In one of the most entertaining rounds this season, Round 16 kicked off with dominant displays by the top two on Friday night. First up the Dragons maintained their position at the top of the ladder with a 34 – 10 win ahead of the Wests Tigers. Then an electric display by the number two Panthers saw them thrash Manly 40 – 22.

The Broncos got back on track and made it six wins from their past seven when they beat the Eels in a low scoring affair 10 – 6. Melbourne couldn’t hold off the Rabbitohs and went down by two points on Saturday, while the Cowboys failed once again and the Sharks won by one 20 – 19.

Sunday saw the Knights improve beyond words from their last outing to beat an injury-ridden Titans team 24 – 16, and the Warriors reigned above the Roosters 20 – 18 in another tightly matched showdown.

The final game of Round 16 saw the Bulldogs claim a shock 18 – 10 victory ahead of the Raiders at Canberra Stadium.

Comprehensive match reviews and results can be found for the eight NRL Round 16 games by clicking on the links below.

NRL Round 16 – Match 1 Results: St George Illawarra Dragons 34 v 10 Wests Tigers

NRL Round 16 – Match 2 Results: Penrith Panthers 40 v 22 Manly Sea Eagles

NRL Round 16 – Match 3 Results: Parramatta Eels 6 v 10 Brisbane Broncos

NRL Round 16 – Match 4 Results: South Sydney Rabbitohs 16 v 14 Melbourne Storm

NRL Round 16 – Match 5 Results: North Queensland Cowboys 19 v 20 Cronulla Sharks

NRL Round 16 – Match 6 Results: Gold Coast Titans 16 v 24 Newcastle Knights

NRL Round 16 – Match 7 Results: Sydney Roosters 18 v 20 New Zealand Warriors

NRL Round 16 – Match 8 Results: Canberra Raiders 10 v 18 Canterbury Bulldogs

This weekend just five matches will play out for Round 17 as the teams, players and Rugby League Betting fans prepare for Wednesday week’s State of Origin game three. Check out the odds for Round 17 that features cracker games like the Broncos v Wests Tigers, and the State of Origin betting options at SportsBet today!

Canterbury, who have had one of their worst starts to a season in history, finally put an end to their six-straight losing streak with the win, but are still down in the 14^th spot on the ladder.

The Raiders have now been pushed down into 12^th position after giving away a rare two competition points from Canberra Stadium despite the return of fullback Josh Dugan. They have now lost their last three straight and really need to pick up their game if they are to play any part in September footy this year.

A blistering three first-half tries sealed the deal for the Bulldogs, who then lifted their defence in the second half to maintain their lead and come away with a win, still in finals contention but with a lot of work to do.

The Bulldogs began their determined winning performance with centre Josh Morris scoring just five minutes into the match. Bryson Goodwin converted the try and the visitors gained confidence with an early six point lead.

Ten minutes later the promising young Benjamin Barba scored their second after a 60m effort that left both Daniel Vidot and Dugan in his wake, with Goodwin again kicking it through the posts to extend Canterbury’s lead 12 – nil.

It was a speedy display from a desperate Bulldogs outfit as they set themselves up for victory scoring their third just three minutes later with a Luke Patten 18^th minute try. Goodwin made it three from three to bring Canterbury up to 18 points, which would prove enough to win.

The Raiders finally scored their first points in the 24^th minute when winger Joel Monaghan got over after finding a swift pass from Terry Campese. They missed the conversion, however, and trailed 18 – 4.

Then four minutes from half time Canberra managed their second, this time when Joel Thompson got over. Jarrod Croker converted and brought the score up to 18 – 10, which turned out to be the final result as the second half provided no more points for either team.

This weekend the Raiders have another home game, this time playing the Roosters, while the Bulldogs face another low-ranking team, the Sharks on Saturday. The odds for these matches and the others scheduled for Round 17 are available now at SportsBet!

Just hanging onto a spot in the top eight this season, the Roosters have been very inconsistent, Sunday’s loss giving them an equal number of wins and losses so far for the year. Meanwhile the Warriors boast the same record and are just one rank below Sydney on the ladder, both with 18 competition points.

A hat-trick by speedy winger Kevin Locke sealed the deal for the Warriors in the final minute of play after a thrilling game of footy decided under testing conditions.

New Zealand kicked off, scoring nine minutes into Sunday’s match when Locke got his first of an eventual three tries, giving the Warriors an early four point lead.

