NRL round-up: Burgess inspires Rabbitohs, Gelling made debut, Graham helps Dragons win

Round four of the NRL Premiership was a cracker.

Sam Burgess inspired South Sydney Rabbitohs to a fine 20-16 win over Canterbury Bulldogs at the ANZ Stadium on Friday. He set up the winning try for Cameron Murray late on. Tom Burgess started in the front-row, while George Burgess made a big impact when he came off the bench.

Cronulla Sharks put in a gritty display to beat NRL Premiers Melbourne Storm 14-4 in a game full of controversial refereeing decisions. There were 33 penalties in total, but aside from the poor discipline on show, Cronulla keeping title favourites Melbourne try-less should be the main talking point.

Former Super League star Blake Green steered New Zealand Warriors to a fourth straight win, a record start by the club. They beat Sydney Roosters 36-6 at the Allianz Stadium, while ex-Wigan Warriors ace Anthony Gelling made his NRL debut for the Warriors.

Australia international Tom Trbojevic put in a classy display to help Manly Sea Eagles ease past Elliott Whitehead’s Canberra Raiders 32-16 on Saturday.

St George Illawarra Dragons’ James Graham proved to be too hot to handle for Newcastle Knights at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on Sunday. The Dragons were 30-12 victors, with England ace Gareth Widdop kicking five goals. Scotland star Euan Aitken also got on the scoresheet for the Dragons.

A hat-trick from Phillip Sami helped Gold Coast Titans beat Brisbane Broncos 26-14 at the Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

Australia half-back James Maloney put in a standout performance to guide Penrith Panthers to a thrilling 33-14 victory over North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville on Thursday. Maloney kicked eight goals from as many attempts, added a drop-goal and scored a try, totalling a personal tally of 21 points.

The Dragons and the Warriors are currently top of the NRL ladder, having won four games from four, while the Raiders and Parramatta Eels are at the bottom.