Tigers surprise Dragons as Warriors and Roosters post victories
The Tigers upset the Dragons 20-16 and the Warriors celebrate a 26-6 triumph over the Broncos, as the Roosters move into the top four with a 20-12 victory away to the Titans.
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Farah, Marshall star in Tigers' defeat of Dragons
Robbie Farah and Benji Marshall have turned back the clock to deliver the Wests Tigers' a 20-16 upset win in a cliffhanger against St George Illawarra.
Playing their first game together in 1,772 days, Farah set up all three of his team's tries while Marshall pulled off a number of key plays in both attack and defence at Jubilee Oval.
The win ensures the Tigers remain in 10th spot, four points adrift of eighth-placed Brisbane, with seven games remaining in the season.
The Tigers were leading by six when Farah sold Tim Lafai a dummy and then grubber kicked astutely for winger David Nofaoluma in the 59th minute.
External Link: Dragons v Wests Tigers summary
The Dragons then looked buried when Gareth Widdop's line dropout sailed out on the full to gift the visitors an extra two points with 14 minutes remaining.
But a Widdop try off a Ben Hunt chip kick spurred the home crowd to life, and a comeback loomed when Matt Dufty zoomed over from a Luciano Leilua pass in the 75th minute.
The visitors, however, held on to send the Dragons, who had all five of their State of Origin stars backing up, to back-to-back defeats for the first time this year.
External Link: Dragons v Wests Tigers chalkboard
They have also dropped to a season-low third spot on the ladder.
The Tigers looked likely early, and cashed in on field position when Farah feigned a kick only to send Luke Brooks through for first points in his 100th match.
The Dragons replied through the neat stepping of Hunt, however that was how the score remained in a tightly contested first half where they lost Nene Macdonald to a foot injury.
External Link: Dragons v Wests Tigers stats
Marshall, in his first game back from a calf injury, was also denied a highlight by a dubious forward pass ruling in the opening 40 minutes.
Instead it was the 33-year-old Farah who produced all the magic plays, including a well-timed inside ball for Moses Mbye to put Corey Thompson over soon after the break.
The win may have come at a cost, however, with co-captain Chris Lawrence failing to finish the match due to a hamstring injury.
Warriors hammer hapless Broncos
For the first time in five years the Warriors have defeated Brisbane at Lang Park, keeping their top four hopes alive with a 26-6 victory on Sunday.
A week after the Broncos looked to have locked up a finals spot, they are now precariously placed at eighth with a -26 point deficit after the Warriors snapped the hosts' three-game winning run.
The Warriors ended their own worrying two game losing slide with the five-tries-to-one rout in front of 37,493 largely shell-shocked fans that looks set to move them to seventh.
Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett seemed poised to savour career victory number 500 on Sunday after the Broncos won five of their last six matches and with the top four seemingly in their sights.
And the Warriors looked vulnerable at a venue where they had not won since 2013 after a 36-4 last round thumping from Penrith.
External Link: Broncos v Warrors summary
Yet Brisbane had no answer for the powerful Warriors with hulking prop Agnatius Paasi leading the way.
Half-back Shaun Johnson and hooker Issac Luke ran amok as centre Solomone Kata crossed for a double in a nightmare afternoon for Brisbane winger Jamayne Isaako.
Remarkably the Warriors now have the best away record in the competition, winning seven from nine.
Brisbane was behind the pace from the outset, losing New South Wales centre James Roberts (Achilles) and forward Tevita Pangai (hamstring).
External Link: Broncos v Warriors chalkboard
But nothing could quite prepare Brisbane for the Warriors assault to come.
Johnson had a hand in tries to Kata (seventh minute) and winger Gerard Beale (26th) before Luke did it all himself with a solo dummy half effort in the 36th as the visitors grabbed a 16-0 half-time buffer.
Kata bagged his second by the 50th before Paasi bulldozed his way over five minutes later to put the result beyond doubt.
External Link: Broncos v Warriors stats
Brisbane was denied tries to Corey Oates (fifth) and captain Darius Boyd (46th) before hooker Andrew McCullough finally got the hosts on the board in the final five minutes.
Both McCullough and the Warriors' Chris Satae were binned in the 33rd minute.
Satae raised his arm while he was being tackled, hitting McCullough in the throat and prompting punches from the hooker.
In another concern for Bennett, back rower Jaydn Su'A limped off in the 44th minute with a suspected knee injury.
Rookies star for Roosters in victory over Titans
The Sydney Roosters have improved to fourth on the ladder thanks to a scrappy win on the Gold Coast that featured four first-time NRL try scorers and one of the most head-scratching decisions of the season.
Despite missing seven of their stars, the Roosters prevailed 20-12 against the Titans on Sunday night in a game that will be remembered for a controversial try to debutant half-back Sean O'Sullivan.
The Roosters took a 14-6 lead when the 19-year-old was awarded a try despite the teenager thinking he had blown it with at least one knock-on.
Crossing the line, the half-back had the ball stripped by Jarrod Wallace before he twice slapped the ball into the post as he fell.
External Link: Titans v Roosters summary
O'Sullivan's second touch rolled the ball down the post and onto the ground, before he forlornly put his hand on it and indicated he had knocked on.
But the try was surprisingly upheld on review, lighting a fire on social media and leaving the 10,074 spectators perplexed.
Rubbing salt into the wounds, the Roosters were next to score after the break – Poasa Faamausili joining the list of debutant try scorers – from what appeared to be a forward pass.
Luke Keary was put in the sin-bin for tackling Ashley Taylor without the ball and Jarrod Wallace subsequently scored to give the hosts a sniff with 19 minutes remaining.
External Link: Titans v Roosters chalkboard
The Queensland State of Origin forward looked to have his second soon after – a try that would have reduced the margin to two – only to have it knocked back due to an obstruction.
That was their last roll of the dice as the officials were booed from the ground at full-time.
Earlier, fellow Roosters debutant Paul Momirovoski opened the scoring when he cut back inside Brenko Lee, before Titan Moeaki Fotuaika joined the club with his first NRL try.
External Link: Titans v Roosters stats
The Roosters' State of Origin representatives James Tedesco, Dylan Napa, Boyd Cordner and Latrell Mitchell were all left out.
Cooper Cronk stayed in Sydney awaiting the birth of his first child, Victor Radley served a suspension and Mitchell Aubusson (hamstring) was also a late scratching.
The Titans were missing Dale Copley (knee) and Keegan Hipgrave (concussion) from last week's squad, while Origin forward Jai Arrow (corked knee) ensured the casualty ward was at capacity.
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