Not long after, Sydney fought back with two tidy tries in two minutes to take the lead. First, Mitchell Pearce opened the Chooks’ account in the 20^th minute and then Todd Carney, back playing his preferred position as five-eighth, got another in the 22^nd minute after the ball rebounded off the goal post. Carney converted both to give Sydney a nice 12 – 4 lead.

But then four minutes from the break Locke scored his second, to narrow the deficit 12 – 8 with New Zealand still trailing by four after missing the conversion.

In the second half it was a rousing battle between the two. In the 64^th minute Shaun Kenny-Dowall scored the third try for the Roosters, Carney making it three from three with his kick through the posts, extending their lead to 10 points.

It was another 10 minutes before the Warriors scored their third, Manu Vatuvei the man behind the four-pointer in the 74^th minute. James Maloney made his first conversion of the night, a brilliant effort from the side-line, and New Zealand now had six minutes to score and win.

In the dying seconds they did just that, Locke making it a hat-trick in the 80^th minute with a gutsy try to tie the score 18 all before Maloney booted it through the posts on the full time siren so the Warriors came away victorious.

After his match winning try, Locke was stretchered off the field having been smashed into the left-upright seconds after he touched the ball down off his own kick.

In Round 17 the Roosters are on the road again travelling to Canberra to play the Raiders, while the Warriors stay in New Zealand to host the Eels on Sunday. Get the best odds for both these great showdowns at SportsBet!

Gidley, keen to show NSW Origin selectors that he was worthy of another go despite having been forced to captain the Blues from the bench in Origin II, was powerful throughout the full 80 minutes allowing them to score their sixth win of the season and move up to 11^th spot on the ladder.

The weakened Gold Coast squad were forced to play without skipper Scotty Prince, out with a hamstring injury, and their often illogical and confused performance showed how badly they needed their captain’s guidance.

Newcastle were first to score on Sunday when Zeb Taia got over in the 7^th minute. Gidley, who had a perfect four from four record on the day, converted the first and the visitors led by six after the first 10 minutes.

In the 18^th minute the Titans started to gain some momentum as Ashley Harrison opened their account with a try converted by veteran Mat Rogers to tie the score six all.

Nine minutes later powerhouse Brad Meyers swung the score in favour of the Gold Coast with another converted try.

But Newcastle put in a brilliant fight and followed up with their second try just six minutes later when James McManus got over to again tie the score 12 all.

With three minutes of the first half left to play, Newcastle snared the lead with a nifty four-pointer from Junior Sau, the conversion giving the Knights an 18 – 12 lead heading into the break.

From the booming first half, fans were expecting a high scoring second instalment too. But it wasn’t to be as the two teams battled on through a gritty second half.

The Gold Coast got the first points back from the break when William Zillman scored an acrobatic try in the 52^nd minute, but Rogers missed the conversion and so they still trailed by two 18 – 16.

Then in the 67^th minute the Knights Wes Naiqama scored the match-sealing try, again converted by Gidley. With no more points scored, the Titans Brad Meyers shut down by a try saving tackle from Gidley in the last 10 minutes, the final result was then 24 – 16 in favour of the Knights.

In more bad news for the Titans, still number four on the ladder, they lost another two of their top players to injury throughout the course of the match with centre Sam Tagataese (shoulder) and winger David Mead (knee) joining their captain on the sidelines.

Despite Gidley’s inspiring performance on Sunday, Origin selectors have not opted to retain him as captain for the third and final Origin showdown Wednesday week, instead handing the honour over to the Sharks Trent Barrett. Read more about the squads for Origin III at State of Origin Teams.

This weekend the Titans and the Knights both have a bye to freshen up. Meanwhile there are five great matches scheduled for Round 17 including the Broncos v Wests Tigers on Friday night. Get in on the Rugby League Betting action with SportsBet today!

North Queensland are in big trouble this season in 15^th spot on the ladder following a horror season that has included just four wins over the past 16 weeks. Hosting the Sharks at home, the Cowboys should have been able to secure victory and make up for their upsetting 12 – 58 loss to the Storm last week.

However it was Cronulla, in 13^th spot, who came away with the two competition points after the match went into extra-time.

The home team were first to score when big Willie Mason got over 12 minutes into the match. It was Mason’s first try for the Cowboys and he set a trend as the following two tries for North Queensland were also the first scored for the respective players.

