Broncos Beaten, But Still On Top
Just as we thought the top eight race was becoming a little clearer along comes a weekend where the form guide
does out the window and teams who looked to be sliding out of contention pulled themselves back into the
race.
So amazingly now through 16 rounds there is only six competition points separating second place from
twelfth.
Brisbane picked the perfect weekend to lose for the first time in nearly three months with their three
closest rivals all suffering defeats as well.
Parramatta and Manly missed big chances to close the gap on the Broncos with both teams wasting half time
leads, while the Cowboys also wasted an early lead before succumbing to the arctic conditions in Canberra.
The Roosters, Raiders and Bulldogs all looked to have got their season back on track with solid wins over
top four contenders, while the Storm reminded everyone that they are still a force to be reckoned with.
The biggest news to come out of round 16 though was Newcastle’s first win of the season, which now gives
them a glimmer of hope of handing the wooden spoon to someone else come round 26.
|
Power Rankings through Round 16 |
| Current | Team | Last Week |
| 1 | Brisbane Broncos | 1 |
|
The Broncos 10 game winning streak was brought to an abrupt halt on Sunday afternoon in Auckland, as the
Warriors continued their dominance over Brisbane handing them a 12 point defeat. |
| 2 | Parramatta Eels | 2 |
|
Parramatta will see their 12-8 loss to the Roosters last Friday night as a massive lost opportunity after
leading the home side 8-0 early in the second half. A win would of given them some much needed breathing space
near the top of the table, but unfortunately for the blue and gold army it wasn’t to be. |
| 3 | Cronulla Sharks | 6 |
|
The Sharks could not of asked for a better weekend with the four teams above them on the competition ladder
all losing, while they kicked back and enjoyed the two points they received for the bye. |
| 4 | Melbourne Storm | 8 |
|
After weeks of mediocrity the real Melbourne Storm finally stood up on Saturday night at Olympic Park
delivering a message to the rest of the competition with a 42 point thumping of the in form Rabbitohs. |
| 5 | Sydney Roosters | 7 |
|
Trailing 8-0 to a red hot Parramatta side in torrential rain with 30 minutes to go all looked to be lost for
the Roosters, but a stunning comeback saw them run out four point winners to maintain their place in the top
eight for the time being. |
| 6 | North Queensland Cowboys | 5 |
|
Playing in near freezing conditions in the nation’s capital the Cowboys made a red hot start to their game
against the Raiders to lead 12-0 after 10 minutes, but that was as good as it would get for the visitors with
Canberra reeling them back in to hand them a heart breaking one point loss. |
| 7 | Manly Sea Eagles | 4 |
|
The weather at Brookvale Oval told the story for the Sea Eagles on Sunday afternoon with the home side playing
a great first half in the sunshine to lead the desperate Bulldogs 12-10. The second half was a different story
though as the heavens opened up and Manly’s defence did the same conceding 21 points to lose their first game
at home since last season. |
| 8 | St George-Illawarra Dragons | 3 |
|
The Dragons were another of the top teams to suffer a surprising loss going down to the Tigers 32-24 in front
of a big crowd at OKI Jubilee Stadium. |
| 9 | Canterbury Bulldogs | 9 |
|
Up until now nothing has gone right for the defending premiers with scandals, injuries and a massive form
slump plaguing the club, but things may be on an upward swing for the Bulldogs as the won their second game
in a row to creep ever closer to a top eight spot and also announced the resigning of Australian
representative Willie Mason for another four years. |
| 10 | New Zealand Warriors | 10 |
|
The Warriors turned back the clock for their game against Brisbane on Sunday afternoon at Ericsson Stadium
dusting off their traditional strips and producing some of their best football of the season so far to beat
the table topping Broncos 30-18. |
| 11 | Canberra Raiders | 12 |
|
Canberra’s season looked to be spinning out of control after losing five straight games, but the unexpected
return of star five eighth Jason Smith was the shot in the arm the Raiders needed as the snuck past North
Queensland 23-22 much to the delight of their freezing fans. |
| 12 | Wests Tigers | 13 |
|
The Tigers produced the biggest shock of round 16 easily defeating the in form Dragons 32-24 and with the win
managed to hang onto the coat tails of the other top eight contenders. |
| 13 | Penrith Panthers | 11 |
|
Penrith suffered the worst of humiliations in front of their home crowd on Saturday night as they became the
first victims of the previously winless Newcastle Knights. Any hope the Panthers had of reaching the semi
finals is now all but lost, unless they can somehow recapture the form that saw them win the 2003
title. |
| 14 | Newcastle Knights | 15 |
|
The Knights are finally off the bottom of the rankings thanks to their hard fought 28-24 win over the
Panthers. They looked a forlorn hope of winning this game when down 14-0 midway through the first half, but
with Andrew Johns marshalling the troops they fought back to pick up their first victory of the season. |
| 15 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 14 |
|
Three weeks of good footy for the Rabbitohs was quickly flushed down the toilet in 80 minutes against a
rampant Melbourne Storm side on Saturday night, as the Bunnies were hammered 48-6. |
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