NRL round-up: Melbourne Storm lose key duo during Canberra win
Sunday 23 July 2017 12:37, UK
Melbourne Storm lost stars Cameron Smith and Billy Slater with injuries but protected their lead at the top of the NRL with a controversial 20-14 win over the Canberra Raiders.
Test skipper Smith suffered a left pectoral injury and full-back Slater was knocked out by a brutal high tackle from Sia Soliola and was taken from the field on a stretcher.
Soliola was not sent off for the incident and instead was placed on the referee's report.
Scans revealed that Smith suffered a minor pectoral tear and may miss only one game, while Slater will be monitored this week with no decision as yet on his playing availability.
The Storm lead the competition by two points from the Sydney Roosters with Brisbane, Cronulla and North Queensland a further two points away.
Mitchell Pearce put his State of Origin woes behind him with a starring role in the Roosters' 28-4 win over Newcastle.
After being panned for his seventh Origin series defeat to Queensland a week ago, Pearce had an outstanding match to keep the Roosters on the heels of pacesetters Melbourne.
Wayne Bennett's Brisbane Broncos all but ended Canterbury's finals hopes with a 42-12 hammering.
Brisbane used the first game of the post-Origin period to play themselves back into form while the Bulldogs are stranded in 13th place, six points adrift from the top eight with only six rounds to play.
Defending champions Cronulla's top-four hopes remain on track after downing South Sydney 26-12.
North Queensland won their fourth-straight game with a 24-12 win over the New Zealand Warriors in Townsville.
St George Illawarra reignited their finals hopes by pounding the Manly Sea Eagles 52-22 on Sunday.
The Dragons produced the best first half of any team this year to lead 30-0, yet four Manly tries reduced the margin to eight points before the home team regained control.
Corey Norman landed a drop goal to give Parramatta a 17-16 win over Wests Tigers, the Eels' third-straight win, while Penrith remain in top-eight contention after a 24-16 victory over the Gold Coast Titans.
