Live Blog: Harris-Tavita steps up to ice comeback victory

4 min: The Storm get the first opportunity to go on the attack and Cameron Munster puts a deft grubber through, which bouncing into the arms of Tyran Wishart but it's too close to the dead ball line for him to keep it in play and he takes it over it.

Late Mail

Sharks: Toby Rudolf will start the game and Jesse Colquhoun goes to the bench in a late switch. KL Iro came on to the bench in place of Tukupa-Ke Hau Tapuha on Friday. Earlier, spine stars Nicho Hynes and Blayke Brailey get a pre-finals freshen up so Niwhai Puru moves to halfback, Riley Pollard debuts at five-eighth and Hohepa Puru is the No.9. Michael Gabrael makes his NRL debut in the centres alongside Riley Jones. Back-rower Teig Wilson also gets a rest so Billy Burns starts. Prop Tom Hazelton is serving a one-game ban for a hip drop and will return for the elimination final.

Storm: The Storm are 1-19 with no late changes. Craig Bellamy goes with an unchanged starting side for the final game of the season. Perth-bound duo Tyran Wishart and Nick Meaney line up in the centres with Wishart making his 100th appearance for the Storm in his last game for the club. The last time the Storm won at Ocean Protect Stadium was 2017, the year they went on to win the premiership.

Cowboys v Raiders at Queensland Country Bank Stadium

 

Full time: Josh Papalii is given the send off he deserves with the Raiders winning 50-30 in Townsville.

80 min: Simi Sasagi is over to finish the game with a try after fielding a cross-field kick from the boot of Coby Black. However, the Bunker finds Sasagi was offside on kick chase and Josh Papalii is denied a chance to have a farewell conversion attempt.

78 min: The players on both sides are tiring and struggling to even throw the ball around at this point of the game on a warm evening in Townsville.

74 min: The Raiders have had enough of scoring tries and after a penalty for ruck interference following Josh Papalii coming down inches short of a second try, Coby Black steps up to take the visitors to 50 with a penaty goal. Raiders 50-30

71 min: After a scrappy few minutes from both sides as the fatigue sets in, the Cowboys get on the attack and Jason Taumalolo goes on a charge. He keeps pumping the legs and holds off two defenders to come down with the ball on the try line. Scott Drinkwater makes easy meat of the conversion. Raiders lead 48-30

 

65 min: The Raiders score in consecutive sets once again and this time it's Ethan Strange who gets the four-pointer. But you can put this try down to Coby Black, who on last tackle just inside his own half throws the dummy and steps off his right to break through, then grubbers through to the advantage of Strange to score. Black converts the try from in front to break the record for most points scored on debut. He has 24 of them... so far. Raiders 48-24

62 min: The Cowboys' momentum is short-lived as the Raiders score from their own half. Simi Sasagi pokes his nose through hitting it up on the right and chances his arm with an offload to put Xavier Savage in space. The Raiders winger has too much speed for everyone and he complete a hat-trick with a try in the corner. Coby Black is on target once again with the conversion. Raiders 42-24

59 min: There's still life in this game for the Cowboys as Braidon Burns goes over to score. Fullback Scott Drinkwater receives the ball open side before switching right to the blind side and passing to Tom Chester. The centre shovels it on but his pass catches the arm of Jed Stuart. The ball bounces into the path of Drinkwater and Braidon Burns wraps back inside to score. Drinkwater converts from out wide. Raiders lead 36-24

57 min: The Cowboys make a break down their right side and Tom Chester is away. The centre puts a kick through to his support but Noah Martin is there to grab it, but is trapped in goal. In the following set, the Raiders defend stoutly and Tom Dearden throws an intercept to Ethan Strange to end the attacking raid.

53 min: Double delight for Coby Black! The Raiders get themselves in position to attack after the Cowboys error at the other end and Owen Pattie finds space after a quick play-the-ball, passes to Ethan Strange, who breaks through a number of would-be tacklers and has Black in support. Black takes his match tally to 20 points with the conversion and is closing in on a record-breaking debut. Raiders 36-18

50 min: End-to-end stuff here as Kaeo Weekes breaks away and weaves his way 50m downfield after marking a bomb from Tom Dearden. The next play goes right and Simi Sasagi looks to have put Noah Martin away, but he's caught and has the ball stripped. The ball is loose and picked up by Jaxon Purdue, who goes 50 himself before being run down. In the following set, Heilum Luki on the wing wins the race to a grubber kicks but fails to ground the ball. 

