2011 NRL FINALS WEEK 2
WINNERS and LOSERS
TEAM OF THE WEEK
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Here on www.wdnicolson.com during the Semi Finals we will feature the Winners and Losers of each semi final week and the Team of the Week. Feel free to post your thoughts below.Check out the Finals Week 2 Findings below...
Elimination Finals Results - Week 2
TIGERS 20 - 22 WARRIORS 
7:45pm (Local) Friday 16 September @ Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney. CROWD: 27,109
22 
Tries: James Maloney 26min, Feleti Mateo 49min, Lance Hohaia 66min, Krisnan Inu 78min.
Goals: James Maloney 3/4 Attempts.
20 
Tries: Keith Galloway 14min, Benji Marshall 21min, Robbie Farah 35min.
Goals: Benji Marshall 4/4 Attempts.
NRL Tweet Player of the Finals Points:
4pts - Feleti Mateo (WAR), 2pts - Keith Galloway (WTG), 1pt - Ben Matulino (WAR).Warriors advance to Preliminary Final against Melbourne next Saturday Night.
BRONCOS 13 - 12 DRAGONS 
BRONCOS 13 - 12 DRAGONS 7:00pm (Local) Saturday 17 September @ Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. CROWD: 48,474
13 
Tries: Ben Te'o 15min, Dale Copley 67min.
Goals: Corey Parker 2/4 Attempts, Darren Lockyer 1 Field Goal.
12 
Tries: Adam Cuthbertson 55min, Darius Boyd 78min.
Goals: Jamie Soward 2/2 Attempts.
NRL Tweet Player of the Finals Points:
4pts - Darren Lockyer (BRI), 2pts - Josh McGuire (BRI), 1pt - Adam Cuthbertson (STI).
Broncos advance to Preliminary Final against Manly next Friday Night.
Darren Lockyer - Showed his class and toughness to play the last 15 minutes with a broken face - his final play isn't a bad one to end on if the Broncos can't get to the Grand Final.
Ivan Cleary - Lucky may not even be the most appropriate word. His team was woeful in the first game, got a second chance they probably didn't deserve then he kept his best player on the bench for opening 20 minutes and was down 12-0. He's lucky Feleti Mateo is such a gun and yes the Warriors won.
Michael Weyman and Adam Cuthbertson - Weyman had an ordinary opening stanza but found something on his second stint - and Cuthbertson just made his 2012 signature look all the more attractive to potential suitors.
Wayne Bennett - Finished 3 years in charge of the Dragons with a Premiership and two Minor Premierships... the fact the Dragons lost more Finals games than they won during his tenure is irrelevant - he won them the big one for the first time in 30 years. He's a winner.Chris Heighington - Missed the Kangaroos again - so off he goes to England.
LOSERS - FINALS WEEK 2
Wests Tigers - Missed another golden opportunity to add to their lone Premiership from 2005. As mentioned on the Podcast - Canberra's golden run ended before the likes of Clyde and Daley had entered their late 20s. Next year Robbie Farah will be 28 and Benji Marshall 27... the clock is well and truly ticking.
Mark Gasnier - Retires with a whimper after a glorious return last year. He's been a great player but one can't shake the feeling we never saw the very best of Puff's nephew.
Lote Tuqiri - He went missing this season (injury a big factor) after a sensational return in 2010 and on form was extremely lucky to keep Utai, Brown and McKinnon out of the Finals.
Josh McGuire - His desire to play in a Samoan International last year will cost him a Kangaroo jumper (for maybe as long as 2012 as well). Having said that - it is a GOOD thing that he's playing for a fringe nation - now all we need is for them to get some decent test matches every year.
Ben Hornby - Bout time he got caught for taking runners out on bombs. Not only is it illegal but it is also dangerous and he was quite rightly pinged for it on numerous occasions.Jamie Soward - The question is well and truly back around his neck - is he really a big game player?
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Who were your winners and losers for Week 2? Comment below.
- Gerard Beale, Broncos
Making the absence of Josh Hoffman a minor setback for the Broncos - eating up the metres on kick returns. - Manu Vatuvei, Warriors
Bounced back as everyone knew he would from an unhappy night against Brisbane. Ran hard. - Krisnan Inu, Warriors
Produced the match-winning play to beat the Tigers - enough said. - Justin Hodges, Broncos
Didn't get a lot of quality ball but went searching for work mid-field. Made two hitups on winning field goal drive. - Dale Copley, Broncos
Butchered one try but also scored another and made big gains on kick-returns alongside Beale. - Darren Lockyer, Broncos
In what may have been his final play in Rugby League he knocked the Dragons out of the premiership with a brilliant field goal... with a broken face. Player of the Week. - Peter Wallace, Broncos
Is playing very well at the moment, kept the Brisbane attack flowing inside Lockyer. Faces bigger test without Lockyer however this week. - Josh McGuire, Broncos
The Samoan international is still in great form... even if he didn't score 43 tries as Channel 9 tried to tell us he did Saturday night. - Robbie Farah, Tigers
Yes the Tigers didn't put it away but Farah was the best hooker on the field over the weekend. Still he should've kicked.... - Keith Galloway, Tigers
Would have won Man of the Match had the Tigers not blown it late. Huge game up front and should be in the Test team. - Feleti Mateo, Warriors
Started off the bench and didn't come on until his team was down 12-0. Found a way to make big plays and bring the team back from the brink of elimination. - Adam Cuthbertson, Dragons
Easily the best Dragon on the field Saturday night. Had it not been for Cuthbertson's 2nd half - the Dragons would never have been in the game late. - Corey Parker, Broncos
Psst Manly - if you don't shut down Corey Parker's off-loads then Brisbane (with or without Lockyer) are going to be that much harder to beat. Superb.
