Round five of the NRL was full of entertainment, drama and late comebacks as the sides return to full fitness after the COVID-19 break.

Here is a roundup of all the action from the latest round of fixtures Down Under!

Sea Eagles punish out-of-sorts Broncos 

Manly Sea Eagles 20-18 Brisbane Broncos

The last few weeks haven’t been kind to the Brisbane Broncos and they got even worse in round five as they let an 18-0 lead slip to fall to defeat to the Manly Sea Eagles.

The Sea Eagles fell to an agonising defeat to Parramatta in round four but there was no repeat in round five as Tom Trbojevic’s defensive magic denied Xavier Coates with two minutes remaining as Manly showed their title prowess to overcome the disappointing Broncos.

Warriors breeze past Cowboys

New Zealand Warriors 37-26 North Queensland Cowboys

The New Zealand Warriors got back to winning ways on Friday as a Peta Hiku hat-trick helped the New Zealand outfit to  overcome the North Queensland Cowboys at the Central Coast Stadium.

The Warriors had struggled to score points early in the campaign - scoring just four tries in the first four rounds - but they ran in seven scores against the injury hit Cowboys to continue their inconsistent start to the season.

Eels edge past Panthers

Parramatta Eels 16-10 Penrith Panthers

The Eels made it five wins from five as they came from behind to claim the Western Sydney bragging rights as they defeated the Penrith Panthers.

The Eels scored three tries in seven frantic second half minutes as they came back from a 0-10 half-time deficit to defat the Panthers 16-10 and equal their best ever start to an NRL season.

Rabbitohs end losing run

South Sydney Rabbitohs 32-12 Gold Coast Titans

The South Sydney Rabbitohs brought a halt to their three-game losing streak as they saw off the Gold Coast Titans on Saturday night.

Latrell Mitchell was the star for the Bunnies as he scored one and set up three more as the Rabbitohs got back to winning ways against Justin Holbrook’s men, who themselves slipped back to the foot of the NRL ladder.

Knights fall to first defeat at the hands of the Storm

Newcastle Knights 12-26 Melbourne Storm 

The Melbourne Storm showed why they are amongst the title favourites as they put in a scintillating display to inflict a first defeat of the season on the Newcastle Knights.

The Storm dominated the first half, opening up an 18-2 lead at the break and it proved to be too much for the Knights to overcome, despite the hosts reducing the lead to just six points early in the second half.

A late Cameron Smith penalty and Brandon Smith try put the icing on the cake for the Storm who made it four wins from five so far this campaign.

Raiders get back to winning ways against the Tigers

Wests Tigers 6-14 Canberra Raiders

The Canberra Raiders bounced back from defeat to the Knights in round four with a routine victory over the Wests Tigers.

The Tigers were the better side in the opening 40 and lead by 4-0 at half-time but it was all Canberra in the second period as scores from Jack Wighton and Nick Cotric helped the Raiders to turn the game around as they cruised to victory.

Dragons pick up first win over the season over the Sharks

St George Illawarra Dragons 30-16 Cronulla Sharks

The St George Illawarra Dragons picked up their first win of the season to ease the pressure on head coach Paul McGregor as they saw off the Cronulla Sharks by 30 points to 16.

Fijian winger Mikaele Ravalawa scored a double for the Dragons who put in their best performance of the campaign so far by some margin as they look to get their season up and running after a very poor start.

Roosters rout the Bulldogs at the Bankwest

Canterbury Bulldogs 6-42 Sydney Roosters

The Sydney Roosters post-lockdown glow up continued on Monday as they crushed the Bulldogs by 42 points to six.

The game was put back 24 hours after a Coronavirus scare for the Bulldogs but it mattered not as James Tedesco returned from injury to inspire his side to yet another comprehensive victory.

The reigning Dally M winner ran in three tries and picked up two assists on his return to the side as the Roosters showed just why they are the best side in the NRL!

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