Monday?s Expert Leagueunlimited.com
Players Awards - Round 25

League Wrap: Round 25, 26-28 August 2005 And then there were two?

In what has been a miraculous resurgence, Andrew Johns has captured top spot in this week?s Leagueunlimited.com Player Awards. The only other challenger is last year?s winner, Matt Orford.

His team may be short odds to take out the wooden spoon, but don?t tell Joey that. The Knights half back has consistently scored maximum points since coming back from injury last June and is now sitting in outright lead on 27 points.

Meanwhile, Orford has thrown down the gauntlet. The Storm half back also scored top points on the weekend and isn?t far away on 25 points overall.

Next weekend, Orford will have his chance when the Storm takes on the Cowboys in Townsville.

With one round to play, Johns only needs to get in the top three to secure the Leagueunlimited.com title for 2005. Orford needs to score the maximum three points and hope that Joey is contained when the Knights travel to Kogarah next Sunday.

There is plenty riding on the outcome from other matches, the Knights will be hoping for the Rabbitohs to lose to the Sharks on Saturday night. If the cards fall right, the last placed Knights, and Johns, will have plenty of incentive to win and avoid the spoon. But they?ll have to overcome a rampant Dragons outfit who, depending on the outcome of this Friday?s Eels verses Broncos clash, may be vying for the minor premiership.

The full leader board is below.

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

MATCH RESULTS: BRISBANE BRONCOS 10 Tries: Hunt, Civoniceva Goals: Barnes 0/2, Parker 1/1 SYDNEY ROOSTERS 17 Tries: Minichiello 2, Roberts Goals: Fitzgibbon 2/4 Field Goals: Finch 1/1 Suncorp Stadium Fri 7:30pm Crowd: 35,592 Referee: Tony Archer Half time: 4-all Leagueunlimited.com players of the match: 3 - A Minichiello (Roosters) 2 - K Hunt (Broncos) 1 - P Civoniceva (Broncos)

MELBOURNE STORM 34 Tries: Orford, Smith, Geyer, Bell, Inglis, Kaufusi Goals: Orford 5/5, Smith 0/1 WESTS TIGERS 22 Tries: Fitzhenry 2, Whatuira, Richards Goals: Hodgson 3/4 Olympic Park Sat 5:30pm Crowd: 10,050 Referee: Paul Simpkins Half time: Storm 18-6 Leagueunlimited.com players of the match: 3 - M Orford (Storm) 2 - D Kidwell (Storm) 1 - R Kearns (Storm)

MANLY SEA EAGLES 20 Tries: Kennedy 2, Stephenson, Hicks Goals: Williamson 2/3, Hicks 0/1 NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS 22 Tries: Faumuina, Wiki, Koopu, Jones Goals: Jones 3/4 Brookvale Oval Sat 7:30pm Crowd: 14,219 Referee: Sean Hampstead Half time: Manly 10 Warriors 18 Leagueunlimited.com players of the match: 3 - S Jones (Warriors) 2 - B Kennedy (Sea Eagles) 1 - S Price (Warriors)

NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 44 Tries: Tighe, Quinn, Thaiday, Tolar, K Gidley, Newton, Cooper, Johns Goals: Johns 6/8 CRONULLA SHARKS 14 Tries: Simmons 2, Covell Goals: Covell 1/3 EnergyAustralia Stadium Sat 7:30pm Crowd: 23,084 Referee: Stephen Clark Half time: Knights 34-0 Leagueunlimited.com players of the match: 3 - A Johns (Knights) 2 - C Newton (Knights) 1 - M Thaiday (Knights)

CANTERBURY BULLDOGS 6 Tries: Anasta Goals: Young 1/1 PENRITH PANTHERS 28 Tries: Franze 3, Gower 2 Goals: Campbell 4/5 Telstra Stadium Sun 2:30pm Crowd: 10,599 Referee: Jason Robinson Half time: Panthers 16-6 Leagueunlimited.com players of the match: 3 - P Franze (Panthers) 2 - L Priddis (Panthers) 1 - B Anasta (Bulldogs)