The first try was converted by skipper Johnathan Thurston and the Cowboys led 6 – nil after 15 minutes. It looked as though North Queensland would have this one in the bag when just seven minutes later they scored their second, this time a converted try by Matthew Scott.

Then seconds before the half-time whistle, Carl Webb crossed again for the Cowboys, JT making it three from three so North Queensland went to the break leading by 18 points over a still scoreless Sharks.

But a listless second-half performance by the Cowboys saw them give up their seemingly comfortable 18 point lead, letting a committed Cronulla in with four unanswered tries to give the visitors the win.

The Sharks scored two tries within the first eight minutes back from the break, with Ben Pomeroy and Isaac Gordon scoring one each in the 44^th and 48^th minutes. Nathan Gardner converted the first and the Sharks were now in the game trailing 18 – 10.

Just six minutes later they were at it again when Gardner scored a 54^th minute four-pointer after a Matt Bowen intercept, making it a four point game.

Time ticked away as the two teams fought it out, but it was Cronulla who were next to score again when Paul Aiton got over with three defenders hanging on in the 71^st minute. They missed the kick, so the scores were tied 18 all with less than 10 minutes left on the clock.

Desperate to finally get a home game victory and a club win, Thurston kicked what many thought would be the winning field goal in the 77^th minute after the Sharks Trent Barrett had missed two off the boot. But as the full-time siren was ready to sound, John Morris forced the game into golden point extra time with a crafty 80^th minute field goal and the two were at 19 all.

Pushing on in a tiring final showdown, Morris was then penalised for stripping the ball from Mason, but under the pressure Thurston missed the kick. Then, newly appointed Blues Origin captain Trent Barrett sunk the winning field goal for the Sharks after a testing seven minutes of extra time, securing Cronulla’s fifth win of the season.

This weekend the Cowboys will be relieved to get a break and two competition points with a bye, while the Sharks play on Saturday night against the Bulldogs. Check out the odds for all of Round 17’s scheduled showdowns at SportsBet today!

The Rabbitohs are slowly climbing up the ladder, now in fifth spot after breaking their previous two match losing streak. Meanwhile, Melbourne have many asking how much longer they can go on winning after seeing success just once in their past four games when they thrashed the Cowboys 58 – 12 in Round 15.

But even the confidence of such a big win wasn’t enough to push the Storm over the edge on Saturday as the Bunnies showed their determination and skill in front of owner Russell Crowe who was amongst the crowd.

A second half penalty proved the match winner for the Rabbitohs, as both sides scored three tries a piece, including a double each to South Sydney’s winger Fetuli Talanoa and the Storm’s Justin O’Neill.

Souths were first to open their account when Talanoa got over in the 15^th minute, but without the conversion they lead by just four points.

Five minutes later the Storm matched their rivals when Justin O’Neill scored his first try of an eventual match double, taking advantage of some poor Rabbitohs defence. But as they missed the kick too, the scores were tied four all.

This was to set the mood for the entire match, as the two scored try for try in an intense showdown.

Without out any other first half points, Souths and Storm went to the break head-to-head on four points.

Back in the second half Melbourne charged to the lead as the talented Greg Inglis scored their second try just three minutes in. This time Cameron Smith booted it through the posts and the Storm were in front 10 – 4.

Less than 10 minutes later, the Rabbitohs’ Chris Sandow tied the scores again with a try converted by the lively Issac Luke. This came minutes after Justin O’Neill botched a certain try opportunity for the Storm, when he dropped a great Brett Finch cross-field kick over the goal-line, giving the Rabbitohs the opportunity they needed to score.

A demanding game that was sure to be decided by a narrow margin, when South Sydney were awarded a penalty in the 57^th minute Issac Luke kicked and gave them what turned out to be the match winning two points.

Souths were first to score again when Talanoa completed his double in the 61^st minute, the Bunnies now having scored their total 16 points.

Desperate to fight back and come out on top, Melbourne’s O’Neill scored again in the 70^th minute, but they missed the kick and still trailed by two. Then, failing to score again despite a dangerous run from fullback Billy Slater with three minutes to go, the Storm went down 14 – 16.

It was a significant victory for the Rabbitohs, their first against Melbourne in the past nine games played between the two.

In Round 17 both the Rabbitohs and the Storm have a bye, Melbourne especially thankful considering State of Origin III plays out Wednesday week and will disrupt the representative-riddled clubs. There are still five other showdowns this weekend to get your Rugby League Betting action at, so head to SportsBet for the latest odds!

