The North Sydney Bears and Central Coast Roosters kicked off the weekend with strong performances, while the Sydney Roosters Jersey Flegg Cup Roosters just fell short in their first loss of the season.
Bears Bounce Bunnies at Stadium Australia
The North Sydney Bears had a resounding win on Friday night before the Roosters NRL match, with a 30-12 victory over the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Stadium Australia.
An early penalty gave the Bears an opportunity to strike, and a break from Josh Ralph helped set up Harrison Edwards for the first try of the match just five minutes in.
An error close to the line handed the Rabbitohs the ball 20 metres out, who swiftly replied through Jacob Gagai. With the conversion waved away, the Bears would hold a 4-6 lead.
Both sides would trade errors in attacking positions, but it would be the Bears back on the board as a floating cut-out pass from Sam Walker put Sione Hopoate over in the corner.
The Bears showed plenty of steel in their defence, holding off a number of Souths raids, but weight of possession saw the home side strike again, closing the deficit to two at the break.
A barnstorming run from Tony Satini set the tone for the second half, with the powerful centre crashing over just minutes in after the resumption to extend the Bears' lead.
The defence from Norths would continue to repel Souths, denying a rampaging Tautau Moga close to the line, but the Rabbitohs would strike back to close the gap once again.
A brilliant 80-metre team effort handed the Bears the lead once again, with Brad Abbey finishing off a brilliant piece of play after a number of offloads saw the left side charging downfield.
Just as South Sydney looked to hit back, a brilliant take from Tom Carr saw the winger streak away for a 100-metre try, much to the delight of the crowd and his teammates. His own conversion gave Norths a 14-point buffer heading into the last ten minutes.
A try next to the posts from Elih Jackson sealed the result for the Bears, who took back-to-back victories for the first time in 2021 in a dominant win.
The Bears will have a well-earned rest in Round 4 with a Bye, before returning to North Sydney Oval for the first time in 2021 to take on fellow foundation club Newtown.
North Sydney Bears 30 (Harrison Edwards, Sione Hopoate, Tony Satini, Brad Abbey, Tom Carr, Elih Jackson tries; Tom Carr 2, Sam Walker goals) def South Sydney Rabbitohs 12
Central Coast Crush Wentworthville In 14-Try Performance
The Central Coast Roosters have shot up to equal top of the Harvey Norman Women's Premiership ladder after a 78-nil shutout of Wentworthville.
It was a masterclass from Jocelyn Kelleher who scored four tries and having a hand in four others, while Hannah Southwell scored 18 points with nine goals as the Tricolours ran in three tries in the opening ten minutes, finding themselves up 28-nil at the break.
Despite there being a sin-binning after half an hour with the contest getting fiery, the relentless Roosters continued their rout with nine tries in the second half to pile on 50 points in 32 minutes, with Olivia Kernick, Jasmine Strange and Yasmin Meakes scoring doubles, while Shannon Evans, Caitlan Johnston, Alicia Martin, Jayme Fressard and Olivia Higgins found themselves on the scoresheet.
The Red, White and Blue find themselves second on the table, with the points difference with Cronulla Sutherland, who have a superior defensive record.
The Central Coast Roosters will also have a Bye before taking on the Glebe Dirty Reds in Round 5.
Central Coast Roosters 78 (Jocelyn Kelleher 4, Yasmin Meakes 2, Jasmine Strange 2, Shannon Evans, Caitlan Johnston, Alicia Martin, Jayme Fressard, Olivia Higgins, Olivia Kernick; Hannah Southwell 9, Jocelyn Kelleher 2 goals) def Wentworthville Magpies 0
Jersey Flegg Fall Short Against Rabbitohs
The Sydney Roosters Jersey Flegg Cup side went down 30-16 to the South Sydney Rabbitohs in a close affair at Redfern Oval.
The Tricolours got on the board first as Moala Graham-Taufa scored in the 7th minute, but both sides would go back and forth as Souths replied with Ronald Volkman touching down before the home side struck twice before half-time to take a 16-12 lead into the break.
Ill-discipline through errors and penalties would cruel the Roosters in the second half, with their opponents taking advantage with three tries in fifteen minutes. A Corey Fenning try closed the gap, but in the end, was a consolation as the final scores read 30-16.
The Roosters travel to Shark Park to take on the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in Round 4.
Sydney Roosters 16 (Moala Graham-Taufa, Ronald Volkman, Corey Fenning tries; Corey Fenning 2 goals) def by South Sydney Rabbitohs 30
