ANZAC Round Delivers Drama, Comebacks, and Crushing Defeats

Round 8 – 2025

You missed an absolute belter in Townsville on Saturday night. The Cowboys turned a shaky start into a second-half masterclass, smashing the Titans 50–18 in front of a buzzing home crowd.

It was a tale of two halves. The Titans came out firing, racking up three tries in seven minutes with Jojo Fifita, Brian Kelly, and Beau Fermor all crossing the line. At halftime, they were up 18–12 and looking sharp. But then the wheels completely fell off.

The Cowboys came out of the sheds like a team possessed. Robert Derby was unstoppable, bagging a hat-trick—including a penalty try to seal the deal—and running for over 200 metres. Jeremiah Nanai was a wrecking ball, grabbing a double, and Reece Robson sliced through from dummy-half to pile on the pain. Scott Drinkwater was everywhere, setting up plays and kicking goals like it was a training run.

The Titans? They imploded. Two sin-bins—Jaimin Jolliffe just before halftime and Brock Gray in the 60th minute—left them scrambling with 12 men for 20 minutes. Gray’s night went from bad to worse; turns out he ruptured his ACL and is out for the season.

The Cowboys ran in seven unanswered tries in the second half. It was their first 50-point game since 2023 and their fourth straight win.

Final score: Cowboys 50, Titans 18.

If the Cowboys keep this up, they’re going to be a serious threat. The Titans, on the other hand, need to sort out their discipline and defense—fast.

Mate, you should’ve seen the Roosters on ANZAC Day—absolutely dismantled the Dragons 46–18 at Allianz Stadium. It was a full-blown onslaught, and the Roosters looked like they were on a mission from the first whistle.

James Tedesco was back to his best, slicing through the Dragons’ defense and getting back on the scoresheet. Sandon Smith was everywhere—he even copped a sin-bin but still managed to claim the Ashton-Collier Spirit of ANZAC Medal.

The Dragons had no answers. They started strong but couldn’t maintain the pressure. The Roosters’ defense held firm, and their attack was relentless.

Final score: Roosters 46, Dragons 18.

If the Roosters keep this form up, they’re going to be a force to reckon with. The Dragons? They’ve got some serious soul-searching to do.

Ah, this one was a bit of a grind. The Warriors got the job done 26–12 over the Knights in Christchurch, but it wasn’t exactly a highlight reel. Both teams had their moments, but the Warriors were just a bit more composed when it counted.

The game kicked off with some fireworks — literally. Marata Niukore got sent to the bin in the first two minutes for a high shot on Bradman Best. Not to be outdone, Knights prop Leo Thompson followed him shortly after for a similar offense. So, we had 12 on 12 early doors, setting the tone for a scrappy affair.

The Warriors managed to build a 16–0 lead by halftime, thanks to tries from Adam Pompey and Jackson Ford. Ford, in particular, was a standout, crossing the line twice and celebrating his 50th NRL game in style.

The Knights showed some fight in the second half, with James Schiller and Brodie Jones grabbing tries, but it was too little, too late. Their attack just couldn’t get going, and they were plagued by errors — 15 in total.

Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad returned from a concussion and added some stability at the back for the Warriors. Luke Metcalf was solid with the boot, converting three of the five tries.

With this win, the Warriors move up to second on the ladder, while the Knights are left searching for answers after another tough loss.

What a gritty, wet slugfest that was….

Melbourne edged out Souths 24–16 at a drenched AAMI Park, making it 20 straight wins over the Bunnies in Victoria.

The Storm struck first with Ryan Papenhuyzen finishing off a slick break from Sua Fa’alogo. But Souths hit back quickly—Jack Wighton powered over, and then rookie Bayleigh Bentley-Hape pounced on a loose ball to score his first NRL try. Just before halftime, Xavier Coates leveled it up at 10-all.

Second half, Eliesa Katoa snatched a kick from Bentley-Hape to score, swinging momentum back to Melbourne. Tyran Wishart added another, and Papenhuyzen’s boot kept the scoreboard ticking. Souths tried to rally late with Wighton’s second, but it wasn’t enough.

The match wasn’t without drama—Latrell Mitchell was sin-binned for a high shot on Fa’alogo, who didn’t return after failing his HIA. Papenhuyzen also saw yellow late in the game, but the Storm held firm.

Final score: Storm 24, Rabbitohs 16.​

Storm now sit at 5–2, while Souths are reeling with three straight losses.

You would not believe the rollercoaster that unfolded in Townsville on Saturday night. The Cowboys, trailing 18–12 at halftime, flipped the script entirely to crush the Titans 50–18. It was like watching two different games.

