SYDNEY - Newcastle squeezed to the top of the National Rugby League but needed a controversial last-gasp try from returning second-rower Ben Kennedy to pip little-fancied Penrith 32-30 in a 12-try thriller yesterday.
The Panthers were holding the defending champions at bay at Penrith Stadium until Kennedy scooted over handy to
the posts to level the scores at 30-30.
There was an element of doubt about the score, with Penrith claiming Ryan Girdler had been obstructed in the match-clinching play. But their appeals were in vain.
Andrew Johns made no mistake with the handy conversion.
The Knights' win lifted them to 38 points, while the Warriors suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season when the Northern Eagles upset them 18-16 yesterday at Brookvale.
The Warriors need to beat the Wests Tigers at home next weekend and hope Newcastle and Brisbane - both on 37 - fall to St George-Illawarra and the Bulldogs respectively to steal the minor premiership.
Brad Fittler's Roosters continued their late-season resurgence with an impressive 26-10 defeat of St George, after their 44-0 drubbing of the Warriors last weekend. They led 20-0 at halftime and will play the Sharks next weekend to decide fourth spot - and who gains home advantage for the playoffs.
The Broncos briefly claimed the outright lead on Saturday when they ended a three-match losing streak to swamp Canberra 36-2 at ANZ Stadium.
With halfback Allan Langer returning from a broken thumb, the Broncos were never in doubt, outscoring the Raiders six tries to none before a crowd of 22,502.
Fullback Darren Lockyer became the club's leading points scorer on 745, overtaking Terry Matterson's 744.
The Bulldogs would have been crowned minor premiers on Friday night had their salary cap rort not been uncovered, stripping them of 37 competition points and dropping them to last.
The embattled club gave their supporters some cheer when they fought back from a 12-16 deficit with 20 minutes remaining to overhaul the Melbourne Storm 24-16 at the Sydney Showgrounds.
Kiwis centre Willie Talau and halfback Brent Sherwin completed the comeback with tries in the 65th and 76th minutes respectively.
Melbourne need to beat the Raiders in Canberra for the first time in their history next weekend if they are to be assured of making the playoffs.
Last year's beaten finalists, Parramatta, cemented their place in the top eight but needed tries from two rookies to spare their blushes against a committed Wests Tigers outfit at Parramatta Stadium.
The sixth-placed Eels were comfortably leading 24-12 early in the second half, but two converted tries in a matter of minutes locked the scores at 24-24 entering the final quarter.
Matt Petersen, the club's rookie of the year, scored a disputed try in the 62nd minute to edge the Eels in front before Ashley Graham sealed the victory three minutes later.
Meanwhile, South Sydney could not give retiring captain Adam Muir a fitting farewell. The Rabbitohs were cruelly denied by a last-minute try to his counterpart Paul Bowman as fellow strugglers North Queensland piled on 20 unanswered points to win a cliffhanger 36-34 at Aussie Stadium.
- NZPA
SYDNEY - Newcastle squeezed to the top of the National Rugby League but needed a controversial last-gasp try from returning second-rower Ben Kennedy to pip little-fancied Penrith 32-30 in a 12-try thriller yesterday.
The Panthers were holding the defending champions at bay at Penrith Stadium until Kennedy scooted over handy to
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