Check out what happened in round 5 of the National Rugby League competition.
Round 5
Review
Embed from Getty ImagesCanterbury-Bankstown (10 points, +66) are on top of ladder – and still undefeated – after round 5.
They’re ahead of four teams on eight points: Brisbane (8, +66), Melbourne (8, +62), NZ Warriors (8, +8), and South Sydney (8, +4). Manly Warringah (6, +28), Canberra (6, -2), and the Gold Coast (6, -4) round out the top eight.
Six players were sin binned this round (Hudson Young, Reece Robson, Izack Tago, Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Ray Stone, Brendan Piakura) for the head contact crackdown. Five players were charged by the Match Review Committee.
Canterbury stayed undefeated with a win over Newcastle at Accor Stadium. Leading 2-0 at half-time, the Bulldogs put the game away against an injury-hit Newcastle with second half tries to Josh Curran, Jack Todd (his first NRL try), and Kurt Mann (scoring in his 200th NRL game). Stephen Crichton kicked four goals from four.
Brisbane temporarily moved to the top of the ladder on Saturday night after beating the Wests Tigers at Suncorp Stadium. Trailing 12-6 with three minutes left in the first half, the Broncos blew the game open with 20 points in the next nine minutes: two tries to Xavier Willison, and three goals and a two-point field goal to Adam Reynolds. Starford To’a scored a double for the Tigers. Though the Broncos’ win was dampened with injuries to Reynolds (hamstring) and Brendan Piakura (concussion).
Melbourne bounced back from the Dragons loss with a huge win over Manly at 4 Pines Park. Grant Anderson scored a hat-trick while Ryan Papenhuyzen finished with 18 points (a try and seven goals). The Storm played some liquid football to build on an 18-10 half-time lead. Tolutau Koula scored two tries for Manly.
South Sydney defied key injuries to beat their foundation rivals at Accor Stadium. The returning Latrell Mitchell showed why he’s one of the NRL’s marquee players: with 10 minutes left, he threw a cut-out pass over multiple Sydney Roosters defenders for Isaiah Tass to score (with Tass just staying in the field of play). While there was debate over whether Mitchell’s pass was forward, most pundits thought it was a great pass. Mitchell’s fourth conversion of the night gave Souths a 20-14 lead. The Rabbitohs lost Cody Walker, Jamie Humphreys, and Mikaele Ravalawa to be down to a 14-man bench.
Canberra opened the round with a thrilling win against Cronulla at GIO Stadium. With two minutes left, Canberra strung together a miraculous last tackle play, finished off by an Xavier Savage kick that was picked up by Kaeo Weekes, who passed to Simi Sasagi, who passed to Sebastian Kris to score. It was redemption for Savage, who was criticised for his decision not to pass late in the Cowboys game last Saturday. Hudson Young (Canberra) and Briton Nikora (Cronulla) both scored doubles as the game was locked 18-18 at half-time.
North Queensland beat Penrith at CommBank Stadium, with Murray Taulagi scoring a double. Trailing 22-18 with five minutes left, Penrith nearly took the lead when Paul Alamoti scored in the corner, but his foot was in touch before he grounded the ball. It’s the first time Penrith have lost four straight games since 2019.
Jamayne Isaako scored 20 points (a try and eight goals) as The Dolphins won their first game in 2025, beating the Gold Coast at Cbus Super Stadium.
Zac Lomax kicked a Golden Point field goal as Parramatta beat St George Illawarra at CommBank Stadium. Lomax scored 11 points against his former club (five goals and a field goal),while former Eel Clint Gutherson scored two tries for the Dragons.
