Wrap of NRL trial matches
http://tvnz.co.nz/rugby-league-news/wrap-nrl-trial-matches-4041340
Hodges injury scare in Brisbane win
Broncos: 26 (Ben Te'o, Ben Hunt, Darren Lockyer, Jharal Yow Yeh, Dane Gagai tries, Corey Parker 3/5)
Storm: 6 (Justin O'Neill try, Cameron Smith 1/1)
Star centre Justin Hodges suffered a suspected hamstring strain as new Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin made a winning debut over Melbourne in an NRL trial at Redcliffe's Dolphin Oval.
While happy to have his first win after replacing sacked coach Ivan Henjak through the week, Griffin would not have enjoyed seeing Hodges limp off in the first half of the 26-6 victory in front of more than 8,000 fans.
The early report on Hodges was a strained hamstring, placing him in some doubt for Brisbane's season-opener against the Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium on Friday week.
Playing only his second game back from a serious Achilles injury which sidelined him for the entire 2010 season, Hodges grabbed at his left leg in the 35th minute before heading straight to the Broncos dressing rooms for treatment.
Uncertain about the extent of the injury, Griffin said Hodges will ice the hamstring over the weekend before the club decides whether to send him for scans.
"We're not going to rush him back just because we think we need Justin Hodges to win one game of football," he said.
"We're going to treat it as a season decision."
Fortunately for Griffin, both Jack Reed and 20-year-old rookie Dane Gagai, who looked super impressive in his 40-minute audition, provide some back-up should Hodges's injury prove more serious than first thought.
After leading 6-0 at half-time, Brisbane scored six tries to one to record their third trial win after victories over the Titans and Cowboys.
Honours were evenly shared in the first 40 minutes with only a try to second-rower Ben Te'o set up by skipper Darren Lockyer in the 30th minute proving the difference on the scoreboard.
Griffin left Hodges on the bench, starting with Reed at right centre.
Hodges, who made his comeback against the Cowboys last weekend, looked a little rusty, turning over the football with an ordinary pass after crabbing across the field a few minutes before twinging his hamstring.
The first half was marred by a string of penalties allowing both sides to move up and down the field on the back of the referee's whistle.
Both sides were also missing key personnel.
Brilliant Storm fullback Billy Slater (shoulder) sat out the trial while Brisbane did not play representative forwards Sam Thaiday and Ben Hannant.
Melbourne were forced to make a late backline change when South Sydney recruit Beau Champion had to withdraw after injuring his calf during the warm up.
Coach Craig Bellamy then had to replace his other centre, Chase Stanley, after he was injured in the first half.
Brisbane wing bookends Jharal Yow Teh and Gagai were impressive.
To his credit, the son of former Mackay legend Ray Gagai handled the aerial assault and on one occasion stepped his way through a number of Storm defenders on a crowd-pleasing 40 metre run.
Gagai came back on in the second half and scored Brisbane's final try.
Lui stars as Tigers outclass Roosters
Crowd: 6,893
Roosters: 8 (Joesph Leulia 2 tries, Braith Anasta 0/2)
Tigers: 19 (Liam Fulton, Robbie Farah, Robert Lui tries; Benji Marshall 3/3 goals 1/1 field goal)
Wests Tigers halfback Robert Lui has the early running in the battle for the NRL club's No.7 jumper this coming season after a five-star display in a 19-8 trial win over the Sydney Roosters.
The gifted halfback showed deft skills to set up first-half tries for skipper Robbie Farah and Liam Fulton, before the 21-year-old sealed the match with a blazing individual effort to totally overshadow more illustrious teammates Farah and Benji Marshall.
Lui's performance was a none-too-subtle reminder to coach Tim Sheens given the man he was meant to be vying with for the No.7 jumper - Tim Moltzen - was making his return after 10 months out due to a knee reconstruction.
Lui put the icing on the cake with a field goal after the siren, the Tigers claiming their first Foundation Cup in the fifth year of the clash.
