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Go inside the Raiders' locker room before Saturday's game, see arrival photos and see the Raiders warm up at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for Preseason Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams.
NRL: The Bulldogs have beaten the Warriors in a thrilling match with a field goal in the dying seconds.
THE Canberra Raiders have finished round 23 with a shock upset over premiership favourites the Sydney Roosters.
It followed a tense one-point win for the Bulldogs over the Warriors in New Zealand. Youngster Lachlan Lewis booted a birthday field goal to seal the deal for the struggling side, furthering them from the dreaded wooden spoon as the regular season steams toward its completion next week.
Roosters rocked in upset loss Canberra have put a dent in the Sydney Roosters’ minor premiership aspirations with a 14-12 upset victory. The Roosters could have gone a game clear on top of the ladder with a win at GIO Stadium. Instead, their poor record in the nation’s capital continued, where they haven’t won since 2010. The Roosters are locked in a three-way battle at the top of the table for the minor premiership with Melbourne and South Sydney. The Storm are ahead because of their superior points difference. Trent Robinson’s team had a chance to score in the final minute as they charged in attack, but a knock-on turned the ball over to see the Raiders home and reverse their 2018 fortunes in close games. Unlike most games featuring the Raiders this season, defence reigned supreme as Ricky Stuart’s team held the Roosters scoreless in the first half. The Raiders led 12-0 at the break thanks to an early try for winger Jordan Rapana before halfback Sam Williams slotted three penalty goals in windy conditions. But the Roosters were never going to wilt as captain Boyd Cordner found a gap in a sleepy Raiders defence just a few minutes into the second half. Roosters lock Victor Radley levelled the scores with a diving try in the 60th minute, but the Raiders weren’t done as Williams put his team back in front with another penalty goal. That’s where the score would stay as the Raiders secured their ninth win of the season and maintained their position in 10th on the ladder. The Raiders had to deal with Luke Bateman and Brad Abbey going off for head injury assessments, forcing five-eighth Blake Austin to move to fullback. — AAP Share
Bulldogs snap up tense win The Bulldogs built on their lead after halftime with veteran Josh Morris going over after an expert offload off the high ball from brother Brett set him up with a big gap to burst through. David Fusitua added two tries after the break but two botched conversions from Shaun Johnson kept the Warriors behind the visitors. It all turned around late nin the game after Peta Hiku found his way over the line for a try to equalise the score in the 77th minute. But the Bulldogs weren’t keen on sending the game to a golden point. A perfect drop goal from five-eighth Lachlan Lewis sunk the Warriors’ comeback hopes in the 79th minute, bringing the score to 27-26 before the final bell. The match-winning Field Goal by birthday boy Lachlan Lewis!#NRLBulldogsWarriors #TelstraPremiership #NRL pic.twitter.com/OE7lkPLbeB — NRL (@NRL) August 19, 2018 Share
Warriors level the score New Zealand’s Gerard Beale went over for a try in the 11th minute after a beautiful inside ball from halfback Shaun Johnson opened up a huge gap. It took the Bulldogs just 10 minutes to respond with two quickfire tries to double the home side’s score. Adam Elliot muscled his way through the Warriors’ defence in the 21st minute before a near-identical effort from Reimis Smith three minutes later. RTS and @Shaun_Johnson90 combine for @GerardBeale to score! #NRLBulldogsWarriors 0-6 after 12 minutes. #TelstraPremiership #NRL pic.twitter.com/NPIe0swlZU — NRL (@NRL) August 19, 2018 But the Warriors weren’t keen on going down to the Dogs that easy. A high-energy play from the home side caught the Bulldogs’ line off-guard with big man Isaiah Papali’i offloading to fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck on the line. Share
Lewis smacks Fifita Sharks veteran Luke Lewis has slammed teammate Andrew Fifita after the prop blew up at assistant coach Jim Dymock during last night’s win over the Cowboys. Fifita yelled “you f***ed up” to the box after scoring a try in an outburst supposedly sparked by Dymock spraying Fifita for not running hard enough. “It’s definitely not the way to react, and it’s not the thing we want to be sending out there to kids,” Lewis told Triple M on Sunday after the fallout. “But he’s done it now, and I suppose they will have to have a good conversation about it on Monday or Tuesday and clear the air to make sure it doesn’t happen again. “It wasn’t a good look for the game and it wasn’t a good look for our side either. It’s very disappointing because we had a good win. “That’s just the way Fifita is. He sort of just goes with the flow and acts how he acts and then thinks about it later. “He doesn’t think about it at the time and make the right decisions.” Share
Fittler blasts NRL ‘farce’ NSW State of Origin coach Brad Fittler has strengthened calls for a union to protect his club counterparts amid the ongoing coaching circus. Plans were revealed to be in works for the development of the NRL’s first coaches association last month, with former Gold Coast mentor Neil Henry spearheading the charge. However, it’s understood the project is likely to focus largely on the education of coaches, as well as their welfare. Wayne Bennett, Trent Barrett, Ivan Cleary, Anthony Seibold and Paul McGregor’s futures have all been thrown to the fore in the past week, in the same month Anthony Griffin was sacked by Penrith. All are in the headlines for varying reasons but crucially all have at least another year to run on their contract - as did Griffin before his axing. And Fittler said framework had to be put in place in order to give the clipboard holder’s protection and backing. “The one thing that is obvious is that the coaches need a support base,” Fittler told Nine’s Sunday Footy Show. “They need to find their own union or something. “Because at the moment it’s just a farce what’s happened with the coaches and contracts and how they’re going. “At the moment the media is really enjoying the whole coaching saga. “We’re two weeks away from semi-finals and no one is talking about semi-finals, they’re talking about