League: Weekend NRL wrap

A last-gasp field goal from half-back Matt Orford saw Manly snatch a 23-22 victory over Parramatta in their round eight National Rugby League (NRL) clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday.

Down 16-0 after 37 minutes, the Sea Eagles staged a miraculous comeback, starting with a two-try burst on the stroke of half-time.

The Eels had the chance to force the match into a golden-point scenario, but half-back Tim Smith was wayward with his field goal attempts.

The Sea Eagles enjoyed a mountain of possession in the second half and finished with four tries compared to Parramatta's three.

The win was Manly's fifth of the season, while the Eels slumped to their fifth loss.

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The Newcastle Knights survived a South Sydney fight-back to win their clash 24-18 at Sydney's Olympic stadium yesterday afternoon.

A try to Newcastle hooker Danny Buderus in the 78th minute proved the difference between the two sides, while Andrew Johns was again on target with the boot for the Knights, kicking four from four.

The Rabbitohs ensured the match would go down to the wire when full-back Nathan Merritt converted an Adam MacDougall try from the sidelines to level the scores at 18-18 with six minutes left on the clock.

Buderus' effort should have sealed the match for the Knights but the Rabbitohs mounted one last challenge, and only some desperate Newcastle defence saw MacDougall tackled just short of the line in the final 60 seconds of the match.

The victory saw the Knights move to fourth on the NRL ladder with 10 points, while the Rabbitohs remain on the bottom of the ladder without a win this season.

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The Brisbane Broncos came from 18 points down at half-time to defeat the Canberra Raiders 30-28 at Lang Park in Brisbane on Saturday night.

The Raiders had the home side's measure in the first half, scoring three unanswered tries, but the Broncos ran in four consecutive tries in 12 minutes in the second half to take the lead.

The Raiders stopped the rot with two more tries of their own, edging ahead through the efforts of captain Clinton Schifcofske.

But a converted try to Justin Hodges, playing his 100th NRL game, in the 68th minute put the Broncos back in front and the home side held on for victory.

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The Melbourne Storm defeated the St George Illawarra Dragons 24-10 at Olympic Park in Melbourne on Saturday night.

It was Melbourne's third straight win and fifth of the season, while the Dragons have now lost as many games as they have won.

The Dragons snared the early lead with a try to winger Colin Best but the Storm responded with three of their own.

Steve Turner kick-started Melbourne's fight-back when he flew high above the pack before crashing down to score in the 28th minute.

Jake Webster (38th and 40th minute) then snared two tries in quick succession to give the home side a 10-point advantage at the break.

Webster's double proved to be the turning point with the Storm moving further ahead courtesy of two penalty goals after the break.

The game looked all but over when Ian Donnelly crashed over after pouncing on the scraps of a high ball from Storm five-eighth Scott Hill.

The Dragons replied with a try to Reece Simmonds in the 76th minute, which Aaron Gorrell converted, but it was little more than a consolation prize.

The Storm will now look ahead to their round nine clash against the Rabbitohs in Sydney, while the Dragons will attempt to redeem themselves against Cronulla at Shark Park next weekend.

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The Sydney Roosters upset the North Queensland Cowboys 22-18 in a mistake-ridden performance by the home side in Townsville on Saturday night.

The Roosters took advantage of the Cowboys' off night, running in four tries to the home side's three.

The Roosters went into the match having lost their past two games. For the Cowboys, it was their second loss of the season following their defeat at the hands of the Sharks in round seven.

The Cowboys started the match flat and never looked like taking control as the Roosters opened up a 10-0 lead midway through the first half.

The visitors notched their first points in the ninth minute when winger Sam Perrett crashed over out wide.

Anasta started the movement by standing in a tackle and offloading to full-back Amos Roberts, who in turn found Perrett.

Roberts claimed the Roosters' second try, capitalising on a series of mistakes from Cowboys full-back Matt Bowen.

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Cronulla's early-season renaissance continued with a 40-12 victory over Penrith in the round's opening match on Friday night.

The impressive win follows the Sharks' victory over competition leaders North Queensland last Saturday night, confirming their season is back on track after a nervous start to 2006.

The Sharks scored seven tries against Penrith with wingers Luke Covell and Darren Albert both recording doubles. Paul Gallen, Luke Douglas and Adam Dykes also crossed for tries while Covell kicked six conversions.

The win could come at a cost for Cronulla, however, with its outstanding prop Ben Ross suffering a serious knee injury.

Ross, playing his former club for the first time, left the field in the opening half with suspected cruciate ligament damage and initial assessments suggest he could be ruled out for the remainder of the season.

The Panthers were kept scoreless in the second period after trailing 12-22 at half-time.

Cronulla will now host St George Illawarra in round nine while the Panthers face the difficult task of meeting the Cowboys in Townsville.

- RADIO AUSTRALIA