The Roosters, however, will be hoping their playmaker Todd Carney's latest run-in with the law is only a minor setback after he was charged with low-level drink driving.
Last year's grand finalists lacked anything in attack in Carney's injury-enforced absence, not to mention his goalkicking with Braith Anasta failing to convert Joseph Leilua's two tries.
After an early avalanche of penalties, the game settled down as both sides adjusted to the latest rule crackdown by referees, Anasta penalised for taking a line drop out over the mark.
Leilua's first try came after a spell of hot potato following a tapped-back bomb, before Lui brilliantly set up Farah and Fulton in the space of two minutes to make it 12-4 at the break.
The Roosters' second came after Tigers fullback Wade McKinley appeared to be dumped on his head in a tackle which could land Nate Myles in trouble, while Jared Waerea Hargreaves was penalised after a hair pull on Tigers winger Lote Tuqiri.
Knights score 32-10 trial win over Sharks
Knights: 32 (Akuila Uate, Junior Sau 2, Isaac De Gois 2, Shannon McDonnell tries; Kurt Gidley 3/4, Beau Henry 0/1, Wes Naiqama 1/1 goals)
Sharks: 10 (Nathan Gardener, Matthew Wright tries, Conversions 1/2)
Newcastle have shown their willingness to play attacking rugby league, scoring six tries in a 32-10 trial win over Cronulla at Olympic Park, Muswellbrook last night.
Although the first points were not posted until the 26th minute the crowd of around 4,000 witnessed on open and expansive game of rugby league on a balmy night in the Upper Hunter Valley.
Knights try-scoring sensation Akuila Uate carried two defenders across the line to open the scoring.
Kurt Gidley converted for a 6-0 lead with Junior Sa'u extending the home side's lead to 10-0 two minutes before the break.
Knights hooker Isaac De Gois scored a double as did Sa'u.
Gidley's fullback deputy Shannon McDonnell scored on 52 minutes to take the score to 22-0 before the Sharks first try, to fullback Nathan Gardner, on the hour.
Matt Wright scored another consolation try for the Sharks on the full-time siren.
The first grade match was delayed by 20-minutes when Knights youth player Tye Alchin was air-lifted to John Hunter Hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter with a suspected spinal injury.
Medical staff requested the transportation as a precautionary measure.
Canterbury down Canberra
Crowd: 4,500
Bulldogs: 30 (Bryson Goodwin, Josh Morris 2, David Stagg, Kris Keating tries; Bryson Goodwin 4/4 Steve Turner 1/1 goal)
Raiders: 18 (Sam Williams, Nathan Massey, Dane Tilse tries Jarrod Croker 3/3)
A composed and potent Canterbury punished Canberra in the first half of their NRL trial before running out 30-18 winners at Scully Park last night.
The Bulldogs raced to an 18-0 halftime lead thanks largely to the weight of possession and a superior kicking game, mostly from the boot of new halfback recruit Trent Hodkinson.
Winger Bryson Goodwin got the scoring underway in the first few minutes when he crossed in the left corner and then had a hand in the second try as he tipped a kick from five-eighth Kris Keating back for Josh Morris to score the first of his two touch-downs.
Yet another cross-field kick, this time to the right from Hodkinson, saw a spilled ball fall for Dogs skipper David Stagg to score the third and Goodwin landed another tough goal.
It was 24-nil after the break when Keating crossed for one of his own after Jamal Idris showed strength in a bustling run down the right sideline before linking with fullback Ben Barba who in turn found Keating.
The Raiders fightback came when young interchange half Sam Williams beat a couple of tacklers to score and winger Nathan Massey crossed to reduce the margin to 24-12.
But Josh Morris scored a long range belter when Ben Roberts put him through a hole and the Raiders were done.
Bulldogs coach Kevin Moore said his side was composed.
"Our control was really good," Moore said.
"I can only remember a couple of errors in the first half so we probably completed something like 18 of 20 sets.
"We were very solid.
