Two undefeated teams remain after Round 5 of the Jersey Flegg, with the Roosters and Sharks keeping their momentum strong. At the other end of the ladder, Manly picked up their first win of 2023 with a comeback win at home.
Penrith Panthers 28 – 6 Canberra Raiders
Penrith ended their two-game losing skid with a dominant win over Canberra at home. They ran in six tries from six different try scorers in the 22-point win. The loss is Canberra’s fourth in succession.
Penrith 28 (S Lane, Z Lipowicz, K Mai, R Smith, P Taateo, A Warwick tries; L Philp 2 goals) def. Canberra 6 (L Kaloutolu try; R Carr goal) at BlueBet Stadium. Referee: M Ford. Halftime: Penrith 14-0.
Stat sheet
Penrith: Riley Wake – 30 tackles; Peter Taateo – 195 run metres; Ryley Smith – 2 try assists
Canberra: Josh Billing – 44 tackles; Livai Kaloutolu – 134 run metres
Debuts: Lleyton Finau*, Timothy Sielaff-Burns* (Penrith); Peyton Jenkins* (Canberra)
*Previously played Colts
Parramatta Eels 32 – 16 St George Illawarra Dragons
After back-t0-back losses to begin the season, Parramatta have now won three straight after disposing of the Dragons in Wollongong. Winger Turoa Williams bagged a hattrick for the Eels, the first for the club since the Jersey Flegg was reintroduced in 2018.
Parramatta 32 (T Williams 3, J Brazel, N Hicks, W Latu tries; M Puafisi 3, R Lack goals) def. St George Illawarra 16 (M Pritchard 2, B Johnson, T Phillips tries) at Ziems Park. Referee: B Seppala. Halftime: Parramatta 20-4.
Stat sheet
St George Illawarra: Declan Purcell – 32 tackles; Ben Johnson – 128 run metres; Maxwell Pritchard – 2 line breaks
Parramatta: Jacob Davis – 26 tackles; Brock Parker – 158 run metres; Turoa Williams – 3 line breaks; Tyrone Munro – 3 try assists
Manly Sea Eagles 24 – 18 Newcastle Knights
After four tough weeks, Manly have finally picked up their first win of the year. They did it the hard way as well, overcoming an 18-6 halftime deficit. Sea Eagles’ Five-eighth Jamie Humphreys scored 16 of his side’s 24 points in the victory.
Manly 24 (J Humphreys 2, C Brown, J Uesele tries; J Humphreys 4 goals) def. Newcastle 18 (F Forsythe 2, T Petersen tries; J Afoa 3 goals) at HE Laybutt Sporting Complex. Referee: A Sirianni. Halftime: Newcastle 18-6.
Stat sheet
Manly: Caleb Navale – 36 tackles; James Uesele – 181 run metres
Newcastle: Lachlan Williams – 36 tackles; Sebastian Su’a – 133 run metres; Freeman Forsythe – 2 line breaks
Debuts: Declan Pettet (Newcastle)
Sydney Roosters 38 – 10 Melbourne Storm
The Roosters continue to be the dominant team of the competition so far with another victory, this time a 28-point demolition of Melbourne. Winger Isaac Guba added two more to his try tally, taking it to seven for the season.
Sydney 38 (I Guba 2, T Colley, K Fekitoa, A Holten, H Savala, V Tamati tries; H Savala 5 goals) def. Melbourne 10 (A Gudgeon, D Perese tries; K Russell-Smith goal) at Waminda Oval. Referee: B Mani. Halftime: Sydney 28-0.
Stat sheet
Sydney: Corey Ross – 26 tackles; Isaac Guba – 181 run metres, 3 line breaks; Owen Flaherty – 3 try assists
Melbourne: Sheldon Diaz – 36 tackles; Coby Williamson – 125 run metres
Debuts: Brody Briggs (Sydney); Suliasi Prescott (Melbourne)
Cronulla Sharks 15 – 14 Canterbury Bulldogs
Cronulla and Canterbury played out the game of the round at PointsBet Stadium, with a last second Manaia Waitere field goal winning it for the Sharks. Both sides went into the game undefeated and delivered a match worthy of their standing in the competition.
Cronulla 15 (C Barnes 2, M Riolo tries; M Riolo goals; M Waitere field goal) def. Canterbury 14 (E Clark, L Hopoi tries; E Clark 3 goals) at PointsBet Stadium. Referee: N Loveday. Halftime: Cronulla 10-0.
Stat sheet
Cronulla: Blake Hosking – 33 tackles; Lachlan Crouch – 156 run metres; Chaz Jarvis – 2 line breaks, 2 try assists
Canterbury: Lachlan Vale – 37 tackles; Cameron Lawrence – 183 run metres
Debuts: Chaz Jarvis (Cronulla)
The South Sydney Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers had a bye in Round 5.
Round 4 Highlights: https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2023/04/03/jersey-flegg-cup-highlights–round-five/
Click HERE for the Jersey Flegg Cup ladder
| Top try scorers | Top point scorers |
| 7 Isaac Guba (Sydney) | 38 Eli Clark (Canterbury) |
| 6 Turoa Williams (Parramatta) | 34 Max Riolo (Cronulla) |
| 4 Matthew Hill (Melbourne) | 28 Isaac Guba (Sydney) |
| 4 Jordan Swann (Sydney) | 28 Hugo Savala (Sydney) |
| 3 Jahoiyakim Afoa (Newcastle) | 26 Turoa Williams (Parramatta) |
| 3 Cain Barnes (Cronulla) | 24 Jahoiyakim Afoa (Newcastle) |
| 3 Cameron Brown (Manly) | 24 Keagan Russell-Smith (Melbourne) |
| 3 Eli Clark (Canterbury) | 22 Tyler Colley (Sydney) |
| 3 Freeman Forsythe (Cronulla) | 22 Ryley Smith (Penrith) |
| 3 Ben Johnson (St George Illawarra) | 20 Zane Camroux (Wests Tigers) |
Upcoming fixtures
| Round 6 | |||||
| 7 April | Canterbury Bulldogs | v | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Belmore Sports Ground | View |
| 7 April | Wests Tigers | v | Parramatta Eels | Lidcombe Oval | View |
| 7 April | Canberra Raiders | v | Melbourne Storm | Raiders Belconnen | View |
| 8 April | Penrith Panthers | v | Manly Sea Eagles | BlueBet Stadium | View |
| 9 April | Newcastle Knights | v | Sydney Roosters | McDonald Jones Stadium | View |
Cronulla Sharks, St George Illawarra Dragons – BYE
18TH MAN 