NRL NT: RAIDERS JUGGERNAUT ROLLS ON, THUMPING BEARS
PALMERSTON Raiders showed they’re finals ready with a dominant 52-0 win over Litchfield Bears, while Nightcliff held on to see off Brothers in NRL NT round 14 action.
The Raiders showed their strength early on, shrugging off tackles and enabling backs Matthew Johnson and Tevita Kanalagi to pick up an early try each.
Litchfield was not without its chances, with Dillan Vanderberg and Jarrod Burgess threatening the line. But Palmerston’s goal-line defence kept Bears at bay.
But as the game went on, momentum swung further and further in favour of Raiders.
Blake Fletcher, who had a massive all-around game, broke through the defence to score a try under the posts, and Brad Hansen soon followed with a try for the men in green.
Litchfield entered the second half with more intensity than they showed in the first. But as soon as Raiders regained possession there was no stopping them, with Kanalagi making a massive run which eventually paid off in a try for Matthew Johnson on the opposite wing.
Raiders’ big man Joel Turaga caused chaos through the middle.
And it was his runs alongside the direction of captain Alex Johnson and Fletcher that allowed Palmerston to almost coast through their opposition’s defence.
Fletcher nabbed his second, while Clifford Timms, Will Beers and
Chuck Norris were also benefactors of their side’s dominance, with each scoring a try to extend the score.
It was a game that coach Merg Mikaelian was proud of and a sign that Palmerston was finding its consistency and power at the perfect time of the season.
“I’m proud of that. Not so much the scoreline, but the game plan and how the guys stuck to what we came out to do,” Mikaelian said.
“We’re really trying to focus on a semi-final type of football and what that means.
“The consistency is what we’re looking for and the turning point came in that Brothers win a few weeks back (Palmerston won 44-6) and that continued on against Nightcliff and now here.
“We just have to tune ourselves up again against Sharks next week, which will be another great test.”
Nightcliff held on to beat Darwin Brothers 32-18 and secure its spot on top of the NRL NT table.
The Dragons came out firing with Jone Vakacegu, Dain Smith and Karl Younger among their scorers.
And though Brothers mounted a comeback with Aidan Singleton scoring a brace, it was too little too late.
Northern Sharks nailed on a second-placed finish to the regular season with a comprehensive 60-0 win over South Darwin.
Simaika Salaa scored a hat-trick and may have been on for more but the Rabbitohs were forced to forfeit with 15 minutes to play due to a player shortage.