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Details: Written by Grant Broadcasters; Category: Received; Published: 03 March 2023; Hits: 106

Coach Kevin Walters has acclaimed Brisbane's 13-12 upset win over Penrith as the gutsiest Broncos showing since he took charge of the club.

The visitors pulled off a shock on Friday, with a tryscoring double from Herbie Farnworth and an Adam Reynolds field goal helping Brisbane to their first win at BlueBet Stadium since 2009.

Brisbane's defensive resolve deserted them at the back end of last year but aside from a runaway try to Stephen Crichton and a Soni Luke bargeover, they kept the Panthers at bay for long periods.

"It's a really good win for us, Penrith have been a great side for a long time and everyone is chasing them," Walters said.

"It was a tight game and there wasn't much in it and we won't get carried away.

"Defence was one of our things that we wanted to be better at.

"We made some good improvements tonight but as a whole, the effort - particularly on the tryline - that's the best defence I've had since I've been back at the club."

Penrith, for their part, looked clunky.

Without Api Koroisau at hooker and Viliame Kikau in the backrow, the Panthers struggled for attacking outlets and it was only late in the piece that they came alive.

With Brisbane 13-6 up, Luke was able to crash over for a try and he nearly had a second after Nathan Cleary attempted a two-point field goal.

Stand-in Broncos fullback Selwyn Cobbo spilled the ball as he ran it back, with Luke diving on it to score what would have been the matchwinner.

Unfortunately for the diminutive hooker, Jarome Luai was penalised for being offside on the kick chase as Penrith were condemned to a second-straight home defeat.

"I felt we had a lot of opportunities and left a couple of tries out there," said Panthers coach Ivan Cleary.

"We were a little bit disorganised at times, which is pretty standard for round one.

"It was a tough game and a disappointing loss but there's certainly a lot to build on for sure."

It looked like it would be a straightforward night for the Panthers when they surged ahead after just eight minutes.

Canterbury-bound centre Crichton put them ahead after second-rower Liam Martin made an incisive break upfield.

Penrith had the upper hand in territory and possession but Brisbane were able to strike back when Reynolds snuck down a short side and sent Farnworth in at the corner.

Five-eighth Ezra Mam pinballed his way through a hole in the Panthers' line before toeing ahead to set up Farnworth's second.

Martin and Luke Garner both went close for the hosts but Brisbane were able to hold them out.

Cobbo made a couple of errors but Penrith were unable to make use of the territory as their attack struggled to click into gear.

Interchange hooker Luke provided some much-needed spark in the second half and crossed after Reynolds' 71s minute field goal to send the game down to the wire.

But a second try eluded him and allowed Brisbane to hold on for victory.

Details: Written by Grant Broadcasters; Category: Received; Published: 03 March 2023; Hits: 79

Cameron Munster will miss at least the next fortnight after undergoing surgery on the ugly finger injury that left bone protruding through the skin in Melbourne's season-opening NRL win.

Munster flew back to Melbourne on Friday to see a hand specialist late in the afternoon, with the Storm confirming he will miss between two and three weeks.

It came after he fought through the pain of a compound fracture in the Storm's 16-12 win over Parramatta on Thursday night, returning for the second half following two pain-killing injections.

His herculean effort included a nifty dummy followed by a step and pass to set up the crucial match-levelling try late in the game, with two of his fingers bandaged in the shape of sausages.

Hurt when he made a tackle on Clint Gutherson in the 27th minute, Munster immediately left the field but returned less than half-an-hour later after treatment.

"I was a bit surprised when I saw it come out. I have never seen a bone come out before," Munster said.

"I felt my finger numb when I got out of that tackle against Gutho and I thought, 'That doesn't feel right'.

"I looked down and there was a bit of bone sticking out. Shock hit and I didn't really have much emotion.

"I got off and the doc said, 'I have to put a needle in to numb it up'. I'd much rather let it sit there. I hate needles."

Despite the injury, Munster said he did not have any significant trouble gripping the ball during the tight second half and golden-point finish.

"I bumped it a couple of times. A couple of times I got in a tackle and it was a bit wincy," he said.

"But the numbing needles helped with the pain.

"I just tried passing a little bit more. I probably didn't run the ball as much as I would like to."

Munster's surgery comes at a horrible time for the Storm, with their injury count now standing at 12.

They are already without superstar fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen for at least the first six rounds as he battles to recover from last year's fractured knee cap.

Justin Olam, Tui Kamikamica, George Jennings and Tariq Sims were among other big-name absentees for the opening round, before Xavier Coates also suffered an injury in the win.

