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CANBERRA
RAIDERS
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GAME 1
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BRISBANE
BRONCOS
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28
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Friday, 5th of March 1999
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20
|
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Tries
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Referee : Tim Mander
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Tries
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S Woolford
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Venue : Bruce Stadium
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D Lockyer
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B Pearson 2
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Crowd : 20,122
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M Devere 2
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R Jensen
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Sent Off : Ben Walker
(51st)
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A Langer
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J Croker
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Goals
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Goals
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D Furner 4/6
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D Lockyer 2/4
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| COMMENTS : Canberra pulled out the big guns early for this battle and it paid dividends. The send off of Walker really hurt the Broncos and they never looked like coming back. There were glimpses of Bronco magic, but the Raiders held them out smartly for an important first up win. Langer was disappointing, but Jensen looks a hot property for the Raiders this season | ||
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MELBOURNE
STORM
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GAME 2
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PENRITH
PANTHERS
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32
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Friday, 5th of March 1999
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10
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Tries
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Referee : Brian Grant
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Tries
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M Geyer
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Venue : Olympic Park
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R Beckett
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R Ross
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Crowd : 12,056
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R Girdler
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R Bawden
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R Swain
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A Moule
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Goals
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Goals
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M Geyer 6/7
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R Girdler 1/2
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| COMMENTS : The Storm powered their way through this way by way of the forwards. Geyer had an outstanding game, snatching half of his teams points, while Girdler tried his heart out for the losing side | ||
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NEWCASTLE
KNIGHTS
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GAME 3
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MANLY
SEA-EAGLES
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|
41
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Saturday, 6th of March 1999
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18
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Tries
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Referee : Steven Clark
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Tries
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J Moodie 2
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Venue : Stadium Australia
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T Hill
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B Peden
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Crowd : 104,583
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A Torrens
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A Johns
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A King
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P Harragon
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A Peters
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S Conley
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G Grief
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Goals
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Goals
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A Johns 6/7 (1 FG)
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G Mackay1/3
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D Gartner 0/1
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| COMMENTS : Newcastle dominated this game, although Manly did score the first try ever at Stadium Australia. Paul Harrogan scored his first try since 1997, and the Johns boys once again carved up the opposition.Manly showed little resistance, and will need to improve their game significantly. | ||
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PARRAMATTA
EELS
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GAME 4
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ST.
GEORGE-ILLAWARRA DRAGONS
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20
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Saturday, 6th of March 1999
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10
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Tries
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Referee : Bill Harrigan
(Rating - 5/10 )
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Tries
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J Smith 2
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Venue : Stadium Australia
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L Thompson
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J McCracken
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Crowd : 104,583
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D Treacy
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D Moran
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Goals
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Goals
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C Schifcoske 2/4
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C Fitzgibbon 1/2
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W Bartrim 0/1
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| COMMENTS : A tough encounter saw Parramatta showing great commitment and stamina to beat the newly merged Dragons. Nathan Cayless was taken to hospital in the first 10 minutes, but Parramatta dominated the first half to lead by 10 at the break. The Dragons showed great heart, but look like they will need a few weeks to mesh as a team. Trent Barrett was very quiet, while Mundine had a quality game. Bill Harrigan had an average game, allowing a dodgy try to St. George in the second half where it looked like Thompson had dropped the ball over the line. Jason Smith had a blinder for the Eels, and Luke Burt looks to be a great youngster for Parra | ||
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CRONULLA
SHARKS
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GAME 5
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BALMAIN
TIGERS
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44
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Sunday, 7th of March 1999
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0
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Tries
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Referee : Mogsheen
Jadwat
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Tries
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S Ryan 2
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Venue : Shark Park
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B Howland
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Crowd : 8,186
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A Ettingshausen
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D Peachey
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M Rogers
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C McKenna
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J Ferris
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Goals
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Goals
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M Rogers 6/8
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| COMMENTS : Cronulla posted their biggest ever win over the Tigers with this game. The Tigers were woeful as the Sharks led by the return of ET plummeled the Balmain line 8 times. The addition of Jason Ferris at Five-Eighth for the Sharks adds another dimension to their game and they look like they should improve on last year. | ||
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SOUTH
SYDNEY RABBITOHS
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GAME 6
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CANTERBURY
BULLDOGS
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16
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Sunday, 7th of March 1999
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14
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Tries
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Referee : Sean Hampstead
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Tries
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B Rodwell
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Venue : Sydney Football
Stadium
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B Clyde
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S Garlick
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Crowd : 9,673
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R Silva
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C Wing
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Goals
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Goals
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D Trindall 2/3
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D Halligan 3/3
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| COMMENTS : Go back one year and you will see that Souths beat the Auckland Warriors in Round 1 of 1998. Again they have pulled out the big guns and snatched a great win over the 1998 runners-up. Craig Wing crossed in the corner with 2 minutes to go to seal this victory. Could it be a turn around for the red and greens? I believe that this year will be a lot better for the rabbitohs and this game goes a long way to proving that. All they have to hope for now is that they can continue it, unlike last year! | ||
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NORTH
SYDNEY BEARS
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GAME 7
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WESTERN
SUBURBS MAGPIES
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30
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Sunday, 7th of March 1999
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12
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Tries
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Referee : Paul Simpkins
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Tries
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J Wilson 2
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Venue : Parramatta
Stadium
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A Bristow
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B Moore
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Crowd : 4,705
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J Brooker
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A Muir
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S Trindall
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Goals
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Goals
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J Taylor 4/5
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B Hodgson 2/4
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B Ikin 0/1
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| COMMENTS : When I first saw this result, my first impression was that Wests actually put up a fight! Norths took a while to get going, and Wests actually led at the 13 minute mark, but with Ben Ikin firing, the Bears took control and scored 6 tries to 2 in a dominating performance. | ||
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AUCKLAND
WARRIORS
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GAME 8
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SYDNEY
CITY ROOSTERS
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|
26
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Monday, 8th of March 1999
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16
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Tries
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Referee : Matt Hewitt
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Tries
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M Ridge 2
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Venue : Sydney Football
Stadium
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B Fletcher 2
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J Galuvao
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Crowd : 10,124
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J Bailey
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S Jones
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Sin Binned : A Walker
(SYD), T Tuimavave (AUC)
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M Sing
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Goals
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Sent Off : B Fittler
(66th), Lauiti'ti (66th)
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Goals
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M Ridge 5/5
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| COMMENTS : Well! To top off the first round, another upset occured with the Warriors taking the Roosters to KFC and munching them down! Who could have picked this game? Sounds like it was a firey game with 2 players sent off, and the same sin binned. Phil Gould will not be a happy chappy! Auckland led 12-4 at half time and went on with the job in the second. | ||