NRL Round 21 results and live updates: Cameron Ciraldo's Bulldogs dusted by red-hot Panthers

Joshua Mayne

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Liam O'Loughlin

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Mark Molyneux

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Kye Kuncoro

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NRL Round 21 results and live updates: Cameron Ciraldo's Bulldogs dusted by red-hot Panthers image

Round 21 of the NRL season kicked off with the Dragons edging Wests Tigers in a clash dubbed Spoon Bowl thanks to some Zac Lomax magic. 

The Warriors and Raiders played out a thriller to begin the Friday slate, with the Raiders mounting a stunning late comeback but ultimately unable to secure the win.

In the second game of the night, the Rabbitohs and Broncos faced off in a highly-anticipated clash, and it was Brisbane who exploded into life in the second half to pick up a big victory.

The Roosters demolished the Titans early, leading 30-0 at halftime before taking the win 36-18 on the Gold Coast.

The Knights claimed an impressive 26-18 win over the Storm at home, while the Cowboys beat the Eels 24-16 in an entertaining affair. 

The Sporting News has all the live updates, highlights, analysis and talking points from Round 21 below. 

Cameron Ciraldo selections cause more headaches for Bulldogs

Canterbury were always going to be up against it on Sunday afternoon, with their 44-18 defeat against Penrith no major surprise given the quality of both sides.

But some of the selections from head coach Cameron Ciraldo didn't help matters, with a reshuffle to the spine questioned by many fans in Round 20.

Reed Mahoney dropped to the bench due to the flu, which saw Kyle Flanagan move to hooker and Jake Averillo named at halfback despite only settling into his preferred role at fullback in recent weeks.

Later in the match, Mahoney entered the fray but played as a middle-forward, allowing Flanagan to remain at hooker in another odd decision from Ciraldo. 

"I thought Kyle was going pretty well... that’s the way we trained all week, Reedy was crook all week and didn’t train with us," the coach said post-game.

"We just had to find a ball-playing forward and Reed was happy to do that for us. Without too much moving around, we thought put Reed in there and get his 30 minutes out.

"He probably shouldn’t have played, but as the captain he wanted to be out here with the boys and the best way to utilise him was to play 15 minutes either side in that lock role."

Hayze Perham's recall at fullback - despite head of football Phil Gould admitting he isn't suited to the role - was another head-scratcher, while the omission of Jackson Topine was also a strange choice.

The club have struggled with injuries throughout the year and Ciraldo hasn't had the easiest run, but the Dogs need their best possible 17 on the paddock - especially against top sides like the Panthers. 

Todd Payten fumes over Valentine Holmes sin bin

Valentine Holmes faces a nervous wait overnight for the judiciary findings after he was sent to the sin bin for a bone-rattling hit on Mitch Moses during North Queensland’s 24-16 win over Parramatta.

The centre came rushing out of the line to put pressure on the halfback with his hit causing the ball to fly free from Moses’ grasp.

Referee Grant Atkins initially ruled a knock on against the Eels, only for them to challenge the decision.

And following a review by the Bunker, it was deemed Holmes had actually contacted Moses in the head with the point of his shoulder and was sent to the bin.

"I thought it was the wrong call," Todd Payten said post-match. 

"It definitely wasn’t forceful contact to the head because of the speed that Val was coming in at and the speed Mitch was coming in - if that’s forceful contact to the head he is going to hospital or he is going to get a HIA assessment.

"I thought it was good contact on the ball and whiplash made it look worse than what it was. And it was great refereeing from Mitch."

The controversial decision didn't end up being a costly one for the Cowboys as they moved into the top eight for the first time this season off the back of their sixth straight win.

It came at a cost though with Holmes facing a possible ban, while Jeremiah Nanai picked up a worrying shoulder injury and Griffin Neame was ruled out after a HIA. 

Bradman Best helps Knights snap losing streak against Storm

Up until Saturday night, you could always count on three things: death, taxes and the Storm getting the better of the Knights. 

An 11-game losing streak, which had stretched across an eight-year period, is what faced Newcastle in the Hunter when they played Melbourne with their season hanging by a thread. 

Adam O'Brien was bullish in the lead up, claiming he'd never seen his side in such good shape yet after 15 minutes it looked like the coach would be wiping egg from his face. 

The Knights were dreadful in defence and slipped to a 12-0 deficit early but then an almighty turnaround - sparked by Bradman Best and also helped by Tariq Sim's unnecessary high shot - led the side to a drought-breaking win. 

Since his shock call-up to the NSW Origin side, Best has found a new level and he was once again in red-hot form. 

The centre proved unstoppable at times, scoring a rampaging try to go with an eye-catching offload to set up Greg Marzhew as Newcastle's left edge tore their opponents to shreds in a first half blitz. 

James Tedesco electric in dominant Roosters win over the Titans

The Roosters were outstanding in the first half led by their captain, James Tedesco who was quality in attack.

With 238 run metres, a line break, two try assists, four tackles breaks and a try Tedesco played the Titans off the park.

The absence of Tino Fa'asuamaleaui was felt in the middle as the Roosters ran riot. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves in particularly stood out as he ran for 210 metres and totalled 73 post-contact metres.

The Roosters came into the fixture with the worst attack statistically in the NRL but showed against the Titans that their talented roster is capable of scoring.

The win means the Roosters remain in finals contention but they will still need to string several wins together to make postseason footy a reality. 

Broncos defeat Rabbitohs as Reece Walsh returns

Reece Walsh made his return from Origin suspension on Friday night and was able to contribute immediately. 

The young halfback scored a scintillating try in the second half to spark the Brisbane Broncos to a 36-20 win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

It was a back-and-forth opening 40 minutes, with the Bunnies going into the sheds with a narrow lead.