He too will miss next week's clash with Canterbury after suffering a sprain to his sternoclavicular joint, and is in a race against the clock to face Gold Coast in round three.

Grant Anderson looms as the man most likely to replace Coates on the wing, while Tyran Wishart is expected to start at five-eighth in place of Munster.

Details: Written by Grant Broadcasters; Category: Received; Published: 03 March 2023; Hits: 83

Australia have set their sights on drawing the Border-Gavaskar series after securing a rare and memorable nine-wicket Test victory in India.

The tourists survived a small but tricky run chase of 76 to win the third Test at Holkar Stadium in Indore, just 75 minutes into day three, to celebrate just their second triumph on Indian soil since 2004.

Travis Head (49no) and Marnus Labuschagne (28no) were there at the end to mark an extraordinary turnaround for Australia after the visitors were humiliated in the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi.

"They are pretty hard to come by (wins in India)," acting captain Steve Smith said.

"For us to get on top in this game, particularly after losing the toss and fielding first as well, it shows the talent in this group and the belief we've got in ourselves.

"We screwed up, I suppose, in Delhi is one way to put it.

"We had an opportunity there and let that slip, but we had a good break and a good preparation coming here and it was just about getting our mental states right."

A chase of less than 100 would ordinarily have been straightforward, but the pitch spinning and bouncing sharply meant Australia started day three with some apprehension.

India were dismissed for 109 and 163, while Australia's first innings of 197 ended with a dramatic collapse of 6-11.

Usman Khawaja, who top-scored with a gritty 60 in Australia's first innings, was dismissed for a second-ball duck after nicking a Ravichandran Ashwin delivery to wicketkeeper KS Bharat.

Australia were forced to defend for the first 10 overs, but Head and Labuschagne started to play with a sense of freedom after Ashwin was rattled by the state of the ball.

The bowler complained several times to umpires and continued to express his frustration even after it was changed at the 10-over mark.

Head and Labuschagne then took on the star spinner, smashing several quick boundaries to ease any tension in Australia's dressing room.

Head's unbeaten 49 came from just 53 balls, adding evidence that he plays his best in Asia batting at the top of the order following his promotion to open after David Warner's exit from the tour.

Star spinner Nathan Lyon was named player of the match for his 11-99, including a legendary spell of 8-64 to run through India in their second innings.

During the match, Lyon passed India great Anil Kumble to become the leading wicket-taker in Border-Gavaskar series history.

The tourists' victory handed India only their third defeat at home in 45 Tests over the last 10 years, with Australia's win in Pune in 2017 among them.

Australia's hopes of winning the series are already gone, but it would be a monumental effort if they could finish their India tour level at 2-2.

The victory also confirmed Australia's spot in the World Test Championship, to be played at The Oval in London in June.

Australia always looked likely to be in the WTC decider, but could have missed out had they been whitewashed 4-0 in India and other results went against them.

"That's (WTC final) still a little while away, so we'll play the next game in Ahmedabad, hopefully level the series there and worry about that after," Smith said.

India remain their likely opponents, with captain Rohit Sharma saying before the third Test the hosts could prepare a green pitch for the fourth match in Ahmedabad if they won in Indore to get ready for the WTC final.

That green top appears a long-shot now, with India determined to bounce back next week and win the series 3-1.

Details: Written by Grant Broadcasters; Category: Received; Published: 03 March 2023; Hits: 79

Australia have survived a small but tricky run chase to win by nine wickets on a spinning, crumbling pitch in Indore and secure a memorable Test victory in India.

Set just 76 to win in the third Test at Holkar Stadium, Australia brought up only their second win on Indian soil since they claimed the Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2004.

Travis Head (49no) and Marnus Labuschagne (28no) were there at the end for the rare victory in India to mark an extraordinary turnaround for Australia after the tourists were humiliated in the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi.

A chase of less than 100 would ordinarily have been straightforward, but the pitch spinning and bouncing sharply meant Australia started day three with some apprehension.

India were dismissed for 109 and 163, while Australia's first innings of 197 ended with a dramatic collapse of 6-11.

Usman Khawaja, who top-scored with a gritty 60 in Australia's first innings, was dismissed for a duck second ball after nicking a Ravichandran Ashwin delivery to wicketkeeper KS Bharat.

Australia were forced to defend for the first 10 overs, but Head and Labuschagne started to play with a sense of freedom after Ashwin was rattled by the state of the ball.

The bowler complained several times to umpires about the ball, and continued to express his frustration even after it was changed at the 10-over mark.