Embed from Getty ImagesResults
Canberra Raiders 24 defeated Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 20 (GIO Stadium, 3/4/2025, 20:00)
Raiders: 1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamale 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Jamal Fogarty 10. Joseph Tapine 9. Tom Starling 16. Morgan Smithies 11. Hudson Young 12. Matt Nicholson 13. Corey Horsburgh 8. Josh Papali’i 14. Owen Pattie 15. Simi Sasagi 17. Ata Mariota 19. Jed Stuart
Players cut from final squad: 18. Danny Levi 20. Pasami Saulo 21. Trey Mooney 22. Adam Cook
Sharks: 1. William Kennedy 2. Samuel Stonestreet 3. Jesse Ramien 4. Mawene Hiroti 5. Ronaldo Mulitalo 6. Braydon Trindall 7. Nicho Hynes 8. Addin Fonua-Blake 9. Blayke Brailey 10. Oregon Kaufusi 11. Briton Nikora 22. Billy Burns 13. Cameron McInnes 14. Daniel Atkinson 15. Thomas Hazelton 16. Toby Rudolf 17. Tuku Hau Tapuha 20. Hohepa Puru
Players cut from final squad: 12. Teig Wilton 18. Jayden Berrell 19. Chris Veaila 21. Jesse Colquhoun
Referee: Todd Smith
Bunker: Ashley Klein
Penrith Panthers 18 lost to North Queensland Cowboys 22 (CommBank Stadium, 4/4/2025, 18:00)
Panthers: 1. Daine Laurie 2. Paul Alamoti 3. Izack Tago 4. Thomas Jenkins 5. Casey McLean 6. Jack Cole 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 11. Isaiah Papali’i 12. Liam Martin 17. Luke Garner 13. Isaah Yeo 10. Lindsay Smith 14. Brad Schneider 15. Matt Eisenhuth 16. Liam Henry 18. Blaize Talagi 19. Mavrik Geyer 20. Luron Patea 21. Luke Sommerton 22. Jesse McLean
Players cut from final squad:
Cowboys: 1. Scott Drinkwater 2. Robert Derby 3. Jaxon Purdue 4. Viliami Vailea 5. Murray Taulagi 6. Tom Dearden 7. Jake Clifford 8. Jordan McLean 9. Reece Robson 10. Jason Taumalolo 11. John Bateman 12. Kai O’Donnell 14. Sam McIntyre 15. Jeremiah Nanai 16. Griffin Neame 17. Coen Hess 18. Harrison Edwards 20. Thomas Duffy
Players cut from final squad: 13. Reuben Cotter 19. Zac Laybutt 21. Karl Lawton 22. Thomas Mikaele
Referee: Peter Gough
Bunker: Gerard Sutton
South Sydney Rabbitohs 20 defeated Sydney Roosters 14 (Accor Stadium, 4/4/2025, 20:00)
Rabbitohs: 1. Jye Gray 2. Isaiah Tass 3. Latrell Mitchell 4. Jack Wighton 5. Mikaele Ravalawa 6. Cody Walker 7. Jamie Humphreys 8. Sean Keppie 9. Peter Mamouzelos 10. Tevita Tatola 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jai Arrow 13. Lachlan Hubner 14. Jayden Sullivan 15. Siliva Havili 16. Tallis Duncan 17. Davvy Moale 18. Liam Le Blanc
Players cut from final squad: 19. Fletcher Myers 20. Lewis Dodd 21. Salesi Ataata 22. Thomas Fletcher
Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 4. Robert Toia 21. Billy Smith 5. Dominic Young 6. Sandon Smith 7. Chad Townsend 8. Lindsay Collins 9. Connor Watson 10. Naufahu Whyte 11. Angus Crichton 12. Siua Wong 13. Nat Butcher 14. Zach Dockar-Clay 15. Salesi Foketi 16. Blake Steep 17. Spencer Leniu 18. Hugo Savala
Players cut from final squad: 3. Mark Nawaqanitawase 19. Makahesi Makatoa 20. Ethan King 22. Taylor Losalu
Referee: Adam Gee
Bunker: Grant Atkins
Parramatta Eels 23 defeated St George-Illawarra Dragons 22 – Golden Point (CommBank Stadium, 5/4/2025, 15:00)
Eels: 1. Isaiah Iongi 2. Sean Russell 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Zac Lomax 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Dylan Brown 7. Dean Hawkins 8. Joe Ofahengaue 19. Charlie Guymer 10. Junior Paulo 11. Shaun Lane 12. Kitione Kautoga 13. J’maine Hopgood 9. Ryley Smith 14. Dylan Walker 15. Luca Moretti 16. Sam Tuivaiti 18. Joash Papali’i
Players cut from final squad: 17. Dan Keir 20. Bailey Simonsson 21. Brendan Hands 22. Ronald Volkman
Dragons: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Tyrell Sloan 3. Moses Suli 4. Valentine Holmes 5. Christian Tuipulotu 6. Kyle Flanagan 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Toby Couchman 9. Damien Cook 10. David Klemmer 11. Luciano Leilua 12. Jaydn Su’A 13. Jack de Belin 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Blake Lawrie 16. Hamish Stewart 17. Dylan Egan 20. Sione FinauTonga
Players cut from final squad: 18. Mathew Feagai 19. Raymond Faitala-Mariner 21. Lyhkan King-Togia 22. Loko Jnr Pasifiki
Referee: Gerard Sutton
Bunker: Kasey Badger
Gold Coast Titans 10 lost to Dolphins 36 (CBUS Super Stadium, 5/4/2025, 17:30)
