23 Jul 2012

Raiders deal blow to Sharks

8:12 am on 23 July 2012

The Canberra Raiders rugby league side had a stunning reversal of form in Sunday's NRL clash with the fifth-placed Cronulla Sharks, upsetting the home side 36-4.

The Raiders have been sitting in the bottom half of the table for much of the season, but shocked everyone with their performance at Toyota Stadium, following last week's loss to the Gold Coast Titans.

Meanwhile the Penrith Panthers dashed any hopes the Sydney Roosters had of making the playoffs with a convincing 28-16 win.

The Roosters now sit a lowly 14th on the lader, and the coach Brian Smith has conceded internal ructions are troubling the club.

Smith says they haven't got where they wanted to be this season, which has caused some angst and distrust in the Roosters side.

The round was full of surprise, with the last-placed Parramatta Eels forcing the Melbourne Storm to its first-ever four-game losing streak in all the time coach Craig Bellamy has been in charge.

The Eels have won just four of their 18 matches this season, with the outgoing coach, Stephen Kearney, winning just 10 matches in his two seasons in charge.

The New Zealand Warriors' hopes of making the top eight were also dealt a serious blow on Saturday, when they squandered an 18-point lead at home to the lowly Newcastle Knights, losing the match 24-19.

The Canterbury Bulldogs sit top of the NRL ladder, two points clear of the Melbourne Storm and South Sydney, with six rounds still to play before the finals begin.