46 min: The home side is up and about as Scott Drinkwater scores in his last game with the Townsville crowd behind him. The Cowboys are just in the Raiders half when they shift left and Tom Dearden puts John Bateman through a yawning gap. The former Raider sets up the draw and pass to his fullback to score under the posts. Drinkwater slots the conversion. Raiders lead 30-18

43 min: A subdued start to the second half in comparison to the first, with both teams completing their sets and getting to a kick, until the Raiders give away a set restart to give the Cowboys field position. But the home side hands it over immediately due to a Tom Mikaele error playing the ball.

Half-time: A wild first half in the north comes to an end with the Raiders leading 30-12. There's not much focus on defence in Townsville, with the visitors getting out to an 18-0 lead before momentum shifted to the Cowboys, who fought back to 18-12. The visitors then got their turn, doing the damage down their right side and through an exceptional debut half from Coby Black to earn their 18-point lead.

34 min: Xavier Savage has a second for the Raiders. The visitors march down the field once again after scoring and receive a penalty for an escort. In the following set, another shift right pays dividends, with Kaeo Weekes throwing the money ball to the winger, who shows off his acrobatics to get the ball down easily. Coby Black can't miss from the tee. Raiders 30-12

30 min: Big Papa gets a meat pie! In a set after Scott Drinkwater dropped a spiral bomb from Coby Black, Owen Pattie throws it to Josh Papalii and with not much open, puts his head down and driver the legs to just get the ball down between Reuben Cotter and Tom Mikaele. Black converts. Raiders 24-12

27 min: Tom Mikaele has put the ball down over the line for the first time! Unfortunately it's a disallowed try after Robert Derby was found to have knocked on when contesting a cross-field kick in the lead up. It came on the back of some strong defence from Heilum Luki on kick chase in the set after points, dragged Kaeo Weekes back in goal.

23 min: John Bateman scores against his old club to put the Cowboys right into this game. On the back of a Heilum Luki line break, the home side has all the momentum and Bateman is on the scene to take advantage of a Jason Taumalolo offload and he beats a couple of Raiders to force the ball to ground. Scott Drinkwater converts from right in front. Raiders lead 18-12

20 min: The Cowboys strike back! Jake Clifford has scored the try but it is all Scott Drinkwater, who finds himself with the ball flat-footed after two loose passes, shrugs off two tacklers, breaks the line, spins around and finds Clifford in support. The opportunity came off a penalty for a strip on Robert Derby. Drinkwater converts to try from adjacent the posts. Raiders lead 18-6

17 min: Bang, bang, bang! The Cowboys are on the wrong end of this shootout as Coby Black has a try on debut. Another shift right has Simi Sasagi putting Xavier Savage away, the winger putting it on the boot before being dragged into touch. Black puts a boot to the bouncing ball to beat Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater and wins the race to it despite the pressure from Tom Dearden. Black converts his own try. Raiders 18-0

14 min: The Raiders go back-to-back through Kaeo Weekes! The No.1 set it up with a beautiful short ball 40m out to Matty Nicholson down the left edge, who streams through and sets up his fullback with a simple draw and pass. Coby Black sends this conversion sailing through. Raiders 12-0

Injury update: Josh Papalii has passed his HIA and will return to the field.

11 min: Some Xavier Savage brilliance in Townsville! The Raiders shift right and Simi Sasagi sends it out to his winger, who quickly drops it on the toe before going over the sideline and then getting a foot back in the field of play before getting his hands on the ball to score the try. Coby Black fades the sideline conversion in between the posts. Raiders 6-0

7 min: The Cowboys had their first chance to attack the Raiders and receive an extra set after Coby Black fails to hold on after cleaning up following a last tackle kick. In the next set he forces the error from Cowboys second rower John Bateman.

4 min: Owen Pattie is over the line for the Raiders, but it's a penalty for the Cowboys! Simi Sasagi is adjudged to have taken out a marker, opening up the space for the hooker.

2 min: Coby Black has his first involvement with a towering bomb landing a couple of metres out from the Cowboys' line and Scott Drinkwater fumbles under the attention of the defence of Kaeo Weekes.

Kickoff: A fantastic evening for footy is underway in Townsville and Josh Papali'i takes the first hit-up, but puts the ball down! Reuben Cotter is sent to the sin bin after the Bunker finds he hit Big Papa high. Papalii heads off for HIA.

Late Mail

Cowboys: The Cowboys will run out 1-19 as named on Tuesday. Earlier in the week, coach Todd Payten revealed that prop Griffin Neame has been playing with turf toe since Round 2 and that's affecting other parts of his body, so the call was made to give him a rest. Jeremiah Nanai has tweaked his medial ligament and will also take a break, but Payten said his star back-rower should be fine for next week. Robert Derby's experience got him the nod over Ronald Philitoga in the battle for the wing spot vacated by Zac Laybutt (concussion). 

