In a scene that seemed more suited to the Lord’s Cricket Ground than Western Sydney Stadium, the Canterbury Bulldogs have conceded a penalty for misconduct that was not “in the true spirit of the game”.
The bizarre moment came in the Bulldogs’ gritty 16-8 win over the Parramatta Eels at Western Sydney Stadium.
Referee Wyatt Raymond penalised Canterbury prop Josh Curran, for calling out to an Eel telling him to remove himself from a tackle.
Raymond deemed that act as misconduct, impersonating the call of a referee to gain an advantage.
The Bulldogs held on to defeat Parramatta, who produced their best effort of the season after being well-beaten in their first two matches of 2025.
Josh Addo-Carr, playing his first match for the Eels after having his contract with the Bulldogs terminated last season, scored a try on club debut.
Star recruit Zac Lomax was excellent for the Eels in a losing side, but Parramatta’s lack of potency in attack cost them on Sunday.
Meanwhile, new father Reuben Garrick scored four tries as the Manly Sea Eagles belted Canberra Raiders 40-12.
The first 20 minutes of the match was an arm-wrestle with both teams battling hard.
But the sin-binning of Canberra prop Corey Horsburgh started a spiral the Raiders could not get out of.
Manly scored in the subsequent set, and then Canberra fullback Kaeo Weekes committed three errors that directly led to Manly tries.
The Sea Eagles score five tries in a 15-minute blitz to lead 30-0 at half-time.
Garrick, who celebrated the birth of his baby on Saturday, scored a pair of tries in each half to cap off a terrific week.
Look back at all the action from both games in our live blog below, and check out all the stats the latest stats in the full ScoreCentre.
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NRL Sunday scores
That is all for the blog tonight
Thanks Mick, see you next week.
– Mike
That is all for the blog this evening.
The Bulldogs and Sea Eagles were winners on Sunday.
Parramatta produced a spirited performance in defeat, while the Raiders were given a reality check.
ABC Sport will be back next week to bring you round four of the NRL.
Remember, you can get all your sport news online with ABC Sport.
Goodnight.
Reuben Garrick rides the ‘rollercoaster’ of emotion
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FULL-TIME: Manly Sea Eagles 40 def. Canberra Raiders 12
— reporting by AAP
A potentially season-ending injury to towering prop Taniela Paseka has taken the gloss off Manly’s best performance of the season after the Sea Eagles thrashed Canberra 40-12.
Manly fear Paseka has ruptured an Achilles tendon after the 197cm Tonga international stumbled into a tackle in the first half at Brookvale Oval on Sunday.
But even accounting for the absence of their most damaging middle forward and first-choice fullback Tom Trbojevic (hamstring) the Sea Eagles easily handled the Raiders.
Centre Reuben Garrick chalked up a 28-point haul for Manly, scoring four tries and kicking six goals from seven attempts to bring the Raiders back down to earth with a bump.
Canberra had begun the season on fire, knocking off the Warriors in Las Vegas and pummelling Brisbane in round two.
But they had too steep a mountain to climb against a lopsided first-half penalty count that was compounded by errors from their back three and Corey Horsburgh’s 22nd-minute sin-binning.
Horsburgh was sent for ten following sustained ruck infringements from an ill-disciplined Raiders outfit.
Ricky Stuart’s side had absorbed plenty of pressure and thought they had scored the game’s opener through Seb Kris, only for his try to be called back for an obstruction.
Manly quickly marched downfield with Horsburgh’s professional foul, the final straw for referee Grant Atkins, who sent the Queensland State of Origin forward to the sin bin.
With Canberra down to 12, Manly eventually broke the deadlock when Garrick barged over from close range.
Then, the Raiders conceded two near-identical tries.
Both times fullback Kaeo Weekes spilled a bomb and both times Ethan Bullemor was the man in the right place at the right time to dot down for the Sea Eagles.
Weekes’s evening went from bad to worse when he hoofed the next restart out on the full and Manly went up the other end and scored through Jake Simpkin.
The hooker’s try came just as Horsburgh was making his way back onto the field, meaning Canberra had conceded 22 unanswered points while down to 12 men.
Even at full complement, the Raiders were out on their feet and Manly took advantage with Garrick adding his second try to give his side a 30-0 lead at halftime.
The hosts continued to poke at the sore points in Canberra’s defence as Garrick brought up tries three and four early into the second half.
Kris and Hudson Young crossed in the final 20 minutes to ensure the Raiders did not go home scoreless.
78′ TRY: Raiders score another consolation try
It has been a nice finish to a miserable scoreline for the Canberra Raiders.
After being awarded a penalty 10 metres from the Manly tryline, the Raiders tapped the ball and, three plays later, scored.
An offload to a charging Hudson Young grants Canberra a second try.
For what it is worth, they have scored more points than Manly in the second half.
72′ Canberra holding on desperately
Some of the statistics out of his game is stunning.
Manly has had more than 6t0 per cent of the ball in this match — that is near unheard of.
The Sea Eagles have also had more than 60 attacking plays inside Canberra’s 20m. Canberra have had 19 inside Manly’s redzone.
In fairness to the Raiders, Manly has been threatening to score in the past five minutes, and the visitors are defending like that game was still in the balance.
