PARRAMATTA EELS 30 SYDNEY ROOSTERS 24
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PARRAMATTA'S Jarrad Hayne won the battle of the converted five-eighths with a two-try display in the Eels trial victory against the Sydney Roosters at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
Hayne put in his best display yet in the No.6 shirt , crossing the line twice and setting up another as the Eels outmuscled the Roosters to make it three wins from three this pre-season.
The Roosters had their own makeshift five-eighth with Setaimata Sa making his first trial appearance in the No.6 jersey in a largely ineffectual display.
Sa spent most of his time occupying a wide position on the Roosters' right-hand side as former five-eighth and now lock Braith Anasta did most of the second receiver's work in attack.
The Eels didn't look like winners when Roosters pair Sam Perrett and Mitch Aubusson both crossed the line in the opening ten minutes but from that point it was almost all Parramatta. A try late in the half to Tim Mannah made the scores 10-6 at the break.
The second-half was the Hayne show, with the former NSW winger breaking clear and scoring under the posts two minutes into the second term to give the Eels the lead.
Fijian rising star Sisa Waqa gave the Roosters hope of a fightback when he broke clear to send Aubusson in for his second midway through the term.
But within minutes Hayne had capitalised on a Roosters handling error to double his tally and put the Eels back in front. Krisnan Inu extended Parramatta's lead to ten shortly afterwards before Hayne sent Luke Burt into the clear to seal the points.
Orange product Ben Jones chimed in with a late intercept try but the Eels were never going to be headed despite Perrett adding his second with the last play of the match.
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CRONULLA 14 NEWCASTLE 10
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CRONULLA'S all-star back-row trio of Paul Gallen, Reni Maitua and Anthony Tupou all suffered worrying injuries in the Sharks' last-second victory over Newcastle in a trial at Cessnock Sportsground. Gallen clutched at his right knee after being tackled in the 18th minute and, after receiving on-field treatment for two minutes, was chaired off the ground by two trainers on Saturday night.
The initial diagnosis was that the rugged NSW and Australian lock had hyper-extended his knee and he was expected to have further tests Sunday or Monday.
Gallen's injury gave ex-Bulldog Maitua his first appearance in Cronulla colours but he was destined for disaster.
The controversial utility was sin-binned for a professional foul on Jarrod Mullen in the 39th minute then, in the 48th minute, he was stretchered off with a leg injury.
Maitua and Gallen could struggle to make Cronulla's NRL season-opener at home against Penrith in a fortnight. But Tupou, who was helped from the field with concussion after making a tackle in the 42nd minute, is not expected to miss that game.
It was the first appearance in Cronulla colours for Maitua and Tupou after both missed the Sharks' 40-10 loss to Gold Coast in Darwin a week earlier.
The Knights, coming off a 32-24 loss to the Storm in Melbourne last Saturday, also had their problems. But Ben Cross (concussion), Cory Paterson (corked hip) and Kurt Gidley (six stitches in head gash), who were replaced with injuries at various stages of the first half, all returned after the break.
The Sharks opened the scoring in the 11th minute when former Bulldogs hooker Corey Hughes pounced on a wayward dummy-half pass by Knights playmaker Jarrod Mullen.
The ball bounced loose in Newcastle's in-goal, Hughes was on the spot to touch down and Luke Covell converted for a 6-0 lead.
Mullen made amends three minutes later with a deft grubber which the Sharks could not control and Knights replacement prop Richie Fa'aoso tidied up to score.
Knights recruit Ben Rogers found some space to put former Shark Cameron Ciraldo over for a try in the 57th minute, giving Newcastle a 10-6 lead after Paterson missed the conversion attempt from close range.
David Simmons made it 10-10 eight minutes later when he scored from a Blake Green cross-field kick and Covell missed the conversion attempt from the sideline.
Newcastle half Scott Dureau tried to break the deadlock in the 78th minute but his field-goal attempt was blocked, then the Sharks stole the match when Simmons took Hughes's chip kick to touch down in the corner in the final seconds.