Raiders: Two-time Maroons Under 19s halfback Coby Black has been confirmed to make his first NRL start, with hooker Malachi Smith hoping to the same off the bench as the Raiders go into their clash 1-19 as named on Tuesday. Back-rower Noah Martin returns from a quad injury and fills the void left by Zac Hosking (hamstring). Prop Corey Horsburgh is done for the year after undergoing shoulder surgery. 

Numbers Game

• The Cowboys have won seven of their last eight games against the Raiders.
• The Raiders have not defeated the Cowboys twice in a season since 2018.
• Cowboys centre Tom Chester has scored four tries in his last five games.
• Raiders fullback Kaeo Weekes has scored five tries in his last six games.
• Cowboys utility Jaxon Purdue has scored a try in his last three games.

 

Warriors v Sea Eagles at Go Media Stadium

Full-time: That's six wins in a row for the Warriors after they were pushed all the way by a Manly side inspired by Lehi Hopoate (2 tries, 250 run metres, 6 tackle breaks) and Tom Trbojevic (167 run metres, 4 line breaks, 3 try assists).

80 min: Clayton Faulalo gets just over halfway but can't get a pass away and that's full-time. The Warriors scrape home in a thriller.

80 min: Jacob Laban is tackled on the last and the Warriors are then penalised for not giving the ball back quickly enough.

78 min: Chanel Harris-Tavita with a cooly taken field goal from 20m out to put his side in front. Warriors 31-30

77 min: Manly get over halfway but a loose pass from Haumole Olakau'atu is intercepted by Alofiana Khan-Pereira.

76 min: Jamal Fogarty has a field goal charged down, the ball rebounds to Eddie Ieremia-Toeava who is ruled to knock on. The Warriors challenge and win the challenge. Warriors scrum 20m out from their own line.

74 min: Chanel Harris-Tavita goes for a field goal on an early tackle but he is charged down by Caleb Navale. The Warriors then go close through Tanner Stowers-Smith but he comes up short and reaches out. Double movement. Penalty Manly.

73 min: A Warriors high ball is spilled by Jason Saab and Te Maire Martin slides in to pick it up. He pushes the ball out to Chanel Harris-Tavita who scores but the bunker rules Martin had a hand placed on him by a defender before he got the ball to Harris-Tavita. Warriors scrum 10m out for the Saab knock on.

72 min: A forward pass from Haumole Olakau'atu brings the Sea Eagles unstuck.

71 min: A poor kick from Chanel Harris-Tavita sails out on the full and Manly start a set on halfway.

69 min: Taine Tuaupiki has a hat-trick as he gets past four Manly defenders from 10m out to score a crucial try. The livewire fullback has had a storming game and he converts from in front. 30-30

68 min: Another long-range effort from Manly ends with Clayton Faulalo getting across the stripe but we go all the way back to halfway where Tom Trbojevic had dragged back a Warriors defender and denied him a chance to make a tackle. Warriors penalty.

65 min: In his final game for Manly it's Reuben Garrick crossing for his 100th try for the club after Haumole OIakau'atu put Tom Trbojevic away and the fullback sent it on to Garrick for a runaway try that gives Manly the lead. Jamal Fogarty converts. Sea Eagles 30-24

64 min: Concerted attack from the Warriors but Manly jam in on Taine Tuaupiki and force an error.

62 min: Jamal Fogarty bombs, Tom Trbojevic takes it on the full but the Wahs shut him down.

60 min: A huge spiral kick from Jamal Fogarty from deep in his own end is a tough one for Taine Tuaupiki who is pinned inside his own 10m zone.

58 min: Jamal Fogarty with a kick to the right edge, Tom Trbojevic is ruled to taken out the Warriors catcher and Manly are penalised. The ball had spilled to Lehi Hopoate who got over the line but the Warriors hang on.

56 min: James Fisher-Harris is penalised for a dangerous tackle and Manly get a chance to go on the attack.

51 min: Manly come up with a long-range special after Tom Trbojevic and Josh Feledy handle deep in their own territory before unleashing Lehi Hopoate on an 85-metre run to the tryline. Jamal Fogarty converts. 24-24

49 min: A piece of Tom Trbojevic magic as he weaves past three defenders before putting in a perfectly weighted kick for Josh Feledy to chase through and score. Jamal Fogarty converts. Warriors 24-18

46 min: Another pinpoint kick from Te Maire Martin for Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad to outleap Lehi Hopoate and come down with his second try of the day. Taine Tuaupiki can't convert. Warriors 24-12

45 min: The Sea Eagles shift to the right where Tom Trbojevic tries to pick up Jason Saab but the pass goes behind the winger and into touch.

43 min: Demitric Vaimauga is penalised for a hand in the ruck to allow Manly out of their own end.

Prop stars: James Fisher-Harris and Mitch Barnett led from the front as always for the Warriors as they combined for 23 runs for 180 metres, with 63 of those metres coming post-contact.

