Sydney Roosters thrash Wests Tigers, lose Joey Manu with broken hand, Dragons beat the Dolphins, Cowboys shock Panthers
The Sydney Roosters have thrashed Wests Tigers 40-6, but the victory came at a cost with centre Joey Manu suffering a suspected broken hand in the first half.
The Roosters scored eight tries without reply until Fonua Pole crossed late.
Dom Young and Daniel Tupou both scored doubles for the Roosters, with Terrell May, Luke Keary, James Tedesco and Victor Radley all crossing.
Sam Walker was masterful with the ball in hand, steering the Roosters around the park exceptionally despite the persistent rain that fell throughout the contest.
In Penrith, the Cowboys, missing five of their Origin stars, beat a similarly-changed Panthers team 16-6 to claim their fifth win in their last six matches and move up to seventh on the ladder.
At Kogarah, Maroons forward Jaydn Su'A starred at centre as the Dragons scored five unanswered second-half tries to beat the Dolphins 26-6 and move back into the top eight.
The Maroons though, will face a headache ahead of the decider as star winger Xavier Coates is confirmed to have torn his right hamstring in Melbourne's win over Canberra and will miss Origin III at Lang Park.
Selwyn Cobbo appears to be obvious candidate to come into the Queensland backline, although Dane Gagai was named in the extended squad for Game II, while in form Titans Alofiana Khan-Pereira and Phil Sami are possible contenders.
Look back on how all the action unfolded in our live blog.
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