Latest news with #ScottSorensen
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
No Origin stars, no worries; Panthers in boilover win
An undermanned Penrith have secured a critical 28-18 victory over the high-flying Warriors despite missing their swag of State of Origin stars. The Panthers arrived in Auckland without five stars including Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo due to the travel factor from Origin II in Perth to New Zealand. But the rookie outfit shocked the third-ranked hosts in their Saturday clash to bank a third straight win and continue their climb up the NRL ladder. Depending on results the defending premiers could finish inside the top eight at the end of the round for the first time since Las Vegas in the opening round. Winning seven of their past eight matches, the Warriors were expected to outclass Penrith but the Panthers' young halves Blaize Talagi and Brad Schneider stood up to steer the visitors home. Talagi won't be stopped 🔥 #NRLWarriorsPanthers Telstra Moment of the Match. — NRL (@NRL) June 21, 2025 With Moses Leota leading the way up front with 147 run metres, second rower Scott Sorensen also stood tall, scoring two of their five tries. The Warriors weren't helped by losing Marata Niukore to a head knock 10 minutes into the match and then winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, who appeared to suffer a serious ankle injury. Sorensen went on report for the tackle that ended Watene-Zelezniak's night. Trailing 6-8 at halftime, the Warriors' hopes of a big finish were also hobbled as halfback Luke Metcalf struggled with a quad injury. The Panthers started with a bang with Sorensen held up over the line early but they made no mistake in the 16th minute when centre Casey McLean found winger Tom Jenkins, who bagged a hat-trick last week. In a pulsating contest the Warriors soon levelled with a ball bouncing up for Jackson Ford after Leka Halasima skittled Penrith players leaping for a Metcalf bomb. Sorensen again put his team ahead, scoring his first try with three minutes remaining in the half. The Warriors edged ahead soon after the break through Jacob Laban but the full house at Go Media Stadium had little to cheer about until a 78th minute consolation try by Moala Graham-Taufa. In the meantime, the Panthers piled on a further three tries, with Talagi and winger Paul Alamoti getting in on the action, to seal the win.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sorensen's tackle could be season-defining: Panthers
Penrith players believe Scott Sorensen's match-saving tackle against Wests Tigers could prove season-defining, with their bid for an NRL five-peat still alive. Sorensen provided a hero's play late in the Panthers' win over the Tigers on Sunday, rushing from the other side of the field to stop Jahream Bula inches from the line. Prop Lindsay Smith then provided a similar effort on the next set, getting back to help deny Bula again with the Panthers leading 18-14. The Panthers' win meant they finished the round in 13th spot but just one point out of the top eight, after a horror start to the season had them sitting last after 12 rounds. Penrith players saw similarities between Sorensen's effort, and Viliame Kikau's famed effort to hold Melbourne's Justin Olam up after the siren in the Panthers' 2021 grand-final rematch. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NRL (@nrl) Kikau's desperate play has for years helped Penrith set the standards for success, and teammates believe Sorensen's effort on Sunday can have a similar effect. "We'll look back on that as a pretty defining moment. It was huge," fellow second-rower Liam Martin told AAP. "I remember the (Kikau) one, where he slid and held (Olam) up over the line. "It's just those little plays that you just value ... They're just little plays that probably not a lot of people notice, but they get so valued in our team. "It gives you so much confidence when you see stuff like that happening, your teammates doing that, and you just build energy off it." Penrith face a tough run ahead to keep their season revival on track, with a trip to Auckland without State of Origin players after the bye. They then face Canterbury off a five-day turnaround, before having the Bulldogs again, Melbourne and Canberra on their run home. Martin admitted the Panthers may have lacked that kind of desperation in their game as they went 2-6 to start the season, a point Nathan Cleary agreed with. "That's probably been the difference between winning and losing games," Cleary, who was involved in both tackles on Bula with Sorensen and Smith, said. "At the start of the year we weren't doing that at all and it was biting us in the butt a fair bit. "That's what we want our DNA and identity to be like. And we definitely applaud plays like that. "Then it starts to become something that happens just by DNA ... there were even a few of those last week (against Parramatta) as well." Sorensen, for his part, dodged the praise after Sunday's win. "It's no different to anyone else in this team," he said. "It's just doing your job, and tonight was my time to do my job. It's as simple as that."
