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Poor crowds bely cracker weekend of NRL finals footy

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NRL Twitter recap
THE first week of finals footy was a bona fide belter.

Just don’t bother asking Sydney Roosters fans how Friday night’s game was, as the turnout at Allianz Stadium was most disappointing.

The handful that made the effort were treated to a 24-22 victory as Latrell Mitchell and the Chooks took full advantage of an ordinary Brisbane Broncos display.

That defeat has put the Broncos on a collision course with the premiership favourites, Melbourne Storm.

For just a moment, it looked as though Brisbane had dodged a bullet by losing to Sydney.

The Parramatta Eels were on track for a massive upset when they took a 10-4 lead into the main break at AAMI Park.

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A few favourable refereeing decisions and some signature Storm magic later, Melbourne had reeled in the deficit and booked a place in the preliminary finals.

On balance, it was an entirely appropriate way to celebrate Cameron Smith’s record-breaking 356th game of NRL footy.

Penrith fans must be marvelling at what a difference a week can make.

Having lost to Manly Warringah in round 26, the Panthers had the last laugh on Saturday night when they knocked out the Sea Eagles.

The NRL Bunker took centre stage once more with a number of dubious decisions, while the lack of bums on seats drew the ire of many a viewer.

It was very much a case of best until last as plucky North Queensland took on the reigning premiers on Sunday.

Missing Johnathan Thurston and a raft of first-team stars, the Cowboys only scraped into the top eight after St George Illawarra’s shock loss to Canterbury Bankstown last week.

Paul Green’s men proved most worthy of the slot, however, fighting from eight points down twice to snatch a one-point victory in extra time.

Again, punters could not help but notice the empty stands.

That leaves us with two fascinating matchups for the semi finals.

The Cowboys will come south again to take on the Eels, with the winner progressing to a prelim date with Sydney.

On the other side of the draw, the Panthers will trek north to play the Broncos for the right to face Melbourne.

Topics: Featured, NRL, NRL Finals, Promos & Bonuses

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