BENCH: - Ben Matulino, Warriors
Barely misses a run on spot - he was unstoppable when he came on with Mateo. - Dean Young, Dragons
Kept throwing himself into the game in defence. Charged down one Lockyer field goal but despite his best efforts - couldn't stop the second. - Lance Hohaia, Warriors
Smart footballer who pinpointed two veteran Tigers on their own line in Chris Heighington and Farah to sneak over from dummy half and give the Warriors all the momentum. - Darius Boyd, Dragons
Remained to his final minutes as a Dragon as their most likely provider of points. He will be missed.
Honourable Mentions: Blake Ayshford, Tigers; Ben Te'o, Broncos; Ben Creagh, Dragons; Beau Scott, Dragons; James Maloney, Warriors; Kevin Locke, Warriors; Shaun Johnson, Warriors; Liam Fulton, Tigers.
Who were your winners and losers for Week 2? Comment below.
NRL Finals Week 3 Schedule: Preliminary FinalsPF1 Friday September 23 @ SFS 7:45pm. Match and Ticket Information.
$1.40 v $3.00 BRI +8.0
$1.42 v $3.00 WAR +7.5Winners play in Grand Final. Tigers, Dragons, Cowboys and Knights are all eliminated.
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Listen to the Elimination Finals Review Podcast with Matt and Warrick.
NOT The Footy Show Episode 85
- Elimination Finals Review Released September 19, 2011 -
- Elimination Finals Review Released September 19, 2011 -
Right Click Save Target As This Link if you don't have iTunes.
Darren Lockyer's broken face headlines the NRL Finals Week 2 Review.
The Broncos and Warriors have vanquished the pre-season Grand Final favourites in the Tigers and Dragons, so join Matthew Duncan and Warrick Nicolson as they dissect both Elimination Semi Finals in depth. Lockyer's heroics and chances of playing again plus Video Ref incompetence are the main topics - but we celebrate the Warriors refusal to give up, the Tigers opening the door one too many times, Brisbane's attack and St.George-Illawarra's defence in a jam-packed Podcast review..
1st Qualifying Final: Friday @ ANZ
21 Tries: Benji Marshall 4min, Beau Ryan 47min, Chris Heighington 66min.
Goals: Benji Marshall 4/5 Attempts. Benji Marshall 1 Field Goal.
12 Tries: Mitch Rein 17min, Jason Nightingale 23min.
Goals: Jamie Soward 2/4 Attempts.
CROWD: 45,631
What the result means: Tigers will have a home semi in Week 2 against the Warriors, Dragons avoided elimination when the Warriors were beaten and will play the Broncos in Week 2.
2nd Qualifying Final: Saturday @ Suncorp
40 Tries: Alex Glenn 15min, Jack Reed 28min, Darren Lockyer 35min, Corey Parker 51min, Andrew McCullough 70min, Justin Hodges 73min, Gerard Beale 76min.
Goals: Corey Parker 6/8 Attempts.
10 Tries: Feleti Mateo 59min, Manu Vatuvei 67min.
Goals: James Maloney 1/2 Attempts.
CROWD: 48,943
What the result means: Broncos will have a home semi in Week 2 against the Dragons, The Warriors will play the Tigers after avoiding elimination.
3rd Qualifying Final: Saturday @ SFS
42 
Tries: Will Hopoate 48min, Brett Stewart 57min, Anthony Watmough 63min, Brett Stewart 70min, Jamie Buhrer 74min, Will Hopoate 76min, Matt Ballin 79min.
Goals: Jamie Lyon 6/6, Michael Robertson 1/1 Attempt.
08 
Tries: Willie Tonga 27min.
Goals: Johnathan Thurston 2/2 Attempts.
CROWD: 13,972.
What the result means: Manly will 'host' a Preliminary Final at the SFS or ANZ in Week 3. Cowboys are eliminated as one of the two lowest seeded losers in Week 1.
4th Qualifying Final: Sunday @ AAMI
18 
Tries: Matthew Duffie 14min, Beau Champion 28min, Sika Manu 36min.
Goals: Cameron Smith 3/4 Attempts.
08 
Tries: Kurt Gidley 64min, Akuila Uate 67min.
Goals: Kurt Gidley 0/2 Attempts.
CROWD: 14,800.
What the result means: Melbourne advance to Week 3 with a home preliminary final, the Knights are eliminated.
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