Monday?s Expert League Wrap - Finals Week 2

Week Two of the NRL Finals kicked off on Friday night with the St George Illawarra Dragons eliminating the Manly Sea Eagles by 28-0 at Aussie Stadium. The Sea Eagles bow out of the 2006 race while the Dragons continue to impress with some late season form. Their opponents next week will be minor premiers the Melbourne Storm in what should be a cracker of a match, the winner of that encounter earning a grand final berth.

Saturday rugby league saw the Brisbane Broncos bounce back to annihilate the Newcastle Knights 50-6 at Aussie Stadium. A late try saved the Knights from a total whitewash as they join Manly in Mad Monday celebrations. Nevertheless, it was a big season turnaround for the Knights after they were lumbered with the wooden spoon in 2005. The Broncos were devastating after losing the week before. They loom up as genuine premiership threats and will take on the Canterbury Bulldogs next week with the winner of that match advancing to the grand final.

All match results and details are listed below.

UPCOMING MATCHES:
NRL Finals Week Three, 22-23 September 2006 - Preliminary Finals
Friday 7:45pm BULLDOGS v BRONCOS - Aussie Stadium
Saturday 7:45pm STORM v DRAGONS - Telstra Stadium

(Winners through to grand final, losers eliminated)

NRL MATCH RESULTS:
League Wrap: NRL Finals - Week 2, 15-16 September 2006

St George Illawarra Dragons: 28
Tries: Matt Cooper, Ben Hornby, Daryl Millard, Brett Morris(2)
Goals: Aaron Gorrell 3/3, Wes Naiqama 1/1, Mathew Head 0/2
Manly Sea Eagles: 0
Half time: Dragons 8-0
Venue: Aussie Stadium
Crowd: 30,907
Referee: Paul Simpkins
Leagueunlimited.com players of the match:
3 - Brett Morris (Dragons)
2 - Luke Bailey (Dragons)
1 - Steve Menzies (Sea Eagles)

(Sea Eagles eliminated)

Brisbane Broncos: 50
Tries: Dane Carlaw, Petero Civoniceva, Justin Hodges, Karmichael Hunt, Darren Lockyer, David Stagg, Brent Tate, Darius Boyd
Goals: Darren Lockyer 1/1, Corey Parker 8/8
Newcastle Knights: 6
Tries: Kurt Gidley
Goals: Andrew Johns 1/2
Half time: Broncos 24-0
Venue: Aussie Stadium
Crowd: 22,081
Referee: Steven Clark
Leagueunlimited.com players of the match:
3 - Shaun Berrigan (Broncos)
2 - Darren Lockyer (Broncos)
1 - Petero Civoniceva (Broncos)

(Knights eliminated)

Melbourne Storm and Canterbury Bulldogs had the week off.

The LeagueUnlimited.com players of the match are decided by our live score updaters and tallied here each week on Monday?s Expert League wrap.

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FULL DRAW, RESULTS & LINKS TO LIVE SCORES ? CLICK HERE

LOWER GRADES
PREMIER LEAGUE FINALS RESULTS
Friday, September 15 (Aussie Stadium):
St George Illawarra Dragons 50 defeated Canberra Raiders 12
Saturday, September 16 (Aussie Stadium):
Manly Sea Eagles 32 defeated Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers 26

UPCOMING MATCHES (Premier League):
Premier League, 22-23 September 2006 - Preliminary Finals
Friday 5:35pm EELS v SEA EAGLES - Aussie Stadium
Saturday 3:30pm NEWTOWN JETS v DRAGONS - Telstra Stadium

JERSEY FLEGG FINALS RESULTS
Friday, September 15 (Aussie Stadium):
St George Illawarra Dragons 24 defeated Manly Sea Eagles 20 (in extra time)
Saturday, September 16 (Aussie Stadium):
Canterbury Bulldogs 22 defeated Sydney Roosters 20

UPCOMING MATCHES (Jersey Flegg):
Jersey Flegg, 24 September 2006 - Preliminary Finals
Sunday 12:40pm PANTHERS v BULLDOGS - Leichhardt Oval
Sunday 2:30pm KNIGHTS v DRAGONS - Leichhardt Oval