Victory to Bears as rivalry heats up

THERE was no love lost on the field between NRL NT arch rivals Bears and Raiders, with Litchfield staying dominant in their undefeated season seizing victory 14-6 on Friday night.

Bears skipper Luke Mahood was pile-driven in the first half by Palmerston’s Joel Turaga. This set the precedent for the flavour of the match, with Raiders then a man down after Turaga was sent off, and Bears losing their captain to suspected rib injuries.

Bears coach Jake Barnes was happy to hear the final siren and be onto the next assignment after 80 minutes of heated rugby league.

Victory over their bitter rivals was sweet.

“Glad to get a win, it was tough and gritty footy,” he told the Sunday Territorian.

“I think you expect these games to be scrappy. I’m proud of the boys’ discipline tonight.”

Palmerston coach Daniel Keelan was disappointed in defeat but relished the rivalry.

“We held in there after losing one of our main props at the start of the game,” he said.

“We had another player sent off too (Dan O’Driscoll), we were down to 11 at one stage. The result speaks for itself, we’re only eight points behind them with less players.”

Brothers seized a highlights reel victory over Nightcliff 16-12, with an injury list as big as their starting roster and down at halftime.

But a second-half push and a match-winning try and conversion in the final minutes was a vital confidence boost for the club in this late-season stage.

The Souths-Sharks match was called off at halftime after a serious leg injury to Rabbitohs centre Bradley Parrow. The result was a Sharks smashing – they prevailed 22-0.