The Titans came out swinging, putting on three tries in a seven-minute blitz. Jojo Fifita, Brian Kelly, and Beau Fermor had the Cowboys on the back foot early. But whatever Todd Payten said at halftime worked wonders.

The second half was all Cowboys. Robert Derby was electric, bagging a hat-trick, including a penalty try. Jeremiah Nanai was unstoppable, crossing twice and terrorizing the Titans’ defense. Reece Robson and Murray Taulagi added to the tally, while Jaxon Purdue also got in on the action.

Scott Drinkwater was the maestro, orchestrating plays and nailing conversions. The Cowboys ran in seven unanswered tries in the second half, turning the game into a rout.

Discipline issues plagued the Titans. Jaimin Jolliffe and Brock Gray both spent time in the sin bin for high tackles, leaving their team a man down during crucial periods. Gray’s night went from bad to worse with a season-ending ACL injury.

Final score: Cowboys 50, Titans 18.

If the Cowboys keep this momentum, they’re going to be a force to reckon with. The Titans need to regroup and address their discipline and defense.

Mate, you wouldn’t believe what went down at CommBank on Saturday night. The Panthers, reigning premiers, got rolled 26–10 by a fired-up Sea Eagles outfit that looked like they’d been waiting weeks to unleash this.

Manly came out swinging. Reuben Garrick sliced through early, then Tommy Talau finished off a slick right-side move set up by Tom Trbojevic’s magic hands. Garrick nailed both conversions and added a penalty goal, putting Manly up 14–0 at halftime.

Penrith were their own worst enemies. Scott Sorensen got binned just before the break for a high shot on Nathan Brown, and they were giving away penalties like they were going out of style. Manly had 58% of the ball and were camped in Panthers territory for most of the first half.

But credit to the Panthers—they came out of the sheds with some fire. Blaize Talagi darted over from dummy half after a Cleary 40/20, then Izack Tago finished off a slick shift to the right. Suddenly it was 14–10, and the crowd was back in it.

Then came the chaos. Siosiua Taukeiaho was binned for a shoulder charge, but Paul Alamoti evened things up with a professional foul on DCE. Manly took the two to go up 16–10, then Haumole Olakau’atu soared above Dylan Edwards to grab a DCE bomb and score. Tolutau Koula iced it minutes later with a blistering run through the middle.

Final score: Sea Eagles 26, Panthers 10.

Manly snapped a three-game skid and looked sharp doing it. Penrith? They’re dead last on the ladder. Never thought I’d say that in April.

You would not believe the madness that unfolded in Canberra on Sunday arvo (afternoon). The Raiders pulled off one of the most outrageous comebacks I’ve seen in years, turning a 28–10 halftime deficit into a 40–28 win over the Dolphins. The Green Machine went full throttle in the second half and left the Dolphins shell-shocked.

First half? All Dolphins. Even after Kodi Nikorima got binned early for a high shot, they ran in five tries before the break. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Herbie Farnworth, Daniel Saifiti, Jamayne Isaako, and Jake Averillo all crossed. They were slick, clinical, and looked like they had the game in the bag.

But then came the second half. The Raiders came out breathing fire. Zac Hosking got them rolling, then Ethan Strange and Matty Nicholson kept the momentum going. Sebastian Kris leveled it up, and Jamal Fogarty sealed the deal with a late try and a 50-metre penalty goal. The Dolphins had no answers.

Final score: Raiders 40, Dolphins 28.

The Raiders now sit third on the ladder, and if they keep this form up, they’re going to be a force to reckon with. The Dolphins? They’ll be replaying that second half in their nightmares.

The Tigers pulled off a heart-stopping 20–18 golden point win over the Sharks, and the place went absolutely ballistic.

The Tigers came out firing, with young gun Lachlan Galvin setting up Samuela Fainu for the opening try. Sunia Turuva added another, and Adam Doueihi’s boot kept the scoreboard ticking. But just before halftime, Ronaldo Mulitalo crossed for the Sharks, making it 10–6 at the break.

Second half, the Tigers extended their lead with a brilliant try from Tallyn Da Silva, who capitalized on a Galvin bomb that the Sharks failed to clean up. But the Sharks weren’t done—Will Kennedy and Billy Burns both scored, leveling the game at 18-all.

Then came the madness of golden point. Both teams had multiple shots at field goals, with Nicho Hynes even hitting the post from 47 meters out. But it was a penalty against Tom Hazelton for a strip that gave Doueihi the chance to seal it. Kicking into a howling wind, he nailed it, sending the Leichhardt faithful into raptures.​

Final score: Wests Tigers 20, Sharks 18.​

The Tigers now sit at 4–4, and with this kind of grit, they’re looking to climb even higher. The Sharks will be left ruing missed opportunities in a game that slipped through their fingers.