Around the Grounds: Round 12

Author: Dan Talintyre
Timestamp: Sun 2 Aug 2020, 09:11 PM

Penrith, Parramatta and Melbourne all continued their ascendency on top of the Telstra Premiership ladder in Round 12 but it could come at a cost for the latter with captain Cameron Smith going down injured.

Smith's shoulder injury wasn't enough to stop the Storm doing the job over a similarly injury-hit Newcastle on Sunday, but will likely sideline the 36-year-old for a couple of weeks.

Cronulla's dramatic late win over Brisbane saw the Sharks climb to sixth on the ladder, while South Sydney, Canberra and the Roosters all eeked out gritty wins despite not being at their blistering best.

It was a tough result for Wests Tigers on Friday night as their shock loss to the New Zealand Warriors saw them miss an opportunity to climb in to the top eight, while Manly also fell away from the top half in their heavy defeat to the Panthers.

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ROUND 12 RESULTS

South Sydney Rabbitohs 32 def. St. George-Illawarra Dragons 24
New Zealand Warriors 26 def. Wests Tigers 20
Cronulla Sharks 36 def. Brisbane Broncos 26
Sydney Roosters 18 def. Gold Coast Titans 12
Canberra Raiders 14 def. North Queensland Cowboys 12
Penrith Panthers 42 def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 12
Parramatta Eels 18 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 16
Melbourne Storm 26 def. Newcastle Knights 16

JUDICIARY CHARGES

South Sydney forward Jaydn Su'a will miss one week after being charged with a Grade 1 Dangerous Contact - Other offence, while three New Zealand Warriors players were charged in their win over Wests Tigers.

Adam Blair, Eliesa Katoa and Peta Hiku were all cited by the Match Review Committee, but all are free to play next week with early guilty pleas.

Sharks rookie Jackson Ferris will also miss Round 13 after he was hit with a Grade 1 Shoulder Charge, while no charges were laid for the remainder of the round.

Read the full Round 12 Judiciary Report here.

LATEST INJURY NEWS

Smith's shoulder injury was the major talking point from Round 12, but there also injuries for playmakers Adam Reynolds, Jahrome Hughes and Dylan Walker that will be heavily monitored by their respective clubs throughout the week.

Adam Reynolds, SOU (shoulder)
Euan Aitken, SGI (hamstring)
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, SYD (calf)
John Asiata, NQL (knee)
Dylan Walker, MAN (foot)
Brad Parker, MAN (concussion)
Curtis Sironen, MAN (knee)
Charlie Staines, PEN (hamstring)
Marata Niukore, PAR (concussion)
Cameron Smith, MEL (shoulder)
Jahrome Hughes, MEL (leg)

ROUND 13 FIXTURES

Thursday, August 6

7:50pm — St. George-Illawarra Dragons (11th) vs. Sydney Roosters (4th)

Friday, August 7

6:00pm — Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (9th) vs. New Zealand Warriors (12th)
7:55pm — South Sydney Rabbitohs (8th) vs. Brisbane Broncos (15th)

Saturday, August 8

3:00pm — Melbourne Storm (2nd) vs. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (16th)
5:30pm — Newcastle Knights (7th) vs. Wests Tigers (10th)
7:35pm — Penrith Panthers (1st) vs. Canberra Raiders (5th)