Half-time: The Warriors have dominated possession to the extent of 67 per cent to 33 per cent, running for 868 metres to 413 metres and coming up with 264 post-contact metres to 89. Under the circumstances, Manly have done a great job to trail by just eight points.

40 min: Manly burn their captain's challenge after Ben Trbojevic knocks down a pass and the Sea Eagles claim he had not touched the ball.

38 min: The Sea Eagles' defence stands firm and a loose offload from Jacob Laban ends up in the arms of Brandon Wakeham.

37 min: Demitric Vaimauga is placed on report for high contact.

35 min: Te Maire Martin bombs and Tom Trbojevic takes it easily but Josh Feledy is penalised for an escort.

33 min: Chanel Harris-Tavita's bomb is too close to the sideline and Alofiana Khan-Pereira can't keep it in play so Manly come out of their own end.

31 min: Te Maire Martin delivers a magnificent 30-metre floating pass onto the chest of Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad who dives over in the corner. Taine Tuaupiki fails to convert. Warriors 20-12

29 min: Tom Trbojevic puts a kick out on the full and the Warriors go on the attack looking to exploit their one-man advantage.

28 min: Ben Trbojevic goes to the sin bin for a hip drop tackle on Sam Healey.

26 min: A first career double for Taine Tuaupiki after Te Maire Martin turns him underneath and the fullback's speed is too much for Nathan Brown and Ben Trbojevic as he dots down under the stick. Tuaupiki again converts his own try. Warriors 16-12

25 min: Te Maire Martin with a neat grubber into the in-goal which is grounded by Tom Trbojevic. Manly go short with the dropout but the Warriors claim it.

21 min: Jacob Laban busts through a Josh Feledy tackle and delivers a perfect offload for Taine Tuaupiki to cross out wide. Tuaupiki converts his own four-pointer. Sea Eagles 12-10

20 min: Razzle dazzle from the Sea Eagles from deep in their own territory and Tom Trbojevic finds himself in space but his final pass to Jason Saab is ruled forward as another threatened.

17 min: Jason Saab picks off an intercept 10m out from his own line and looks set to go the distance before Taine Tuaupiki comes up with a superb cover tackle but the Warriors can't scramble back in time to deny a try for Lehi Hopoate a try on the left edge. Josh Feledy and Clayton Faulalo both handled as Manly got the ball quickly to the left after Saab had been dragged down. Jamal Fogarty converts. Sea Eagles 12-4

15 min: Jacob Laban on the end of a chain of passes on the right edge but his pass travels forward as he tries to send it inside for Chanel Harris-Tavita.

12 min: The Warriors hit back through Adam Pompey after Eddie Ieremia-Toeava hits a hole and gets an offload away for his centre to score. Taine Tuaupiki can't convert. Sea Eagles 6-4

11 min: Erin Clark tries to play the ball quickly and stumbles forward but the Sea Eagles are penalised for ruck interference.

8 min: A mistake by the Warriors coming out of their own end hands Manly a shot at more points but Chanel Harris-Tavita comes up with a one-on-one steal to get possession back.

5 min: The Sea Eagles strike first on the right edge after Nathan Brown finds Haumole Olakau'atu who sends it on to Tom Trbojevic and the fullback puts Reuben Garrick away on a 25m sprint to the line. Jamal Fogarty converts. Sea Eagles 6-0

4 min: Eddie Ieremia-Toeava with an error to take the air out of the Wahs' balloon as they threatened early points.

2 min: The Warriors on the attack early as Manly concede a penalty for lying in the ruck as James Fisher-Harris tried to play the ball.

 

Late Mail

Warriors: Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad is back from suspension and key playmakers Te Maire Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita also return from hamstring injuries. CNK play on the wing with Adam Pompey moving to centre to cover for Leka Halasima (ankle). That brings Taine Tuaupiki in at fullback and Jett Cleary onto the bench. Hooker Wayde Egan and back-rower Kurt Capewell will be rested so Sam Healey wears the No.9 and Eddie Ieremia-Toeava starts. "Wayde deserves to rest, he has played every game this year, and he has bounced well out of byes this year so I could imagine he will bounce well out of it," coach Andrew Webster said on Thursday.

Sea Eagles: No game day changes for Kieran Foran as the Sea Eagles roll out the same starting side that got the job done against the Dragons. Last week's debutant Onitoni Large retains his spot on the interchange. Nic Lenaz and Hugo Hart came out of the side in Friday's 24-hour update with Jackson Shereb added to the interchange. The Sea Eagles are chasing their first win in Auckland since Round 25, 2017 when Tom and Jake Trbojevic both scored tries and Daly Cherry-Evans nailed two field goals in a 22-21 win.