The Broncos, however, sparked into life in the second stanza, with a well-worked Adam Reynolds try the sealer - despite them having a player in the sin bin.

The victory moves Kevin Walter's side onto the top of the NRL ladder for the time being.

Shaun Johnson wins it for Warriors after late Raiders comeback

Fans in Auckland were treated to a wild finish between the New Zealand Warriors and Canberra Raiders, with the home side prevailing 21-20.

The majority of the match was scrappy and filled with errors, but the Warriors had a comfortable 10-point lead with a few minutes remaining.

However, quickfire tries to Elliott Whitehead and Jack Wighton saw the Raiders level things up in dramatic fashion.

Jarrod Croker then failed to convert from the sideline, sending the game to golden point.

And who stood up? Shaun Johnson, of course.

The magic man continued his stunning 2023 form, slotting a field goal off the back of the Warriors' first set in golden point.

Zac Lomax helps Dragons to win over Wests Tigers in 'Spoon Bowl'

There hasn't been much - if anything - for Dragons fans to cheer about this year but Zac Lomax provided a rare highlight with a brilliant solo effort to help his side to a 18-14 victory over the Wests Tigers.

After the Dragons found themselves trailing at the break to Tim Sheens' team who were on a six-game losing streak, Lomax produced an individual piece of magic to give the Dragons a vital win in their battle to avoid the wooden spoon. 

After starring at fullback in their loss to the Raiders in Round 19, Lomax once again showed his quality as he continues to put his demotion to reserve grade earlier in the year behind him. 

Back in his usual position in the centres – although he did have a spell at the back to cover for the sin-binning of Tyrell Sloan – Lomax was at his damaging best to finish with a try, one assist and 188 metres. 

Latrell Mitchell injury update

The Rabbitohs have suffered a huge blow just one day out from their clash with the Broncos with Mitchell's return put on ice for another week. 

The fullback has been out since Round 12 after picking up a troublesome calf injury which also saw him named and then withdrawn from two NSW Origin sides. 

Mitchell was set to finally feature for the Bunnies in Round 21 but has instead been replaced at the back by Blake Taaffe who has covered for his absence during the last two months. 

"Latrell won't play," Jason Demetriou said. 

"The performance staff would rather him get through another week of training. He'll get another Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday session in, if we err on the side of caution, and that's what we'll do."

NRL Round 21 Draw and Results

Date Match Time (AEST) Stadium
Thurs. 20th July St George Illawarra Dragons 18 def. Wests Tigers 14 7.50pm WIN Stadium
Fri. 21st July New Zealand Warriors 21 def. Canberra Raiders 20 6pm Go Media Stadium
Fri. 21st July South Sydney Rabbitohs 20 def. by Brisbane Broncos 36 8pm Sunshine Coast Stadium
Sat. 22nd July Gold Coast Titans 18 def. by Sydney Roosters 36 3pm Cbus Super Stadium
Sat. 22nd July Newcastle Knights 26 def. Melbourne Storm 18 5.30pm McDonald Jones Stadium
Sat. 22nd July North Queensland Cowboys 24 def. Parramatta Eels 16 7.35pm Queensland Country Bank Stadium
Sun. 23rd July Penrith Panthers 44 def. Canterbury Bulldogs 18 2pm BlueBet Stadium
Sun. 23rd July Cronulla Sharks vs. Manly Sea Eagles 4.05pm PointsBet Stadium
BYE DOLPHINS    

NRL LIVE LADDER

  Team GP Wins Draws Losses Byes P/D Points
1 Penrith Panthers 18 13 0 5 3 229 32
2 Brisbane Broncos 19 14 0 5 2 131 32
3 New Zealand Warriors 19 12 0 7 2 111 28
4 Melbourne Storm 18 11 0 7 3 71 28
5 Canberra Raiders 18 11 0 7 3 -56 28
6 Cronulla Sharks 17 10 0 7 3 102 26
7 North Queensland Cowboys 19 11 0 8 2 57 26
8 Parramatta Eels 19 10 0 9 2 89 24
9 South Sydney Rabbitohs 18 10 0 8 2 92 24
10 Newcastle Knights 18 8 1 9 3 50 23
11 Sydney Roosters 18 8 0 10 3 -88 22
12 Dolphins 18 8 0 10 3 -91 22
13 Manly Sea Eagles 17 7 1 9 3 -35 21
14 Gold Coast Titans 18 7 0 11 3 -52 20
15 St George Illawarra Dragons 18 5 0 13 3 -133 16
16 Canterbury Bulldogs 19 6 0 13 2 -262 16
17 Wests Tigers 18 3 0 15 3 -199 12

Joshua Mayne

Joshua Mayne Photo

Joshua Mayne is a content producer for The Sporting News Australia based in Sydney, Australia. He has previously worked as a newsreader at 2SER and journalist at Ministry of Sport. While Joshua’s main passions are football, rugby league, basketball and F1, he will watch any sport that's on. He is still waiting for Arsenal to win the Premier League again. 

 

Liam O'Loughlin

Liam O'Loughlin Photo

Liam has been with The Sporting News since 2019, helping lead both NRL and cricket content, as well as delving into the world of combat sports and NFL. A true rugby league tragic, he has spent the past 20 years playing, coaching and volunteering for his beloved junior club, Penshurst RSL. 

Away from work, Liam has a lifelong passion for all things pro wrestling and has travelled abroad to attend showcase events for WWE, AEW and NJPW. 

 

Mark Molyneux

Mark Molyneux Photo

Mark Molyneux is a freelance writer covering the NRL and UFC for Sporting News Australia. He has previously worked in the music industry and as a teacher around the world.

Kye Kuncoro

Kye Kuncoro Photo

Kye is a content producer for Sporting News Australia.