Ryan Papenhuyzen kept his composure to sink the match-winning field goal as Melbourne eked out a nail-biting 25-24 golden point victory over South Sydney at Accor Stadium.
Alex Johnston narrowed the gap to Ken Irvine’s all-time try-scoring record to six and became the first player to score four tries against the Storm in a brilliant individual performance but it was ultimately not enough for the cardinal and myrtle, who slump to a fourth straight loss.
Earlier, despite missing their five NSW Blues stars, Penrith completed a 28-18 boilover against New Zealand in Auckland.
Moses Leota played a big part in the upset victory as Blaze Talagi and Brad Schneider steered the side around well in Nathan Cleary’s absence.
The Dolphins will be glad to leave Western Australia after going down 26-20 to Newcastle as Jack Bostock suffered a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The dreaded ACL rules Bostock out for the season in a big blow to Kristian Woolf’s men.
Papenhuyzen nails field goal to prevent huge boilover
After a spirited South Sydney comeback, a late failed two-point field goal attempt from Latrell Mitchell and a successful field goal from close range by Papenhuyzen made the difference with the Bunnies falling agonisingly short of a famous victory.
It appeared a cricket score was on the cards after two soft tries conceded within the first five minutes had Souths on the ropes but a bizarre and uncharacteristic error-plagued showing from Melbourne followed, keeping the home side within striking distance, trailing 12-4 at half-time.
With a deft kick, Mitchell set up Tyrone Munro’s 76th-minute try that levelled the scores at 24-24 but failed to make the conversion, then sent his long range field goal attempt just wide of the left upright.
It is now four straight defeats for Wayne Bennett’s men as the effect of long-term injuries bites, and a top-eight finish begins to look more implausible, though the hotly contested middle section of the NRL ladder still has them within touching distance of a return to the finals.
Panthers have last laugh as Fish comes up short
James Fisher-Harris must be loving life, back home after four straight premierships on a very attractive salary, with the Warriors embedded in the top four. On Saturday afternoon in Auckland it was his former teammates who got the last laugh, however, after the Panthers, bereft of their five State of Origin stars, upset the high-flying Wahs 28-18.
Blaize Talagi of the Panthers celebrates with teammates (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
With Moses Leota leading the way up front with 147 run metres, second rower Scott Sorensen stood tall, scoring two of their five tries, and halves pairing Brad Schneider and Blaze Talagi were integral to the win.
The Warriors weren’t helped by losing Marata Niukore to a head knock 10 minutes into the match and then winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who appeared to suffer a serious ankle injury. Sorensen went on report for the tackle that ended Watene-Zelezniak’s night.
The boilover has Ivan Cleary’s rising into the top eight on the back of a third straight win, and with two-thirds of the Origin distraction complete, the double chance may be out of reach but Penrith have done enough to set themselves up for another top-eight finish.
Bostock ACL adds injury to insult as Phins fall to lowly Knights
Life moves fast. A week ago, Jack Bostock was on top of the world after scoring four tries as the Dolphins took apart North Queensland. On Saturday, he cut a despondent figure on the sidelines at HBF Park, nursing what’s suspected to be a season-ending ACL injury. The dreaded injury is always a cruel blow, but it’s especially tough on the in-form winger who would’ve been a key part of the Dolphins’ finals challenge.
“I am really disappointed for him,” Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf said.
“He’s had a great season and is a terrific young man and I know he has the resilience to get through it.”
Woolf will be disappointed after his side ostensibly had done enough to win after taking advantage of Dane Gagai’s sin-binning but failed to finish off the plucky Knights.
Inside the finals places, at least for now, Woolf will have to navigate the back end of 2025 without Bostock as the Phins jostle with up to nine plausible challengers for one of four likely finals places up for grabs with the top four – Melbourne, Warriors, Canberra and Canterbury – probably set, with just the order to be determined.
Late Jones try gives Newcastle some hope
Even though he was entitled to feel aggrieved, Adam O’Brien refused to blame referee Gerard Sutton and the Bunker for last week’s dubious loss to the Roosters after Suia Wong likely didn’t do enough to legally score the match-winner. This week, O’Brien would have been apoplectic after a questionable forward pass call could have cost his side another two competition points.
They led 16-10 on the back of an encouraging first-half showing but looked almost certain to fall to their tenth loss of the campaign when the Dolphins hit the front with two tries during Gagai’s ten minutes in the sin-bin for a professional foul. To their credit, the Knights showed plenty of fight to remain in the contest, and their effort was rewarded, sealing just their sixth win of 2025 thanks to Brodie Jones’ last-minute try.
“I am very proud of them,” O’Brien said.
“When the game was there to be taken, they went after it. (Jones) actually earned that (winning) try after he’d come up with big plays earlier in the half.”
Misfiring Storm outlast gritty Bunnies
Melbourne have been somewhat flying under the radar in recent weeks as the Bulldogs surge towards a first minor premiership in over a decade, and Ricky Stuart’s Raiders continue their wholly unexpected run towards a top-four finish.
It was far from a polished performance against Souths but ultimately Papenhuyzen kept his cool to seal the win and Melbourne remain firmly entrenched in the top four and still a good chance of a top-two finish that would ensure two home finals.
With Queensland captain Cameron Munster and Harry Grant backing up after Wednesday evening’s 26-24 victory in Perth, the star hooker crossed the line after just two minutes in an ominous sign of Melbourne’s intent. Grant Anderson and Jahrome Hughes soon combined as a cricket score looked to be quite plausible at the site of their 2024 grand final defeat but a comical number of errors kept Melbourne from burying the Rabbitohs.
The Kick: Draw should’ve been adjusted for western Origin
Creating the NRL season draw is undoubtedly an unenviable task, and the powers that be are never going to please everyone, but you’ve got to question scheduling the four-time premiers to play in New Zealand three days after Origin II at Optus Stadium. I’m not suggesting that Penrith should be shown any favouritism, because the premise of playing a game across the Tasman in the days after a rep match in Perth is inherently flawed.
It would’ve been the same story for the Roosters, Cowboys or any other team significantly affected by state duties. It’s one thing to sit on a tin can flying at 500km/hr for five hours with your body stuffed from the rigours of rep footy, but another to add a three-hour trip to Auckland as well.
Why not have two sides likely to be missing multiple stars in Perth for the Saturday arvo game? There would be some guesswork involved but there were several safe bets with the usual suspects.
I’m probably as critical of the Perth sojourn as anyone, but if the NRL brass are going to make that call, it definitely shouldn’t be at further cost to the integrity of their core product of the regular season, that already becomes a bit of a circus for two months due to State of Origin. Perhaps one day the state against state competition will be shifted to a post-season slot, rendering this all moot.
with AAP
