Western Suburbs Magpies have extended their winning run to eight in a row with a 36-22 win over Canberra Raiders at Lidcombe Oval.
Boosted by the return of a number of NRL players, Ben Gardiner's side led from start to finish to cap off a good day at Lidcombe Oval for Western Suburbs and Wests Tigers, which saw the home side also unbeaten in the two curtain-raiser fixtures.
In Jersey Flegg, Wests Tigers continued their undefeated start to the year as they played out 24-24 draw with Victoria — a disappointing result given the side held a good lead late in the contest — while several key players also featured strongly for Wests in the Ron Massey Cup as they defeated Blacktown-Workers 36-32.
Across Sydney, it was a tough result for the Harvey Norman NSW Women's Premiership side as they went down in a heavy defeat to Cronulla while the NRL side also fell in a heartbreaking contest to the Warriors on Friday night.
Round 12 will see Wests Tigers host St. George-Illawarra at Bankwest Stadium in Indigenous Round on Friday — with the NSW Women's Premiership side playing South Sydney as the curtain-raiser — while the Jersey Flegg and Knock-On Effect sides will take on the Dragons in their double-header on Saturday.
Post-Match: Luke Garner
NRL Telstra Premiership
Wests Tigers went down 30-26 in a see-sawing contest at Central Coast Stadium on Friday night, with the New Zealand Warriors holding on late to see off a close late comeback by the visitors. Luke Garner's first half double had Michael Maguire's side on the front foot before they were pegged back by the home side — Reece Walsh starring as the Warriors pulled into the lead late in the first half.
David Nofoaluma crossed early in the second half in his 150th game for the club to put the visitors back on top after penalty goals taken by Adam Doueihi, but it wasn't enough as Wayde Egan and Kodi Nikorima scored to give the Warriors the win, despite James Tamou's late four-pointer and a close raid at the death.
New Zealand Warriors 30 (Montoya 2, Murchie, Tuivasa-Sheck, Walsh, Egan, Nikorima tries; Nikorima 3/6 goals) def. Wests Tigers 26 (Garner 2, Nofoaluma tries; Doueihi 5/6 goals) at Central Coast Stadium
Match: Warriors v Wests Tigers
Round 11 -
home Team
Warriors
9th Position
away Team
Wests Tigers
14th Position
Venue: Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
Knock-On Effect NSW Cup
Western Suburbs Magpies made it eight wins in a row with a hard-fought 36-22 victory over the Canberra Raiders at Lidcombe Oval on Saturday.
With the likes of Shawn Blore, Jock Madden, Michael Chee Kam and Jake Simpkin all backing up from their respective NRL commitments on Friday, Ben Gardiner's side proved too good for the visitors despite their continued efforts.
Tom Amone (14 runs for 155 metres and 17 tackles) and Blore (13 runs for 140 metres, one try assist and 24 tackles) helped pave the way up front while several key try-scorers continued their good form. Kelma Tuilagai bagged his fifth try of the season, Billy Walters his first, while Kiah Cooper remained on top of the try-scoring list across the entire competition with his 10th four-pointer of the year.
Western Suburbs Magpies 36 (Utoikamanu, Walters, Tuilagi, Simpkin, Cooper, Dockar-Clay tries; Madden 6/6 goals) def. Canberra Raiders 22 (Medlyn, Esera, Savage, Kaho tries; Cook 2/3 goals) at Lidcombe Oval
Match: Magpies v Raiders
Round 11 -
home Team
Magpies
2nd Position
away Team
Raiders
7th Position
Venue: Lidcombe Oval, Sydney
Jersey Flegg
Wests Tigers Jersey Flegg preserved their unbeaten start to the year with a 24-24 draw against Victoria on Saturday but could have easily extended their lead on top of the ladder after giving up two late tries to the visitors.
A dominant start from the young guns had the hosts leading 24-12 with 15 minutes to go but they were unable to hold on for both competition points as a late converted try to Tui Ieremia saw the Thunderbolts snare a thrilling draw.
The result still leaves Wests Tigers on top of the ladder, however, after 11 rounds with two big clashes ahead against the Dragons (2nd) and Panthers (3rd).
Wests Tigers 24 (Stevanovic, Tuifua, Scolari, Kei, Dillon tries; Stevanovic 2/5 goals) drew with Victoria Thunderbolts 24 (Ahomana, Naitoko, Lemusu, Ieremia tries; Atkinson 4/4 goals) at Lidcombe Oval
Match: Wests Tigers v Storm
Round 11 -
home Team
Wests Tigers
away Team
Storm
Venue: Lidcombe Oval, Sydney
Harvey Norman NSW Women's Premiership
It was a tough result for Wests Tigers Harvey Norman NSW Women's Premiership side on Saturday as they went down to a red-hot Cronulla Sharks outfit.
Down 20-0 early, Wests Tigers clawed their way back somewhat in the first half with Ana Fekeila's try giving them a glimmer of hope before the break. However, it was one-way traffic after half-time with Talei Holmes grabbing a second half double as the Sharks emerged with a comprehensive win in the end.
The loss sees Wests Tigers drop back to fifth on the ladder ahead of a must-win clash against the 10th-placed South Sydney Rabbitohs on Friday.
Cronulla Sharks 40 (Holmes 2, Dodd, Penitani, Takairangi, Studdon, Barker, Tufuga tries; Studdon 4/8 goals) def. Wests Tigers 6 (Fekeila tries; E.Curtain 1/1 goals) at PointsBet Stadium
Match: Sharks v Wests Tigers
Round 11 -
home Team
Sharks
away Team
Wests Tigers
Venue: PointsBet Stadium, Sydney