News.com.au
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Blaize Talagi starting to fire ahead of showdown with former side
Blaize Talagi hasn't given his new Penrith teammates any inside information on what to expect from his former side on Sunday afternoon, with the five-eighth hoping to get one over the Eels in a blockbuster battle of the west. Parramatta fans thought Talagi would be their next superstar – especially with whispers Clint Gutherson was on the way out – but they now have to cheer on an Eels side missing their former skipper and one of the hottest young talents in the NRL. Talagi broke their hearts when he told the club he wanted to leave last year, and it only got worse when their noisy neighbours signed him to replace Jarome Luai. He now returns to CommBank Stadium to take on his old club, with Penrith needing a win to get off the foot of the table, with the Eels hoping to heap more pain on the champions. Off-season shoulder surgery slowed down his partnership with Nathan Cleary, with Talagi forced to start the year in reserve grade before he finally earnt a start in round 6. It was a clunky start but the young gun has quickly found his feet, headlined by four try assists against the Cowboys a few weeks ago when he only had eight in 19 games last year. 'He's really starting to grow in belief,' veteran back-rower Scott Sorensen said ahead of his return from suspension. 'Everyone is working hard, and he's right up there in working really hard on his game and understanding our system and his role in defence and attack. 'I think his confidence is starting to build, which is really exciting. 'Being out, you get to have a bit of a bird's-eye view on it. It's awesome to see his game grow, and his voice has grown as well. 'That comes with confidence and working on his combination with Nathan.' Questions were being asked in the early rounds when Talagi wasn't getting picked, while plenty of tough judges were quick to sink the boot in when Penrith were losing with him in the team. But he's starting to look more comfortable every week and hasn't been afraid to over call his famous halves partner if he sees something brewing on the left. 'He hasn't really missed a beat,' Sorensen said. 'He obviously had his shoulder surgery (in the pre-season) and I'm sure that would have played a part in building confidence and getting back into it. 'He just hasn't looked backwards. He's tried to grow and accept that this is his position now. He's been patient. There's a lot of outside noise, but he's believed in what's happening in the four walls here. 'I'm sure he's had conversations with Ivan, and you can see that he's taken his time to grow and learn our system. He's starting to blossom which is nice to see.' Outside back Tom Jenkins played against his former side the Knights last week but said Talagi hadn't even brought up Parramatta ahead of this weekend's grudge match. Jenkins was on the end of a stunning chip kick from Talagi to score against the Cowboys and said the young half's enthusiasm had been crucial for the four-time defending premiers who aren't stressing about being last on the ladder. 'I love playing with Blaize. He always brings the energy and he's one of those X-factor players that we look for,' he said. 'You never know what's going to happen around him, but it's usually pretty good. 'I didn't get to see him in pre-season, but from round 1 to now, it's clear to everyone that he's found his feet and he's developed.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NRL boss flags major bunker change amid backlash over 'embarrassing' scenes
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo insists there will be "less intervention" from the bunker moving forward after addressing the widespread backlash from a controversial weekend of footy. Round eight saw a staggering 18 players sent to the sin bin, with some of those incidents not even worthy of a binning, while other more serious offences weren't similarly punished. The NRL chief executive admitted mistakes were made by officials across the round and accepted the 'frustrations' of fans after the bunker interjected numerous times to initiate sin-bin calls several plays after the initial offence. Wests Tigers prop Fonua Pole was binned in one such incident against Cronulla on Sunday that left league legend Andrew Johns so incensed he refused to speak on Nine's broadcast for 23 minutes. Johns also fumed over Scott Sorensen's sin-binning for a high shot on Manly's Nathan Brown, after questioning how else the Panthers forward was supposed to tackle the rampaging Sea Eagles forward. Brown was charging at full-speed off a kick-off and Sorensen's shoulder accidentally caught the Manly prop in the head as he braced for contact, but many argued that it was simply an accident that is part of the game. Sorensen faces a two-game ban after being hit with a grade-two dangerous contact charge that Penrith are hoping to get downgraded at the judiciary. If the Panthers are successful, Sorensen faces a $1500 fine but will be free to take on the Broncos in Magic Round. However, the Penrith forward faces a three-game ban if he's unsuccessful. It's the first major test for the judiciary this season, amid concerns there is a disconnect between on-field decisions by officials and the gradings from the match review committee. There have already been 31 players sin-binned for dangerous acts this season, with 17 resulting in suspensions, 12 in fines and two resulting in no punishment at all. Scott Sorensen was sent to the sin bin for this shoulder charge. 📺 Watch #NRLPanthersManly on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: BLOG MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) April 26, 2025 The latest controversies have left fans' confidence in the state of NRL officiating at an all-time low and the NRL CEO appeared on multiple programs on TV and radio on Monday night to address the backlash. He accepted that mistakes had been made by officials but insisted there had not been a directive to crack down on high contact after making no apologies for referees trying to protect the players. RELATED: Why Terrell May is a 'must-pick' for Origin as Blues coach drops hint Luai rejects ugly claim about Galvin as Tigers young gun breaks silence Papenhuyzen 'prime target' for newest team amid potential $2m first But Abdo accepted the bunker was playing too big a role in games and said the video officials had been instructed to only get involved for the most serious acts of foul play that warranted sin bins. 