"We still have a few things to work on from the back end of the game but overall I was very happy."
Raiders coach David Furner said he will take some positives from the game but said the inexperience in his side was evident in the halves and out wide.
"But we were sharper in the second half," he said.
"We still competed in the first half.
"They have some good blokes on the edges like Bryson Goodwin and Morris and Steve Turner and they're experienced."
The only injury concern for Canberra out of the game was a possible rib problem for backrower Joe Picker but the man the Green Machine really missed was newly recruited halfback Matt Orford who missed the match with a knee injury.
For the Bulldogs Andrew Ryan was rested again but is expected to play in the round one clash with Wests Tigers.
Eels thrash Panthers in western derby
Eels: 30 (Taniela Lasolo, Paul Whatuira, Ben Smith, Matt Keating, Justin Horo tries, Burt 5/5)
Panthers: 0
Maligned Parramatta halfback Jeff Robson starred last night as the Eels thrashed Penrith 30-0 in their NRL trial at Centrebet Stadium.
Last season the Eels chased a string of high-profile halfbacks to mentor young five-eighth Daniel Mortimer, but perhaps the answer was under their nose the whole time.
Robson, the halfback who took them to the 2009 grand final, was involved in everything, setting up tries with precision passing and kicking while also pulling off try-saving tackles.
The Eels cruised home with a comfortable victory in a spiteful and physical, but mostly dour, affair.
A late hit by Penrith's Luke Walsh on a defenceless Mortimer, who had regathered a kick, sparked an all-in brawl in the second half, with Parramatta superstar Jarryd Hayne and Walsh having to be separated by teammates as the game threatened to explode.
Backrower Taniela Lasalo opened the scoring in the 19th minute for the visitors when he was put into a gaping hole by Robson, who set up a try for makeshift centre Ben Smith with a precision grubber 15 minutes later, while tries to Paul Whatuira, Justin Horo and Matt Keating completed the rout.
Classy Penrith fullback Lachlan Coote played 40 minutes in his first match of 2011 as he recovers from a groin injury, and he emerged unscathed, which was more than could be said for Eels recruit Chris Walker who left the field with a foot injury in the ninth minute.
Penrith, missing the attacking force of Michael Jennings and Michael Gordon who both sat out the match with hamstring complaints, looked inept in attack and were unable to make an impact on the scoreboard despite five-eighth Arana Taumata providing some spark.
Prince leads Titans to trial win
Titans: 24 (Kevin Gordon, Scott Prince, David Mead, Joesph Tomane tries; Scott Prince 4/4)
Cowboys: 22 (Wille Tonga, Matthew Bowen, Scott Bolton, Jonathan Thurston tries; Jonathan Thurston 3/4)
The old firm of Johnathan Thurston and Matt Bowen were reunited for North Queensland in Cairns last night, but Gold Coast halfback Scott Prince's conversion after the siren spoiled the party in their NRL trial match.
The Titans' Clinton Toopi scored in the final minute before Prince spotted the winning conversion to claim a 24-22 win in atrocious conditions at Barlow Park in Cairns.
It was not before the Cowboys' star pair Bowen and Thurston combined magnificently to please coach Neil Henry.
Bowen has spent much of the past three seasons battling a series of knee injuries, but is finally back to full fitness.
Henry was thrilled to see the pair link up for a try just prior to half-time and knows it's imperative they have standout seasons if the Cowboys are to be a force in 2011.
For the Titans, Greg Bird wore the No.6 jersey but spent a bulk of his time in the second row.
Breakaway tries to speedsters Kevin Gordon and David Mead, and a try to Prince, set up an eight-point Titans lead.
But the Cowboys hit back with tries to Scott Bolton and Matt Scott to take a four-point lead with 13 minutes left on the clock.
But Toopi's last minute try snatched the victory for the Titans.
New Cowboy Dallas Johnson showed his worth with a tireless effort in defence, while livewire fullback Shannon Walker sparkled when given the chance to start for the Titans
