Balmain third on ladder

Press, 14 August 1989, Page 27

Balmain third on ladder

NZPA Sydney ! Balmain continued its late- i season charge in the Sydney rugby league premiership by 1 hammering Western Suburbs ’ 40-0 at Leichhardt Oval on 1 Saturday. I After leading 12-0 at half- i time, the Tigers ran riot with five tries in the second half < to reclaim third spot on the i league ladder with two rounds left before the < premiership finals begin. Although Wests had won ’ five of its previous seven ; matches, Balmain treated it I with contempt. s The former Wallaby, James Grant, claimed a hat-trick of tries, with team-mates Tim i Brasher, Bruce McGuire, Shaun Edwards and Ben Elias also crossing. i It was a disappointing re- i turn to Leichhardt for Wests and the England skipper, El- i lery Hanley, who helped Bal- 1 main into last year's grand final but joined perennial i wooden spooners Wests this 1 season. Brisbane Broncos held on 1 to equal fifth place on the ’ table with a sensational 20-16 win over Newcastle, but in the process lost international hooker Kerrod Walters with a 1 suspected broken arm. 1 Brisbane trailed by 10-0 i after only five minutes of the 1 match and after fighting back ! to level at 10-all, went to the break trailing 16-10. It took the lead with 20 I minutes to go when winger i Brett Plowman scored in the 1 comer. The competition leader, 1

South Sydney, was below par in beating Gold Coast 17-6. The full-back, Bronko Djura, was one of Souths’ best with a try, two goals and a field goal but the team lacked the spark of suspended fiveeighth Phil Blake. Penrith maintained its second spot on the table — four points adrift of Souths — when it disposed of an understrength Manly 28-10. Manly went into the game without six regular first graders but trailed by only two points 15 minutes into the second half. Results of matches on Friday and Saturday: Cronulla 18 (J. Docking, A. Ettingshausen, A. Wilson, tries; A. Pappas 2, A. Wilson goals) b St George 4 (R Walford try) at Caltex Field. Crowd: 8,688. Referee: Greg McCallum. Canberra 18 (L. Daley 2, B. Clyde, M. Wood, tries; M. Meninga goal) b Canterbury 14 (K. Moore, G. Nissen, tries; G. Barwick 3 goals) at WACA ground, Perth. Crowd: 21,922. Referee: B. Harrigan. Parramatta 30 (C. Izzard 2, B. Kenny, J. Bell, P. Johnston, tries; A. Leeds 5 goals) b North Sydney 6 (D. Alexander try P. Conlon goal) at Parramatta Stadium. Crowd: 9,086. Referee: P. Cooley. Results: Balmain 40, Western Suburbs 0; Illawarra 18, Eastern Suburbs 18; Brisbane 20, Newcastle 16; South Sydney 17, Gold Coast 6; Penrith 28, Manly 10.