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No Origin love for Pearce in top tweets for NRL Round 11

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NRL Twitter recap
CRONULLA, Brisbane and Sydney all put in big performances over the weekend, but Melbourne Storm did enough to keep hold of first place in the 2017 NRL Premiership standings.

Yet again, the headlines were as much about the bunker and Laurie Daley’s potential State of Origin selections as anything that happened on the field.

How did Twitter react to the big plays and talking points of NRL round 11?

Sharks tear up Cowboys lead to taste top spot

The Cowboys looked to have Cronulla rounded up and hogtied by half-time on Thursday night, taking a 14-0 lead into the break.

Some viewers got a little bit excited.

But the Sharks, in typical fashion, dug in for some gritty, ugly footy and made a right fool of the doubters.

Outstanding second-half efforts from Andrew Fifita and James Maloney saw the premiers wipe out that deficit to win 18-14 and skip to the top of the table, if only for a few days.

Of course, the game was not without its controversies.

Many felt North Queensland were stiffed by the referees, with a few crucial calls late in the game going against the visitors.

Even so, there were positives for the Cowboys.

Among those was the performance of big Jason Taumalolo, who starred Johnathan Thurston’s absence with over 200 metres gained and plenty of tackle breaks.

Bronco blitz, Dragons back on track

The league lead changed hands again on Friday night after Brisbane tamed Wests Tigers to win 36-0 at Suncorp Stadium.

The Broncos’ obvious dominance did not stop Wests fans from taking to social media to voice their outrage at a few debatable decisions.

One that really stuck in the craw on Tigers fans was a potential forward pass the officials ruled as a flat ball.

We will let you be the judge:

A nasty knock in the second half saw Andrew McCullough stretchered from the field with concussion, but the Broncos hooker is tipped to be back in contention for round 12.

Viewers proved there is humour to be found in every situation, however, especially when it comes to pouring scorn on the Tigers’ unpopular captain.

Over in Waikato, St George Illawarra bounced back from a rough run of results to claim a big win over New Zealand.

But the commentary on Twitter had very little to do with the Red V’s efforts and everything to do with the Warriors’ lack thereof.

That insipid display leaves the Kiwis third from bottom with only four wins from 11 games.

There is not a lot of optimism surrounding the side’s long-term prospects in the NRL.

Sea Eagles soar as Eels slip out

Manly Warringah’s trip to the Gold Coast was supposed to produce an engrossing encounter between two sides with designs on finals.

The result was anything but as the Sea Eagles flew into sixth spot with a comfortable 30-10 win.

There was also supposed to be a hostile reception for Daly Cherry-Evans, who backflipped on a big-money deal with the Titans in 2015.

But the Manly skipper most certainly had the last laugh, returning fire at a few disapproving pundits in the proceeds.

Conspicuous by his apparent absence was Jarryd Hayne, who failed to exert any notable influence on the game.

Punters voiced their most sincere concern for the Titans star.

It was a much tighter affair down at ANZ Stadium as the Eels wrestled with the Raiders over a spot in the eight.

The refs stole the show once again as both sides cried foul, although there were kudos aplenty for the decision to ditch the video ref and back in a critical call from the line judge late in the game.

It was a difficult debut for Mitchell Moses, who had no joy whatsoever against Canberra’s Josh Papalii.

Some Parramatta fans may were left wondering whether they could beg Wests Tigers for a refund.

Roosters down Dogs as Storm reclaim top

The grudge game between the Roosters and the Bulldogs was the highlight of round two, and the rematch did not disappoint.

Sydney leapt out of the gates to lead by 14 points at half-time, but a late charge saw Canterbury close the margin to two points in another thriller.

There was a lot of love for Mitchell Pearce in the commentary box after the New South Wales hopeful capped a good day out by crossing for the winning try.

But Blues fans were far less enthusiastic about the prospect of the star Rooster lining up for State of Origin I.

With their chief rivals all getting up this week, Melbourne needed a win to finish round 11 where they started: atop the ladder.

They did just that, coming out on the happy side of a tense affair with South Sydney – although the league leaders did not have everything their own way.

Storm copped plenty of flak from viewers over their questionable tackling in Perth, most notably for a particularly dicey effort on Sam Burgess.

It would be fair to say the English star was none too please with the treatment he and his fellow Rabbitohs were receiving.

But the biggest serving of scorn was reserved for everybody’s least favourite NRL commentator, Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach.

The denizens of Twitter were full of helpful suggestions for how Fox Sports might improve the quality of their live coverage.

Topics: Featured, NRL

 
 
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