Titans: 1. Jaylan De Groot 2. Tony Francis 3. Brian Kelly 12. Beau Fermor 4. Phillip Sami 6. AJ Brimson 7. Jayden Campbell 8. Moeaki Fotuaika 9. Chris Randall 10. Reagan Campbell-Gillard 11. Klese Haas 15. David Fifita 13. Tino Fa’asuamaleaui 14. Sean Mullany 16. Jaimin Jolliffe 17. Brock Gray 18. Arama Hau 20. Jacob Alick-Wiencke
Players cut from final squad: 5. Jojo Fifita 19. Tom Weaver 21. Tukimihia Simpkins 22. Josiah Pahulu
Dolphins: 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 2. Jamayne Isaako 3. Jake Averillo 4. Herbie Farnworth 5. Jack Bostock 6. Kodi Nikorima 7. Isaiya Katoa 8. Daniel Saifiti 9. Jeremy Marshall-King 15. Mark Nicholls 11. Kulikefu Finefeuiaki 13. Max Plath 10. Felise Kaufusi 12. Connelly Lemuelu 14. Kurt Donoghoe 16. Ray Stone 19. Josh Kerr 18. Sean O’Sullivan
Players cut from final squad: 17. Kenny Bromwich 20. Oryn Keeley 21. Max Feagai 22. Junior Tupou
Referee: Wyatt Raymond
Bunker: Adam Gee
Brisbane Broncos 46 defeated Wests Tigers 24 (Suncorp Stadium, 5/4/2025, 19:35)
Broncos: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Selwyn Cobbo 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ben Hunt 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Patrick Carrigan 9. Cory Paix 10. Payne Haas 11. Jack Gosiewski 12. Brendan Piakura 13. Kobe Hetherington 14. Billy Walters 15. Corey Jensen 16. Xavier Willison 17. Jaiyden Hunt 20. Martin Taupau
Players cut from final squad: 18. Tyson Smoothy 19. Deine Mariner 21. Benjamin Te Kura 22. Jock Madden
Tigers: 1. Jahream Bula 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Adam Doueihi 4. Starford To’a 5. Luke Laulilii 6. Lachlan Galvin 7. Latu Fainu 8. Terrell May 9. Apisai Koroisau 10. Fonua Pole 12. Alex Seyfarth 16. Jack Bird 13. Alex Twal 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Royce Hunt 17. Sione Fainu 22. Tony Sukkar 18. Heath Mason
Players cut from final squad: 11. Samuela Fainu 19. Kit Laulilii 20. Solomona Faataape 21. Reuben Porter
Referee: Liam Kennedy
Bunker: Ashley Klein
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 lost to Melbourne Storm 48 (4 Pines Park, 6/4/2025, 16:05)
Sea Eagles: 1. Lehi Hopoate 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Clayton Faulalo 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 10. Siosiua Taukeiaho 9. Jazz Tevaga 17. Toafofoa Sipley 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 8. Nathan Brown 14. Jake Simpkin 15. Corey Waddell 16. Ethan Bullemor 18. Aaron Schoupp
Players cut from final squad: 19. Jakob Arthur 20. Dean Matterson 21. Caleb Navale 22. Gordon Chan Kum Tong
Storm: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 4. Grant Anderson 3. Jack Howarth 21. Moses Leo 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 22. Jahrome Hughes 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loiero 7. Tyran Wishart 14. Bronson Garlick 15. Alec MacDonald 16. Tui Kamikamica 17. Lazarus Vaalepu
Players cut from final squad: 2. William Warbrick 18. Joe Chan 19. Kane Bradley 20. Sualauvi Faalogo
Referee: Grant Atkins
Bunker: Kasey Badger
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 20 defeated Newcastle Knights 0 (Accor Stadium, 6/4/2025, 18:15)
Bulldogs: 1. Connor Tracey 5. Marcelo Montoya 3. Bronson Xerri 4. Stephen Crichton 23. Jacob Kiraz 6. Bailey Hayward 7. Toby Sexton 8. Max King 9. Reed Mahoney 10. Daniel Suluka-Fifita 11. Josh Curran 12. Jacob Preston 13. Jaeman Salmon 14. Kurt Mann 15. Harry Hayes 16. Jack Todd 20. Blake Taaffe 19. Lipoi Hopoi
Players cut from final squad: 2. Blake Wilson 17. Kurtis Morrin 21. Jake Turpin 22. Luke Smith
Knights: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. James Schiller 3. Dane Gagai 4. Bradman Best 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Fletcher Sharpe 7. Jack Cogger 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Leo Thompson 11. Thomas Cant 12. Tyson Frizell 13. Adam Elliott 14. Jayden Brailey 15. Jack Hetherington 16. Jermaine McEwen 17. Mathew Croker 18. Brodie Jones
Players cut from final squad: 19. Kyle McCarthy 20. Matthew Arthur 21. Jackson Hastings 22. Tyrone Thompson
Referee: Ashley Klein
Bunker: Wyatt Raymond
Match Review
to be updated when final results are in
