Round 10 was full of upset wins and exceptional individual performances in the VB NSW Cup this week.
NRL star Chris Sandow sensationally led the Wentworthville Magpies to a 48-6 drubbing over the fourth-placed New Zealand Warriors. Sandow was superb in setting up four of his side’s eight tries and kicking a perfect eight from eight goals for the Magpies’ third win of the season.
The North Sydney Bears also recorded their third victory to shock the reigning premiers Penrith Panthers. The Bears jumped to a 16-0 halftime lead before the Panthers rallied to gain an 18-16 lead with ten minutes remaining. But the Bears prevailed 26-18 to seal a memorable win for in the biggest upset of the season so far. It was an opportunity gone begging for the Panthers who could have jumped to first on the ladder following Mounties’ loss to Wyong Roos.
The Roos claimed an impressive 30-14 victory in a see-sawing contest against the first-placed Mounties. The two sides traded blows in the opening half as Mounties held a slender 14-12 lead before Wyong ran away to score 18 unanswered points in the second half.
The Canterbury Bulldogs also overcame the odds to defeat the more-favoured Newtown Jets and snap a four-game losing streak. It was a well-deserved 26-24 result for the Bulldogs following a 58-18 thrashing against Mounties in Round 9. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 18-0 lead but the Jets responded to cut the deficit to 18-16 at halftime. Bulldogs winger Tautalatasi Tasi enjoyed a day to remember scoring a hat trick of tries before halftime.
Tim Moltzen returned from injury to lead the Wests Tigers to a valuable come-from-behind victory against the Newcastle Knights. The visitors trailed 10-0 before scoring three tries in ten minutes for a strong 20-18 road win. It was the Wests Tigers third-consecutive victory who now climb into fourth place on the ladder while Newcastle suffered their first loss in four games but improved to third position after the Warriors’ heavy 42-point loss.
This week features a shortened Round 11 with three vital contests as Manly v Illawarra at WIN Stadium, Wests Tigers v Wyong at Campbelltown Stadium and Wentworthville v Newtown at Ringrose Park.
