PENRITH PANTHERS	GAME 2	AUCKLAND WARRIORS
34	Saturday, 12th of June 1999	20
Tries	Referee : Sean Hampstead	Tries
D Woods 2	Venue : Penrith Football Stadium	N Vagana 2
M Reick 2	Crowd : 7,097	R Mears
R Girdler	Half Time : 16-8 Penrith
S Scattler
Goals		Goals
R Girdler 5/7		C Doherty 4/4
COMMENTS : Penrith break their win drought with a healthy but unconvincing win over the Warriors. Girdler was the best on ground, whilst Gower returned to form and David Woods played especially well. Auckland were tough, but not able to break the Panthers line consistantly enough. They had chances to make it closer but were let down by poor handling. Penrith are now looking to consolidate their top 8 spot, but will need better and more convincing victories than this one to make sure of it.

NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS	GAME 3	MELBOURNE STORM
27	Saturday, 12th of June 1999	26
Tries	Referee : Bill Harrigan	Tries
M Hughes	Venue : Marathon Stadium	M Geyer 2
A MacDougall	Crowd : 25,793 (gates shut)	T Martin
S Rudder	Half Time : 16-12 Melbourne	M Bai
D Albert		T Nikau
A Johns
Goals		Goals
A Johns 3/7 - 1 Field Goal		M Geyer 3/5
COMMENTS : What a performance by Andrew Johns! He played outstanding football to lead his side to a one point victory in which he scored 11 points and was the inspiration for the win. The team played like a well oiled machine in the second half with Johns consistantly throwing perfect passes and stepping lightly around the opposition. He won the battle against this opposite number, Kimmorley, who also played strongly. MacDougall had a strong game, while Robbie Ross was Melbourne's best.

SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS	GAME 4	WESTERN SUBURBS MAGPIES
16	Saturday, 12th of June 1999	10
Tries	Referee : Matt Hewitt	Tries
T Brasher 2	Venue : Campbelltown Sports Ground	B Davis
J Smith	Crowd : 12,194	J Brooker
	Half Time : ?
Goals		Goals
J O'Neill 2/3		B Hodgson 1/2
COMMENTS : Tim Brasher surged back into contention for Origin No.3 with a 2 try effort against the struggling Maggies. He proved that he still 'has it' as he ran with pace and power to get through the Wests line. An impressive home crowd for the Magpies saw the Rabbitohs get off to a 16-0 lead before Wests pegged it back late in the second half thanks to a good game from Brett Hodgson who was always safe at fullback. Souths are hanging in there near the top 8, but one would think that they lack the lasting power to stay there.

SYDNEY CITY ROOSTERS	GAME 5	THE SHARKS
32	Sunday, 13th of June 1999	14
Tries	Referee : Steven Clark	Tries
R Miles 2	Venue : Sydney Football Stadium	B Howland 2
A Walker	Crowd : 17,131	D Triester
R Barnett	Half Time : 18-6 Sydney City
B Fletcher
J Elsegood
Goals		Goals
A Walker 4/7		B Stanley 1/4
COMMENTS : The Roosters proved that they CAN win without Fittler and win well! The new look Roosters side overcame the Sharks who looked decidedly flat, especially without Rogers in the back and Stevens up front. Sean Ryan was also sent from the field to make it tougher. The Roosters evened the ledge however when Barnhill was sent for a high shot. Richie Barnett was the standout for the Roosters, while try scorers Walker and Miles were also impressive. Cronulla were disappointing, but John Lang is not too worried yet. The Sharks are missing many players and will have to settle down once the Origin is over. The Roosters are still equal with the Sharks at the top of the ladder.

CANBERRA RAIDERS	GAME 6	MANLY SEA-EAGLES
29	Sunday, 13th of June 1999	16
Tries	Referee : Paul Simpkins	Tries
B Mullins 2	Venue : Brookvale Oval	A Hayden
B Kennedy	Crowd : 11,976	S Menzies
M McLinden	Half Time : 12-4 Manly	A Frew
S Woolford
B Finch
Goals		Goals
D Furner 2/5		G Mackay 1/3
L Williamson 0/1		A Brown 1/2
L Daley 1 Field Goal
COMMENTS : Manly were easily the best side of the first 40 minutes, but it all fell away in the second half with Canberra running in 5 second half tries to swamp the Sea-Eagles in a free flowing game. David Furner pushed for Origin selection with a strong game in the forwards, but is unlikely to push in yet. Mark Corvo also had a strong running game, while Terry Hill was the Sea-Eagles best. Meninga has called on his sides senior players to step up a notch in the second half of the season, and if they do the Raiders will be a handful for any number of teams. With kenedy, McLinden, McFadden and Daley all playing well they should beat most NRL teams. Their weakness appears to be consistantcy however and perhaps fitness. They have had trouble alsting the full 80 minutes in the past and will have to be in prime condition for next weeks match against the Eels.

ST.GEORGE-ILLAWARRA DRAGONS	GAME 7	NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
22	Sunday, 13th of June 1999	18
Tries	Referee : Paul McBlane	Tries
D Treacy	Venue : Kogarah Oval	A Connelly
A Brown	Crowd : 8,156	K Warren
R Wishart	Half Time : 16-12 St.George-Illawarra	P Green
N Blacklock
Goals		Goals
W Bartrim 3/5		G Bourke 1/3
		N Goldthorpe 1/1
		S Prince 1/1
COMMENTS : You could be excused from not knowing wether to pick the Dragons from each week to the next. They are as hot and cold as the Canberra Weather and have had trouble stringing wins together this season. They almost fell to the bottom side in this weekend game as the North Queensland Cowboys pushed the Dragons to the limit. The Dragons coach was angry at North Queensland's spoling tactics, but he would be better served handing out the disappointment to his players who still can't seem to click together. They have quality with the likes of Mundine, Barrett, Ainscough and Blacklock but seem to struggle on the park. Barrett was the standout in this game, whilst Noel Goldthorpe was the Cowboys best.

BRISBANE BRONCOS	GAME 8	NORTH SYDNEY BEARS
26	Monday, 14th of June 1999	8
Tries	Referee : Mark Oaten	Tries
S Renouf 2	Venue : North Sydney Oval	J Wilson
J Plath	Crowd : 13,442
T Carroll	Half Time : 12-8 Brisbane
P Lee
Goals		Goals
B Walker 3/5		J Taylor 2/2
COMMENTS : Brisbane continue to surge up the ladder with a quality win over the Bears at their 'home'. Renouf stood out for the Broncos with another 2 tries to add to his 2 from the week before. Gordon Tallis was a standout as well with a trademark bustling performance especially out wide. Queensland Origin selectors would have no doubt been watching this game and will have to consider changes to their side for the decider. North Sydney continue to struggle, but are apparently still confident of playing at Graham Park this millenium and turning it all around to head for the finals! Good Luck to them!