Roosters edge closer to 1st place in National Rugby League
SYDNEY (AP) Mitchell Pearce's field goal in golden point extra time gave the Sydney Roosters a 25-24 win over Melbourne, moving the Roosters into second place in the National Rugby League, just two points behind the leading Storm.
After the Roosters trailed by 12 points with eight minutes to play, Michael Gordon kicked a conversion from the sideline to send the match into extra time.
In front of 21,492 fans - the biggest NRL crowd in Adelaide since 1997 - Pearce slotted an off-balance field goal from 35 meters out.
On Sunday, Manly beat the Cronulla Sharks 35-18 to move level on points with the defending champions and into fourth place, relegating Cronulla to fifth.
St. George Illawarra moved into sixth place with a 32-28 come-from-behind win over Newcastle after the Dragons were booed by their fans when trailing 28-10 at halftime.
Brisbane had a 30-20 win over Canberra and a last-minute sideline conversion from second rower Ethan Lowe helped North Queensland beat Penrith 14-12. North Queensland was without its star playmaker Johnathan Thurston, who is out for the remainder of the season due to right shoulder surgery.
On Friday, former San Francisco 49ers running back Jarryd Hayne scored two tries and set up another to lead the Gold Coast Titans to a 26-14 win over the Wests Tigers, ending a four-game losing streak for the Titans. It was the last-place Tigers' seventh loss in a row.
''That's what he can do, can't he?'' Titans coach Neil Henry said of Hayne. ''When he injects himself into the game on the back of our boys rolling, get some momentum and working down the field, he can add the final touch there.''
The New Zealand Warriors beat Canterbury 21-14 in Auckland, scoring eight points early in the second half when Bulldogs' player Josh Jackson was sin-binned for an illegal tackle.
Parramatta and South Sydney had weekend byes.
