League: Hard-headed teams get the precious points

The upsets continued in the NRL, with Manly keeping their hopes alive with a one-point win over leaders Brisbane yesterday and champions the Bulldogs losing a chance to move into the playoff eight when beaten by a lowly placed side for the second week in a row.

North Queensland and the Raiders were overturned at home, the Storm lost away and all move into uncomfortable territory. The Panthers overturned the Roosters and the latter, like the Warriors, stay glued in a spot where they don't want to be.

Tigers grind it out

The Tigers showed they know how to win, to win away and how to grind out a win yesterday when they turned a 14-0 half-time deficit to 22-14 victory at Canberra.

Fittingly, fullback Brett Hodgson notched the winning try in the 70th minute because it was his chiming into the backline that the Raiders found hardest to deal with. But they cost themselves with errors and ill-discipline.

It was a game of drama that was scoreless for the first quarter, with the Raiders scoring against the run of play when Benji Marshall's pass was left behind by fellow Kiwi Dene Halatau and then when Jason Smith kicked for David Howell.

But the Raiders lost veteran Matt Adamson to injury and early in the second half Smith left the field with a suspected wrist bone break and the Tigers started to take control.

Marshall and Hodgson engineered their first points through a try to wing Pat Richards. Wing Daniel Fitzhenry scored through hesitation then speed. The Tigers took the lead when hooker Robbie Farah dived over from dummy-half, despite everyone knowing that was the play he'd go for. Then Hodgson sealed it, for a personal tally of 14.

The Raiders have further worries with Jason Croker on report for a high shot on Marshall and Alan Tongue reported for a high tackle on Chris Heighington.

Field goal sinks Broncos

The Broncos were lackadaisical yesterday and paid the price, losing 20-21 to a Manly side that has lost only three at home. The Broncos produced bursts of brilliance but followed those with a rest, and Manly ground out the win after a long 14-all deadlock.

The Sea Eagles were attacking in the 70th minute when a pass went astray and fullback Brett Stewart produced a brilliant scoop to lift the ball and score as Broncos, including Tonie Carroll, were defeated by speed.

The teams scored three tries each but Manly halfback Michael Monaghan's field goal near the end turned out to be the difference.

Roosters error-prone

The Roosters and Panthers each scored four tries but a Preston Campbell penalty gave Penrith a 30-28 win yesterday, Sydney making 70 more tackles, thanks to errors and turnovers.

Storm out of form

The Warriors meet the Storm in Melbourne next Saturday night in a game that will extinguish all remaining long-shot chances the Auckland franchise has at the playoffs should they lose. Their formerly high-flying and in-form opponents will be desperate to reverse a form slide and the Sharks did them no favours in that regard on Saturday night.

"Undisciplined, unenthusiastic, unenergetic," was how Storm coach Craig Bellamy described their 16-40 hammering at Cronulla.

"We basically lost the plot. It's an attitude problem and it's a bad time to be getting an attitude problem. I'm stuffed for answers. They've been busy planning their end-of-season trip and it's probably going to come a bit earlier than we thought."

Five-eight Adam Dykes was the local hero. The Storm scored first through Kiwi-linked wing Jake Webster, but Dykes sparked the response when he landed blows on Storm prop Ian Donnelly after an exchange in the tackle. Others ran in and from there the home team took control.

The Storm's Kiwi second-rower, David Kidwell, was sin-binned by ref Steve Clark for obscure reasons and while he was off, the Sharks scored through prop Danny Nutley and utility Reece Williams. Kidwell was back to see Matt Hilder get Brett Kimmorley's grubber to ground and the Sharks take a 26-4 lead.

In the dogbox

Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes described his side as "looking like a racehorse that needs a spell", after they were dumped 13-28 by Newcastle, their second consecutive loss to teams at the bottom of the table after a 37-24 loss to Souths.

The teams traded tries in the first half through former Aucklander George Carmont and Kiwi Matt Utai, with Braith Anasta slotting a field goal on the hooter for a 7-6 lead.

Knights hooker Danny Buderus scored under the posts to lift the visitors and they ran in two more tries and took two penalties to make their lead unattainable. Wing Anthony Quinn scored the highlight after the ball went through 10 sets of hands.

Dragons on fire

The Dragons moved into bookies' second-favouritism to take the title, behind Brisbane, after their 36-16 win in Townsville on Friday night. It was 22-0 after 27 minutes, the Cowboys replying through Matt Bowen and Paul Bowman either side of half-time, before the visitors cleared out.

Prop Luke Bailey has re-signed with the Dragons for 2006, ahead of the contract he takes up with the new Gold Coast club in 2007. Former Aucklander Willie Manu has been released because of bad off-field attitude. He still faces court charges over a nightclub assault.