The Melbourne Storm scored eight tries in a convincing 42-20 win over the Warriors, while the Sydney Roosters defeat St George Illawarra 34-10 in their traditional Anzac Day match at the SCG.
Earlier, the Sea Eagles enjoyed a 40-6 win over the Wests Tigers.
Check out how the action unfolded in our ScoreCentre below.
Storm vs Warriors
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Play-by-play
Clinical Roosters thrash Dragons
AAP: Dean Lewins
)St George Illawarra’s Jordan Pereira is facing a stint on the sidelines for a sickening hit on James Tedesco during the Dragons’ 34-10 loss to the Sydney Roosters.
In another concussion concern for the Roosters, Tedesco missed the second half of the blockbuster Anzac Day match at the SCG after failing his head injury assessment (HIA).
The dangerous hit was put on report and it cost Pereira 10 minutes in the sin-bin, activating the 18th-man rule for the second time in less than 24 hours.
With the Roosters on the attack chasing down a 6-4 Dragons lead, Tedesco smoothly tapped on the ball before he was blindsided by Pereira’s swinging arm while falling.
The Roosters captain stayed down obviously rattled by the hit and went on to fail his HIA during the half-time break.
Regardless of Pereira’s punishment, the head knock is a concern for the Roosters, who have had more than their fair share of concussion problems this season.
Skipper Boyd Cordner is sidelined as part of a conservative return-to-play process, while Jake Friend was forced to retire due to ongoing concussions.
Forwards Sitili Tupouniua and Lindsay Collins have also spent time on the sidelines this year after heavy head knocks.
The latest event is also a worrying sign for Tedesco, who was knocked out and heavily concussed in 2020’s final State of Origin match at the end of September.
The moment sparked a huge turning point in Sunday’s game.
Down to 12 men, the Roosters pounced twice in five minutes, first through Tupouniua’s power running close to the line and then when halfback Sam Walker put Nat Butcher through a gap.
The Roosters took the half-time lead at 16-6 and did not look back.
Teenage half Walker again defied his limited NRL experience to star for the Roosters, scoring a try of his own to earn the Anzac Medal in front of the 37,620-strong crowd at the SCG.
Sam Verrill’s return from an ACL injury was a huge success, playing the last half an hour of the game and setting up Collins for a try.
Tedesco’s replacement Joey Manu and Daniel Tupou also got across the line in a convincing victory.
Tom Trbojevic runs riot in Manly win
AAP: Joel Carrett
)Tom Trbojevic’s immense influence at Manly has again been laid bare, with the star fullback pivotal in four tries as the Sea Eagles thrashed Wests Tigers 40-6 at Western Sydney Stadium.
In a game that prompted calls for him to be picked as New South Wales fullback, Trbojevic broke the line in successive sets late in the first half to set up tries that turned the match.
It came as part of a magical five-minute run for Manly, as Daly Cherry-Evans loomed up in support play twice and Martin Taupau also bagged one.
Trbojevic then backed it up with another assist and a try of his own after the half-time break, while Cherry-Evans finished with a 40-20 and two assists to go with his double.
The win made it three straight for the Sea Eagles. They are now 3-4 after making a horror start to the season.
In contrast, the Tigers are now off to the worst start in the joint-venture’s history, having won just one of their first seven matches.
After Luciano Leilua gave the Tigers an early lead with their only try, Trbojevic showed again why Manly are now 17.5 points better off per game when he is on the field over the past three years.
Cherry-Evans’s first came when Josh Schuster skipped, stepped and forced his way through the line and put the halfback over with a no-look ball.
In the next set it was time for Trbojevic.
Twice he bust through the line, with Cherry-Evans the beneficiary on the first and Taupau the second after the halfback juggled a pass and cost himself a hat-trick.
After half-time Trbojevic claimed his 50th try while in support play after Cherry-Evans put Haumole Olakau’atu through, before putting on a quick ball for Reuben Garrick to score.
Meanwhile, Kieran Foran also got his first try back in Manly colours during another sorry afternoon for a Tigers side that missed 33 tackles.
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AAP
