ROUND UP

BY ALF WILSON

Rampaging forward

David Fifita and five eighth Ezra Mam each scored tries for rival sides when the Gold Coast Titans defeated the Brisbane Broncos 18-12 in an NRL round 17 thriller on Sunday.

David scored his try for the Titans just before halftime at the 38th minute to level the scores at 6-all going into the break.

Consistent, he also had a hand in the Titans second try passing the ball to an unmarked Brian Kelly.

Ezra had a try awarded by the referee early in the match but it was disallowed by the bunker.

However he showed great skill to score in the second half at the 61st minute mark.

In the final analysis the Titans scored three tries to two.

The Broncos will be favourites to return to the winner’s circle when they host the struggling

The Broncos sit second on the ladder behind Penrith with both on 24 points. For and against percentage separates them.

Cotter stars in Cowboys upset

Reuben Cotter played a major role in the North Queensland Cowboys upset 31-6 win over South Sydney Rabbitohs.

The Rabbits went into the game the hottest of favourites but that didn’t daunt the Cowboys who dominated.

Reuben came off the bench early in the first half and ran for more than 100 metres.

South Sydney winger Alex Johnston had few scoring opportunities and had little impact.

The Cowboys take on West Tigers next Saturday.

The Rabbitohs head across the Tasman to face the in-form Warriors on Friday.

Hammer tries

Two second half tries by Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow could not prevent his Dolphins from losing 48-20 to big improvers Parramatta Eels in round 17 of the NRL at Sunshine Coast Stadium last Saturday.

It was the fifth win in a row for last year’s beaten grand finalists Parramatta and they had the game won at halftime when they led 42-4.

It was always going to be a mission impossible for the Dolphins to win with such a deficit however the Hammer shone in the second half during which his team outscored the Eels 16-6.

He ran for an amazing 279 metres, which was a herculean effort considering he had starred in Queensland State of Origin victory over NSW just three nights before. At the 49th minute Hammer accepted a pass and ran 70m to score his first four pointer.

Then at the 66th minute the Hammer sprinted 80m to score his first double of the season during which he has crossed for an impressive 14 four pointers.

The Dolphins now meet one of the premiership favourites the Brisbane Broncos this weekend which means Hammer will face off with Broncos classy five eighth Ezra Mam.

Seb safe at fullback in narrow win

Sebastian Kris was a prime mover in the cliffhanger 20-18 win by his Canberra