64′ TRY: Canberra score for their first points
It’s too little, too late, but the Raiders have scored a nice try.
They had a full set of six at the Sea Eagles’ line, and Manly repelled them.
On the final play the Raiders nearly blew it when the ball was passed to a forward.
Quick thinking got the ball to Jamal Fogarty who put in a little chip kick to the in-goal.
Centre Sebastian Kris, who was denied the first try of the game, caught the ball and planted it on the ground.
Canberra forward Morgan Smithies fails HIA
Morgan Smithies will not return tonight.
As he came from the shed after half-time, he began to feel ill, reported ABC Sport sideline eye Michael Carayannis.
Nausea can be a symptom of concussion, so the Raiders elected to do a Head Injury Assessment on their man.
Smithies has failed that test.
It’s never great when a player fails a HIA, but credit to the Raiders who identified an issue with their man, and put his health above all else.
52′ TRY: FOUR TRIES FOR GARRICK
Reuben Garrick has FOUR tries.
Another trip into Canberra’s territory, and it is another try for Reuben Garrick and the Sea Eagles.
The centre was given the ball, flat-footed and busted through a poor Raiders defence to score.
It is 40-0.
49′ TRY: New dad Garrick has a hat-trick
It is a sixth try for Manly and this game surely is over.
The Sea Eagles have again been on top in this game, and with their first real opportunity, they score.
Daly Cherry-Evans put in a lovely grubber kick and Reuben Garrick scores a hat-trick, just days after the birth of his child.
Fears for Taniela Paseka that he has a serious leg injury
ABC Sport sideline eye Michael Carayannis is at Brookvale Oval and has reported Manly fear prop Taniela Paseka may have ruptured his Achilles.
Of course we hope it is not, but these medics would have a good idea by now what the issue may be.
Paseka limped off just before Manly’s first try of the night.
The second half begins at Brookvale Oval
Hello Mick, thanks for hosting the ABC NRL live blog today. I picked Manly to win but didn’t expect them to do it in the first half!
– Mike
The second 40 minutes has begun.
And Mike, I too was not expecting this scoreline.
Manly wearing black armbands for Beau
This is something we wanted to mention in this blog.
Manly are wearing black armbands today in memory of 12-year-old Beau Hewitt.
Beau was a massive Sea Eagles fan and a very popular young man around the club.
Beau passed away earlier this week. There was a beautiful tribute for Beau prior to kick-off.
HT: Manly Sea Eagles 30 leading Canberra Raiders 0
Manly almost scored off the final play of the half, by the way.
But the first half ends with Manly scoring five tries in 15 minutes to lead 30-0.
Canberra were excellent to start this match, but the sin-bin of prop Corey Horsburgh turned this match on its head.
Manly were outstanding at the end of that half and made the Raiders pay for their errors.
Poor Kaeo Weekes made three errors which directly resulted in Manly tries.
38′ TRY: Garrick scores his second as Manly kick clear
It is five first half tries for the Manly Sea Eagles.
Centre Reuben Garrick has charged over, with two Canberra defenders trying to hold him up, and somehow he god the ball on the ground.
The Raiders look stunned. It was not that long ago we thought they had scored the first try of this match.
Manly have score five tries in 15 minutes. Stunning.
33′ TRY: Manly score again off another Weekes mistake
Poor Kaeo Weekes.
After two dropped balls allowed Manly to score a pair of tries, he then kicks the restart out on the full.
The fullback has his head in his hands. It’s another critical mistake.
Manly have the penalty and a full set of six at the Canberra line.
The Sea Eagles use all six plays and the try is scored by Jake Simpkin, barging over from dummy half.
30′ TRY: Canberra’s fullback has another drop and Bullemor scores again
Oh poor Kaeo Weekes.
The Canberra fullback has dropped another bomb, this time in a contest with Manly winger Clayton Faulalo.
The ball is collect by Manly, and two passes later Ethan Bullemor has scored the second-easiest try of his career.
In the blink of an eye it is 18-0, and all points have come with Canberra reduced to 12-men through the sin-bin of Corey Horsburgh.
28′ TRY: Manly score after Canberra’s fullback has a shocker
It’s a gift for Manly, as interchange Ethan Bullemor grounds the ball for the easiest try he will ever score.
A sky-high bomb was launched by Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans.
The bomb is landing near the goal posts, and Canberra fullback Kaeo Weekes makes a meal of the catch. He stuck an arm out but could not catch the ball.
The ball bounces in the in-goal, and takes a sharp turn away from Raiders halfback Jamal Fogarty who was trying to clean up the mess.
That shape bounce allowed Bullemor to race through and ground the ball.
24′ TRY: Manly score but also lose their prop
We have the first try of the game, no doubt about it.
Manly centre Reuben Garrick has run from dummy half, and wrestled his way over the line.
What a week for Garrick, who became a father just a few days ago.
There is bad new for Manly, as prop Taniela Paseka has limped off with a suspected Achilles issue.
23′ SIN BIN: Corey Horsburgh is off for a professional foul
What an awful two minutes for Corey Horsburgh.
He was called obstruction just moments ago which disallowed a try.
Then in defence, he gave away a six-again restart. Then in a clear offside position on the goaline, Horsburgh tackles the dummy half.
Referee Grant Atkins has sent the prop to the sin bin.
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