The Bulldogs now still on top of the NRL ladder. They have been playing some great NRL rugby league and their NRL results speak for themselves. They took care of the West Tigers 22-20 in a very entertaining game. The Bulldogs were dark horses for the competition although this can’t be the case now with them in first place. As for the West Tigers, they will be upset they lost this match but should take great heart from their courage and if they build on these positives, they could still have a great 2009.Manly’s woes exacerbated after a loss to the Melbourne Storm. The whole of the NRL rugby world was keen to see how this Grand Final replay would play out and the Storm had the last laugh. Manly’s rough season continues and they sit on the bottom of the ladder just above Canberra and Cronulla.
It was a mixed weekend for the Queensland side. North Queensland were toppled by Parramatta as were the Broncos by Newcastle but the Gold Coast ensured it wasn’t all disaster by taking care of South Sydney.
St George Illawarra continued their good NRL league form under Wayne Bennett with a tenacious 12-11 victory over the Warriors. There was nothing in the match and it was ultimately only a single point which separated the two. In recent weeks the Warriors have had this one point loss and a draw – they can’t allow this to cause them to drop their heads. They are talented enough to go far, but only if they believe in themselves.
Looking ahead, to Round 9 of the NRL season, it is a shortened round due to the Australia-New Zealand test match and City-Country game. North Queensland takes on the Dragons in what should be a fantastic match. Newcastle hosts the Gold Coast while the Storm play the Sydney Roosters. Match of the round should be Brisbane taking on Manly. While it may not yet be do-or-die for the Sea Eagles, it could be getting quite close. They need to go up to Suncorp Stadium and not just win but make a statement