coaches. It’s ridiculous.” Fittler’s comments come after NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg this week said the league was open to bringing in rules to stop clubs from attempting to lure coaches out of contracts with their teams. Such speculation has thrown Wests Tigers’ Cleary and South Sydney’s Seibold into the mix over the past fortnight while Bennett’s future at Brisbane has had a role in McGregor facing media questions at St George Illawarra. Barrett’s problems with a supposed lack of support given to his football department at Manly could also be another facet potentially looked after by a union. Meanwhile, Brisbane and Queensland legend Wally Lewis said he hadn’t seen Bennett impacted by speculation at the Broncos like he has this year. “It has got Bennett in a mood I have never seen him in before,” Lewis said. “He’s looking a bit nervous and a little uncomfortable. I guess if his players produce the sort of effort they come up with he’d be pretty happy with that. “There is some real dismay in the club at the moment but they managed to produced a fantastic performance (in the win over South Sydney).” — AAP Share
Gallen opens up on Fifita spray Andrew Fifita was the story of the night during the Sharks’ win over the Cowboys, exploding at the box after scoring a crucial second half try. With scores locked at 12-12 and after spending half the game on the bench, Fifita immediately got up yelling and pointing at Cronulla’s coach’s box after charging across the line to give the Sharks the lead. He told Fox Sports after the game the message was for assistant coach Jim Dymock, who he claimed told him during the week he hadn’t been running hard enough. “Jimmy told him he wasn’t running hard enough so he ran hard in the second half and scored a try,” Sharks coach Shane Flanagan said. Sharks coach Paul Gallen delved into the peculiar situation on Channel 9’s Sports Sunday. “They are at each other all the time. They are always into each other. The thing about Andrew, myself Shane Flanagan, the we need to be real positive with him and tell him what we want to do,” he said. “We can’t give him tough love. Jimmy Dymock does that — and Andrew doesn’t like it. His first stint, his first stint wasn’t good enough, according to Jimmy. And Jimmy gave it to him half time. Now, if what Jimmy said provokes this type of performance, that’s what we want to see. “He wasn’t the Andrew Fifita we know in the first 20 or 30 minutes. We he came back and scored a try, ran over three or four people in the next one and helped us win the game.” Paul Gallen takes us through the process that led to his decision to play again next year.#9SportsSunday pic.twitter.com/qRcgUXpOl1 — Sports Sunday (@SportsSunday) August 19, 2018 Share
LOS ANGELES – With a 19-15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, the Oakland Raiders dropped to 1-1 in Jon Gruden's first preseason back with the Silver and Black.
Here are three things you need to know from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum...
1. Progress hindered by preseason opponent
Jon Gruden wasn’t thrilled having to play the Rams in the preseason’s second game and again three weeks later when it actually matters. Starters typically play into the second quarter of this exhibition, expanding workloads from the previous week.
The Raiders went in reverse on Saturday, sitting 21 healthy players in this game to prevent the Rams from seeing too much of their personnel, play calls or hand signals. There’s no reason to help the opposition prepare to play you. The Rams took a similar tact. Both teams stripped schemes to the suds for this one, keeping exotic blitzes, pre-snap shifts and even their terminology away from prying eyes.
The Raiders will take less from this preseason game than usual, forced instead to focus on evaluating younger players.
"I’ve never been in a preseason game like this,” Gruden said. “I don’t know in the history of the NFL, if that’s ever happened. I’m not going to sit up here and cry about it because it’s the same for them as it is for us.
“But in our first year of operation (as a coaching staff), we didn’t want to play our starters. We didn’t want them to hear our audibles and see our hand signals. I don’t think they wanted us to get a feel for them either. It was a strange week of practice and a strange ballgame in that regard.”
2. Offensive line depth a concern
The Raiders have a solid starting offensive line. Center Rodney Hudson plus guards Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson make up arguably the NFL’s best offensive interior. Kolton Miller and Donald Penn have the ability to be a strong tackle tandem if Penn can successfully transition to the right side.
None of those guys played Saturday. Their reserves, however, didn’t show well.
Jon Feliciano is a quality player but had a bad day at the office. He had a bad snap to start the game, and was called for a false start inside the Rams’ 20-yard line. Raiders blockers were called for holding four times – one was declined – and a false start.
Brandon Parker was pushed straight back into Connor Cook got sacked when he fumbled in the first half.
It wasn’t a great day for the guys up front, and those who played Saturday and make the roster must show better when called upon. Feliciano has been a quality reserve, and there’s confidence he will be again. Parker and David Sharpe must improve on the outside. Ian Silberman is a versatile backup, and could leapfrog the other two tackles.
3. L.A. still a Raiders town
The Raiders curated a rabid, devoted fan base during their 13 years in Los Angeles, so it was no surprise their supporters turned out en masse for Saturday’s preseason game against the Rams.
After all, they hadn’t returned to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since returning to Oakland after the 1994 season.
The crowd was mostly black and silver, routinely booing Rams players and successes. They stayed engaged in a game that meant nothing, wasn’t terribly well played and manned by guys down the depth chart.
They didn’t seem to care. This was Raiders football, live on stage.
“It’s awesome being back here,” Gruden said. “The Raiders have a championship history in Los Angeles. There were a lot of fans here who remember those teams, and rightfully so. We appreciate their support and, hopefully, in a few weeks (when they play the Rams to open the regular season) we can give them a better game.”
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