In a tight, low scoring affair Brisbane regained the momentum that had seen them enjoy five successive wins before they lost 12 – 22 to the Panthers in Round 15, determined not to lose two in a row after all their hard work to get into the top eight after a dismal start to the season.

The Eels are one of the best defensive teams in the NRL, so it was a big effort from the Broncos to beat them at home, and a nice result for Darren Lockyer who was making his record breaking 329^th NRL appearance for Brisbane. The skipper has now surpassed Andrew Ettingshausen’s 328 first grade games for a single club.

After the win the Broncos are now at number six on the ladder, while the dwindling Eels have dropped down to the 10^th spot after losing four of their past five games. The challenge to Parramatta is now whether they can recreate the incredible late streak that lead them to play in the Grand Final last year.

It was an ugly game on Saturday with neither team living up to their potential, but still Brisbane came away with the two competition points. The Broncos were first to score when Peter Wallace got over in the 7^th minute after latching onto a great Lockyer bomb, the try converted by Corey Parker so the visitors lead 6 – nil early on.

Not long after the under-pressure Jarryd Hayne, who the team seemed to be relying on to pull out some magic, scored the Eels sole try in the 15^th minute. They missed the conversion, and so trailed by two.

The only other points scored in the fighting first half were two points from a penalty, kicked by Luke Burt,  awarded to the Eels a minute from half time after a kick-chase breach by Andrew McCullough, which tied the score six all.

Back from the break it was more grinding play that eventuated in one final try by the gifted Israel Folau in the 61^st minute for the Broncos, which was the match winner as Brisbane finished 10 – 6 in front.

This weekend the Broncos have a huge home game against the Wests Tigers, while the Eels travel to New Zealand to play the Warriors. Get the odds on both these great games and the rest for Round 17 at SportsBet today!

Penrith have now won their last three consecutive games, including their impressive 22 – 12 victory over the Broncos the previous week, setting up a scintillating fight for the top spot. The Panthers now trail the No. 1 Dragons by just two competition points.

The loss has pushed the Sea Eagles down two spots into seventh position, Manly only able to win one of their past four when they narrowly defeated the Rabbitohs 26 – 25 the week before.

On Friday the Panthers’ win was highlighted by an impressive hat-trick of tries from one of the NRL’s speediest players, Michael Jennings. Jennings was overlooked for the first two Origin showdowns this year, but his dangerous attack would have definitely caught the attention of Blues selectors.

It was a nice welcome back for their skipper Petero Civoniceva, who played in his first match since breaking his hand in the Origin series opener.

It was Brad Tighe who opened Penrith’s account, scoring their first of an eventual seven tries just five minutes into the match after a clever offload from Jennings to give them an early four point lead.

Not too long after Manly got their first four-pointer when Kieran Foran crossed in the 13^th minute. Shane Rodney converted and the Sea Eagles lead 6 – 4.

But the Panthers quickly picked up their game and ran in three unanswered tries and a penalty kick in the first half to give them a very comfortable lead. First Trent Waterhouse scored in the 19^th minute, followed by Michael Jennings’ first in the 26^th minute after a neat dummy, and one to the in-form Michael Gordon in the 33^rd who finished off a gallant 70 metre effort. Gordon converted all three, including his own, and also kicked a 31^st minute penalty so Penrith went to half time leading 24 – 6.

Back from the break it was the Panthers who were first to score again, Gavin Cooper scoring just three minutes into the second half, and the conversion pushing them even more in front.

At this stage Manly were in big trouble, and despite a solid performance, were never a threat to the thrilling Panthers.

Glenn Stewart managed to score the second Sea Eagles try in the 57^th minute, but they missed the kick and still trailed 30 – 10.

Then two minutes later Michael Jennings scored his second match try for Penrith after intercepting the ball, with Gordon again booting it through the posts, undoing any good work Manly had done.

In the final quarter Manly’s Tony Williams scored himself a double with tries in the 66^th and 80^th minutes, Steve Matai and Shane Rodney converting one each to bring the Sea Eagle’s final score to 22.

But between Williams’ efforts, Michael Jennings completed his hat trick of tries to make it 40 – 22 in favour of the fearless home side.

This weekend features one of the most exciting games of the season, when the Panthers play the Dragons, while the Sea Eagles will be pleased to have a bye. Get the odds for the Penrith v St George showdown at SportsBet today!