Eels crashed to their third loss in four games after making a terrific start.

Hooker Mark Riddell and winger Jarryd Hayne each crossed inside the first 15 minutes, as the Eels dominated possession and capitalised on a strong kicking game.

Souths started their revival in the 16th minute when centre Beau Champion crossed the line despite a slight doubt about the grounding.

Video referee Paul Simpkins then gave the benefit of the doubt in favour of Souths' other centre Jamie Simpson, who scored from a Sandow kick in the 30th minute.

The livewire halfback put Simpson over again five minutes before half time with a precise cut out pass.

Behind at halftime in six of their seven previous games, Souths proved they could win from in front after the break, despite Parramatta drawing level early in the second half.

Powerful Parramatta centre Krisnan Inu charged onto a pass from five-eighth Feleti Mateo and fullback Luke Burt converted to have the match at 16-all.

The Eels suffered a set back shortly after, when influential playmaker Mateo left the field for 10 minutes with a strained medial ligament.

Souths took control of the game, with Shannan McPherson restoring the Rabbitohs' lead when he charged over from a Beau Falloon pass.

With Parramatta running out of interchanges, the resurgent Rabbitohs quickly built a match winning margin.

Veteran winger Shannon Hegarty crossed in the left hand corner and Sandow set up a try to hooker Issac Luke to put Souths beyond reach.

Inu scored his second try shortly before the end, but it was little consolation for the well beaten Eels.

____________

Bulldogs Upset Broncos

Brent Crisp of the Bulldogs and Karmichael Hunt of the Broncos compete for the ball. (Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

BRISBANE-The Bulldogs snapped a five-game losing streak and ruined Darren Lockyer's comeback with a 26-18 upset NRL win at Suncorp Stadium.

Brisbane fought back from 20-8 down to trail 20-18 before Bulldogs winger Heka Nanai dived over in the lefthand corner for the match-winning try in the 77th minute.

Hazem El Masri landed a wonderful sideline conversion to guarantee the Bulldogs a much needed two NRL points.

The game was locked up at 8-8 at halftime and the second 40 minutes took the game from an average affair to an exciting one.

The Bulldogs victory continued an amazing weekend of upsets which started on Friday night when the Gold Coast shocked the ladder-leading Roosters.

The good news for Brisbane was that Lockyer appeared to come through his comeback game without any apparent problems with his right knee.

Brisbane utility Nick Emmett however was taken to hospital with a suspected dislocated ankle.

______________

NRL Collated Results and Standings-Round 18

Newcastle Knights 20 – Penrith Panthers 18

NEWCASTLE 30 (C Houston 2 C Bailey K Gidley D Tolar tries K Gidley 5 goals) bt PENRITH 18 (T Waterhouse 2 B Tighe tries L Coote 3 goals) at CUA Stadium. Referee: G Badger. Crowd: 10,029.

Gold Coast Titans 32 – Sydney Roosters 28

GOLD COAST 32 (B Jeffery 2 J Rapana 2 J Graham M Rogers tries M Rogers 4 goals) bt SYDNEY ROOSTERS 28 (B Anasta M Aubusson W Mason A Roberts S Sa tries C Fitzgibbon 4 goals) at Sydney Football Stdm. Referee: B Cummins. Crowd: 10,762.

New Zealand Warrior 24 – North Queensland Cowboys 14

NZ WARRIORS 24 (S Fai A Kirk M Luck S Mannering J Ropati tries L Hohaia 2 goals) bt NORTH QUEENSLAND 14 (J Williams 2 A Graham tries J Thurston goal) at Mt Smart Stadium. Referee: S Hampstead. Crowd: 7,722.

Manly Sea Eagles 34 – Cronulla Sharks 6

MANLY 34 (G Stewart 2 M Ballin J Perry M Robertson B Stewart tries M Orford 3 J Lyon 2 goals) bt CRONULLA 6 (P Gallen try L Covell goal) at Toyota Park. Referee: J Robinson. Crowd: 18,217.

South Sydney 32 – Parramatta Eels 20

SOUTH SYDNEY 32 (J Simpson 2 B Champion S Hegarty I Luke S McPherson tries I Luke 3 C Sandow goals) bt PARRAMATTA 20 (K Inu 2 J Hayne M Riddell tries L Burt 2 goals) at ANZ Stadium. Referee: M Cecchin. Crowd: 17,897.

Canberra Raiders 19 – St George Illawarra Dragons 12

CANBERRA 19 (A Purtell 2 C Best D Tilse tries T Carney goal T Carney field goal) bt ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA 12 (B Morris J Morris tries J Soward 2 goals) at WIN Stadium. Referee: T De Las Heras. Crowd: 14,040.

Sydney Bulldogs 26 – Brisbane Broncos 18

BULLDOGS 26 (D Holdsworth H Nanai A Taumata S Williams tries H El Masri 5 goals) bt BRISBANE 18 (M Ennis S Thaiday P Wallace tries M Ennis 3 goals) at Suncorp Stadium. Referee: T Archer. Crowd: 37,683.

Playing Monday, Melbourne Storm v Wests Tigers