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NRL finals begin to take shape
Written by Rads   
Sunday, 05 September 2010 10:33

smh.com.au

Steve Jancetic
September 5, 2010 - 6:09AM

AAP

Week one of the NRL finals series is halfway to being finalised with Sunday's clash between Manly and Canterbury to play a pivotal role in determining the remaining match-ups.

The fourth-placed Gold Coast will host the Warriors at Skilled Park on Friday night after the Auckland-based side secured fifth spot on the ladder with a 26-12 win over Parramatta on Saturday night.

That left the Sydney Roosters needing to beat North Queensland by more than 15 to leapfrog the Warriors, something they were unable to achieve as they were forced to settle for sixth after beating the Cowboys 18-8 at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

The Roosters will now play Wests Tigers at the Sydney Football Stadium in the early game on Saturday night, the local derby sure to attract a large crowd at a venue they both share.

Penrith locked up second spot on the ladder with a 50-12 hammering of Cronulla at CUA Stadium in Saturday night's other contest, Frank Pritchard scoring a hattrick for the rampant Panthers.

They return to the NRL finals for the first time in six years, ending the longest current finals drought of any side in the competition.

"It's been too long, it's been a long time in between drinks but it's pretty exciting," stand-in skipper Trent Waterhouse said.

"I'm just proud of the boys for their effort this year, it's been great to get second spot and I think it's thoroughly deserved but it starts again now.

"We've got a new comp starting now and I can't wait."

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Dogged Rabbitohs hoping for miracle at Brookvale
Written by Rads   
Sunday, 05 September 2010 10:30

SMH.COM.AU

Ben Horne and Steve Jancetic
September 5, 2010

TODAY will be an emotional roller coaster for South Sydney players, with their season teetering on the precipice.

The Bunnies face a long wait to find out whether they'll be playing for a top-eight position against St George Illawarra at 7pm.

Brisbane went agonisingly close to toppling Canberra on Friday, another result that would have opened an avenue for Souths to sneak into the play-offs. But the Raiders' win means the Rabbitohs now have only one hope.

At 3pm, everyone from Russell Crowe to Reggie, the team's mascot, will cross their fingers, toes and rabbit ears praying that Canterbury can upset Manly at Brookvale Oval and give them something to play for later on.

If the Bulldogs win, then Souths will have to immediately put their game faces on, knowing that if they beat the Dragons and make up less than 10 points in for and against, they can steal a finals berth.

However, if the Sea Eagles claim victory, the Rabbitohs will need to overcome the huge psychological letdown and deal with the fact that they are playing for pride and that their strong squad has squandered a golden opportunity.

''All we can control is what we do on Sunday regardless of the result, whether it's to get into the eight or whether it's for pride to finish the season off strong,'' said Souths skipper Roy Asotasi.

''It would be good [to be in with a chance], but that's something we can't control, so we've just got to focus. It could be our last week or we could have an extra, but the main thing is we just have to win against the Dragons, who are the benchmark side, and if we do well there, then who knows?

''We've had plenty of opportunities to sneak into the eight and I guess this is our last chance, our last shot at it.''

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Souths' NRL season 'on roller coaster'
Written by Rads   
Saturday, 04 September 2010 17:12

smh.com.au

Ben Horne and Steve Jancetic
September 4, 2010 - 12:34PM

AAP

Sunday will be an emotional roller coaster for South Sydney players, with their NRL season teetering on the precipice.

When they wake up in the morning the Bunnies will still have no idea whether they'll be playing for a top eight position against St George Illawarra at 7pm that evening, and it's a long wait until then.

Brisbane went agonisingly close to toppling Canberra on Friday, another result which would have opened an avenue for Souths to sneak into the playoffs.

But the Raiders' win means they now have only one hope.

At 3pm everyone from Russell Crowe to Reggie the team's mascot will cross their fingers, toes and Rabbit ears praying that Canterbury can upset Manly at Brookvale Oval and give them something to play for later on.

If the Bulldogs win then Souths will have to immediately put their game faces on, knowing that if they beat the Dragons and make up less than 10 points in for and against, they can steal a finals berth.

However if the Sea Eagles claim victory, the Rabbitohs will need to overcome the huge psychological letdown and deal with the fact they are playing for pride and that their strong squad has squandered a golden opportunity to make the finals.

"All we can control is what we do on Sunday regardless of the result, whether it's to get into the eight or whether it's for pride to finish the season off strong," said Souths skipper, Roy Asotasi.

"It would be good (to be in with a chance) but that's something we can't control so we've just got to focus ... it could be our last week or we could have an extra, but the main thing is we just have to win Sunday against the Dragons who are the benchmark side and if we do well there then who knows?

"We've had plenty of opportunities to sneak into the eight and I guess this is our last chance, our last shot at it."

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