'I think there were some calls that were wrong and look and we understand some of the frustration, particularly when the bunker intervenes in play a number of plays down the track,' Abdo said. 'We can understand why there's frustration with that. The bar for that was always intended to be quite high. It needs to be serious or significant foul play for the bunker to intervene and to bin someone once the play is moved on. That's something that we want to work on with the referees.' The NRL boss also warned players against trying to milk penalties by staying down or exaggerating contact from opposition players. He was speaking in reference to an incident with Cronulla's Ronaldo Mulitalo against the Tigers on Sunday that Johns and fellow league great Paul Gallen both detested and fans labelled 'embarrassing' after the Sharks appealed for a penalty due when Jack Bird's fingers brushed Mulitalo's face. Players like Mulitalo carrying on holding their face trying to milk penalities and sin bins are the actual WORST I'm glad the ref called it incidental #NRLTigersSharks — Nikki (@Easts4Life) April 27, 2025 Does it all the — Duke25 (@Duke2517) April 27, 2025 Mulitalo is the biggest milker holy shit 🤢 — Picasstonian (@hf2_0_2_) April 27, 2025 "We don't want to see that. We don't want to see a situation where we're set up to fail and encouraging players to milk penalties, that's the last thing we want," Abdo said on Nine's 100% Footy. "I think some of the decisions the referees have made despite that are phenomenal and they deserve credit for that because it is difficult in those situations." Abdo was adamant that officiating decisions would not ruin Magic Round in Brisbane this weekend, amid growing concerns. He said: "I can say that we review each and every match each and every round and we've looked at some of the errors that occurred this weekend and we want to make sure that they don't get repeated. So I think that what you're going to see is definitely less intervention from the Bunker when play has moved on."
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Panthers take action against NRL as Andrew Johns erupts over 'embarrassing' farce
The Penrith Panthers will challenge Scott Sorensen's two-match ban at the NRL judiciary in a major examination of the league's crackdown on high contact. The Panthers back-rower was sin-binned on Saturday night for a shoulder charge that collected Manly prop Nathan Brown in the head. Brown wasn't even required to leave the field for a head injury assessment (HIA), but Sorensen was given his marching orders for 10 minutes. On Sunday morning, the match review committee hit Sorensen with a grade-two charge, which carries a two-game suspension with an early guilty plea. But the Panthers will challenge the ruling at the NRL judiciary and are seeing a downgrade to a grade-one charge. That would result in just a $1500 fine and leave Soresen free to take on the Broncos in Brisbane in Magic Round. If the Panthers are unsuccessful at the judiciary, Sorensen will be wiped out for three games and miss matches against the Cowboys and Knights as well. The hearing will be a true test of how on-board the judiciary is with the NRL's crackdown on high contact. Scott Sorensen was sent to the sin bin for this shoulder charge. 📺 Watch #NRLPanthersManly on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: BLOG MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) April 26, 2025 A whopping 18 players were sin-binned in Round 8 - the majority for high tackles - after the NRL started clamping down on contact to the head about a month ago. The situation seemed to ramp up last weekend as multiple players were sin-binned in the next set of six following innocuous incidents. Speaking on Channel 9 on Sunday, Andrew Johns urged NRL officials to make a public statement about what a player is supposed to do in Sorensen's situation. Johns pointed out that Sorensen risked injury to himself if he didn't brace for the contact or tried to tackle low, and would like dislocate a shoulder or elbow by wrapping his arms in such close proximity to teammates. 'They want players to defend low, but if Scott Sorensen goes low on Nathan Brown he's gonna knock himself out as cold as a spud,' Johns said on the Footy Show. 'If he wraps his arms, he will dislocate his shoulder – he has to brace and get himself into space. I have no idea what the NRL want this tackle to be and they have to come out tomorrow and explain what tackle they want in this situation. "The breakdown of this sending players to the bin is absolutely farcical. It's gone beyond a joke. It is embarrassing. The over-analysis and the overreach of the bunker in play ... the bunker should be used only for try-scoring opportunities unless it's a send-off. If it's an out-and-out send-off and they miss it, then fair enough, come in and send the player off. "Going back eight plays in a set of six where the referee doesn't see it, the touch judges don't see it, the players don't see it ... to send someone to the bin is absolutely farcical." Tellingly, there's already seems to be a disconnect between the on-field calls being made and the match review committee. In recent years, a sin-bin has traditionally equated to a grade-two charge from the match review committee and at least a one-game ban. But the NRL has lowered the marker for a sin-bin in recent weeks, with officials believed to be happy with fines in some instances. RELATED: Selwyn Cobbo delivers dagger to Broncos in huge call on NRL future Kalyn Ponga's switch to rival team gathers steam amid glaring move Across the opening eight rounds, there have been 31 players sin-binned for dangerous acts. Of those, 17 have received suspensions and 12 have been fined. On two occasions, the match review committee cleared them altogether. In contrast, the match review committee has handed out 13 suspensions to players who were not sin-binned on field. It means that of the 44 players sin-binned or suspended this season, the bunker and match review committee's stances have been different on 15 of them. with AAP