PARRAMATTA EELS 48 Tries: B Smith 3, Burt 3, T Smith, Riddell Goals: Burt 8/9 CANBERRA RAIDERS 10 Tries: Graham, Hindmarsh Goals: Schifcofske 1/2 Parramatta Stadium Sun 3:00pm Crowd: 13,315 Referee: Tim Mander Half time: Eels 6 Raiders 10 Leagueunlimited.com players of the match: 3 - L Burt (Eels) 2 - B Smith (Eels) 1 - F Moi Moi (Eels)

STH SYDNEY RABBITOHS 16 Tries: Harrison, Wood, Polglase Goals: Sutton 1/2, Champion 1/1 NTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS 30 Tries: Sing 3, O'Donnell, Faiumu, Norton Goals: Hannay 3/7 Aussie Stadium Sun 3:00pm Crowd: 13,079 Central Coast Stadium Referee: Shayne Hayne Leagueunlimited.com players of the match: 3 - M Sing (Cowboys) 2 - J Thurston (Cowboys) 1 - A Harrison (Rabbitohs)

Dragons v BYE

Full draw and results ? CLICK HERE

Next weekend?s matches: Round 26, 2-4 September 2005 Eels v Broncos - Parramatta Stadium - Fri 7:30pm Sharks v Rabbitohs - Toyota Park - Sat 5:30pm Cowboys v Storm - Dairy Farmers Stadium - Sat 7:30pm Raiders v Sea Eagles - Canberra Stadium - Sat 7:30pm Roosters v Bulldogs - Aussie Stadium - Sun 2:30pm Dragons v Knights - Oki Jubilee Stadium - Sun 3:00pm Wests Tigers v Panthers - Telstra Stadium - Sun 3:00pm Warriors v BYE

LEAGUEUNLIMITED.COM PLAYER AWARDS 2005 LEADER BOARD The Leagueunlimited.com players awards are decided by our live score updaters. Want to be a live score updater? For further enquiries, email us.

27 points A Johns (Knights)

25 points M Orford (Storm)

22 points M Bowen (Cowboys)

21 points S Jones (Warriors)

20 points B Hodgson (Tigers)

19 points P Campbell (Panthers), N Hindmarsh (Eels), B Hornby (Dragons), D Lockyer (Broncos), B Slater (Storm)

16 points L Bailey (Dragons), B Kennedy (Sea Eagles)

