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It was another big Sunday of NRL action with Newcastle surging to top of the table courtesy of a big win over the Tigers and Brisbane staying unbeaten after they outlasted the Bulldogs.
Check out all the scores, stats and key news below.
Broncos 16 def Bulldogs 10
The Brisbane Broncos survived a final Canterbury onslaught to run out winners 16-10 at Sydney's Accor Stadium, giving them back-to-back victories to start their 2022 NRL season.
They defended their line grimly in the final minutes and then a Josh Addo-Carr burst down the eastern touchline nearly brought the third try the Bulldogs were so desperately seeking.
But a 12-9 error count by the home side didn't help matters when they tried to grab the ascendancy earlier.
The match was locked up twice, proving the arm wrestle it turned out to be.
The Broncos last started a NRL season with two straight wins in 2020 — but they ended up with the wooden spoon that year.
However it's a different coach now with Kevin Walters, and a new halfback in Adam Reynolds who steered his side around what used to be his old home ground with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
So maybe 2022 will have a much happier ending.
Tevita Pangai Junior wasted no time in reacquainting himself with his old teammates.
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But he overstepped the mark with a late tackle on Reynolds in just the second minute with referee Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski placing him on report.
It was the first game in new colours for both Pangai Junior (hamstring) and Reynolds (COVID-19) as both players had separate health issues last weekend.
Scores were locked up 4-4 at halftime, signifying the closeness of these two early in both attack and defence, despite a healthy 60 per cent possession to the Bulldogs.
The home side was the first to score off an error by Broncos fullback Testi Niu in the 10th minute.
He dropped a Matt Burton bomb cold, with the Bulldogs centre Braidon Burns scoring in the right corner in the next set.
The Broncos replied five minutes later with a beautiful low-trajectory kick by Albert Kelly finding the welcoming hands of Corey Oates.
That was Oates' 100th try for the Brisbane club, becoming the sixth man to reach the century, joining illustrious company like Steve Renouf, Darren Lockyer, Michael Hancock, Wendell Sailor and Allan Langer.
Points came early in the second half when hooker Jeremy Marshall-King slipped through three Broncos defenders to score from dummy-half.
But the Bulldogs replied quickly through a one-on-one strip by Herbie Farnworth and with the Reynolds conversion — his first points in a Broncos jumper — the game was locked up again 10-10.
A no-look Reynolds pass through his legs to Katoni Staggs six minutes later was worth four points, but the Broncos centre lost his grip on the ball over the line.
The deadlock was broken when Farnworth scored his second (16-10) despite the Bulldogs claiming an obstruction by Oates.
The Bulldogs kept pressing but the error count kept rising.
They had two repeat sets on the Broncos line in the final four minutes and couldn't get the breakthrough.
AAP
Team stats
Knights 26 def Tigers 4
Adam O'Brien has hailed Newcastle's 26-4 win over Wests Tigers as the best show of culture he has seen at the club after several players starred without training during the week.
The Knights have been forced to deal with an injury-riddled start to the NRL season, with Kalyn Ponga, David Klemmer and Daniel Saifiti all missing the match.
Mitchell Barnett, Kurt Mann and Lachlan Fitzgibbon were among others not to train after the win over the Sydney Roosters, while the latter also picked up a knee injury in the first half.
It mattered little as the Knights went the first 75 minutes against a poor Tigers outfit without conceding a try while also dominating the middle to go first on the NRL ladder.
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"We have worked really hard on our culture, and that is as good as a next-man-up mentality from the boys, to defend the way they did," O'Brien said.
"They wanted to play. It was really important for us to get in front our own town again.
"I'm a proud coach."
Equally as impressive is Newcastle's attack in their two wins.
Often criticised last season as they struggled for fluency they appear more willing to move the ball around this season.
Adam Clune and Jake Clifford have also had two strong showings in the halves, with the pair solid against the Roosters and having a hand in all five tries on Sunday.
It comes despite a summer where Mitchell Pearce departed for the Super League before hooker Jayden Brailey suffered a long-term achilles injury.
"Joey (Johns) has come in along with Blake Green and Willie Peters," O'Brien said.
"We have always had a style we wanted to play. And those three coaches are on the same page and presenting it to the players.
"We've had the luxury of having a whole summer working on combinations … I wouldn't underestimate (what impact that had in 2021).
"We're only two games in, but we do have a better blend of being able to have power with our big guys and being able to move the ball as well."
AAP