15 points L Priddis (Panthers) 14 points S Menzies (Sea Eagles), A Minichiello (Roosters), S Prince (Tigers) 13 points R Asotasi (Bulldogs), B Kimmorley (Sharks), J Thurston (Cowboys) 12 points J Smith (Raiders) 11 points B Anasta (Bulldogs), C Schifcofske (Raiders), S Webcke (Broncos), R Wiki (Warriors) 10 points M King (Storm), T Smith (Eels) 9 points P Gallen (Sharks), C Fitzgibbon (Roosters), A Harrison (Rabbitohs), A Laffranchi (Tigers), M Minichiello (Rabbitohs), M Monaghan (Sea Eagles), D Peachey (Sharks), M Sing (Cowboys), D Stagg (Broncos), A Watmough (Sea Eagles) 8 points J Cayless (Roosters), R Wesser (Panthers), L Withers (Raiders) 7 points D Buderus (Knights), H El Masri (Bulldogs), R Farah (Tigers), E Grothe (Eels), J Morris (Eels), D Nutley (Sharks), A Tongue (Raiders), B Walker (Rabbitohs), T Waterhouse (Panthers), P Whatuira (Tigers), D Young (Dragons) 6 points S Berrigan (Broncos), P Cusack (Rabbitohs), A Dykes (Sharks), M Gasnier (Dragons), K Kahler (Raiders), K Hunt (Broncos), G Morrison (Eels), S Price (Warriors), M Riddell (Eels), A Ryan (Bulldogs), J Ryles (Dragons), B Sherwin (Bulldogs), J Sutton (Rabbitohs), T Williams (Cowboys), S Woolford (Raiders) 5 points P Bailey (Sharks), L Burt (Eels), T Byrne (Warriors), N Cayless (Eels), R Cross (Roosters), S Faumuina (Warriors), P Franze (Panthers), M Geyer (Storm), T Grimaldi (Bulldogs), J Hannay (Cowboys), R Jensen (Cowboys), B Marshall (Tigers), J Skandalis (Tigers), B Smith (Eels), C Smith (Storm), B Stewart (Sea Eagles), M Vatuvei (Warriors), D Widders (Eels), J Williams (Rabbitohs), C Wing (Roosters), M Witt (Sea Eagles), N Vagana (Sharks) 4 points P Bowman (Cowboys), P Civoniceva (Broncos), C Greenshields (Dragons), M Head (Dragons), R Kearns (Storm), W Koopu (Warriors), H Maiava (Sharks), J Monaghan (Roosters), W Naiqama (Dragons), C Newton (Knights), C Parker (Broncos), A Payne (Cowboys), P Richards (Tigers), B Seymour (Broncos), B Tate (Broncos), B Thorn (Broncos) 3 points T Campese (Raiders), M Chalk (Raiders), M Cooper (Dragons), L Covell (Sharks), M Ennis (Dragons), N Fein (Warriors), B Finch (Roosters), P Graham (Raiders), T Hill (Sea Eagles), J Hodges (Broncos), R Hoffman (Storm), L Hohaia (Warriors), PJ Marsh (Eels), W McKinnon (Eels), J Miller (Raiders), A Morley (Roosters), M O'Neill (Tigers), L Patten (Bulldogs), A Roberts (Roosters), C Smith (Knights), T Tahu (Eels), L Thompson (Dragons), C Toopi (Warriors), C Webb (Cowboys) 2 points T Barrett (Dragons), R Bell (Rabbitohs), S Bell (Storm), B Berrigan (Broncos), B Creagh (Dragons), D Faiumu (Cowboys), N Fien (Warriors), B Firman (Cowboys), C Flannery (Roosters), M Gafa (Raiders), D Galea (Panthers), M Gidley (Knights), C Gower (Panthers), A Guttenbeil (Warriors), S Hegarty (Rabbitohs), D Kidwell (Storm), H L'Estrange (Roosters), A MacDougall (Rabbitohs), R Maitua (Bulldogs), N Merritt (Sharks), F Moi Moi (Eels), I Paleaasina (Warriors), P Rauhihi (Cowboys), L Ricketson (Roosters), S Simpson (Knights), S Southern (Cowboys), J Stevens (Sharks), M Sullivan (Sharks), M Thaiday (Knights), B Tighe (Knights), A Tupou (Roosters), G Turner (Storm), M Utai (Bulldogs), S Walker (Rabbitohs), B Webb (Warriors) 1 point C Best (Dragons), L Bott (Broncos), A Brideson (Bulldogs), G Carmont (Knights), D Cooper (Knights), J Croker (Raiders), D Fitzhenry (Tigers), B Fletcher (Rabbitohs), L Fulton (Tigers), C Hicks (Sea Eagles), M Hilder (Sharks), I Hindmarsh (Raiders), L MacDougall (Rabbitohs), F Meli (Warriors), V Mellars (Sharks), L O'Donnell (Cowboys), M O'Meley (Bulldogs) , S Rodney (Panthers), J Ropati (Warriors), B Scott (Sharks), S Timmins (Dragons), W Tonga (Bulldogs), C Walker (Roosters), J Webster (Storm), S B Williams (Bulldogs), A Woolnough (Knights)

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