NRL round-up: Slater and Smith standout, Dragons remain unbeaten, Johnson unlucky

St George Illawarra Dragons are the only team left in the NRL to have won all of their opening games.

St George Illawarra Dragons continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 40-20 success over Cronulla Sharks at WIN Stadium on Friday. Italy international Paul Vaughan got on the scoresheet for the Dragons while Scotland centre Euan Aitken also scored. England ace Gareth Widdop nailed nine goals.

Australia stars Billy Slater and Cameron Smith put in great performances to help Melbourne Storm beat Newcastle Knights 40-14 at AAMI Park on Friday. Fiji winger Suliasi Vunivalu scored two for Storm, while former Super League star Ken Sio bagged a brace for the Knights.

A man of the match display from New Zealand international Shaun Johnson wasn’t enough to help New Zealand Warriors beat Brisbane Broncos. Two tries from Jamayne Isaako helped the Broncos achieve a 27-18 success at Mt Smart Stadium.

North Queensland Cowboys suffered yet another defeat in round six. They lost 27-10 to Canterbury Bulldogs on Saturday. Kangaroos forwards David Klemmer and Aaron Woods put in strong performances for the Bulldogs.

Canberra Raiders put in a solid display to keep Parramatta Eels tryless in an 18-2 victory at GIO Stadium. New Zealand winger Jordan Rapana and Samoa front-rower Josh Papalii got on the scoresheet for the Raiders.

Corey Harawira-Naera bagged a brace to help Penrith Panthers ease past Gold Coast Titans 35-12 at Panthers Stadium on Sunday. Australia half-back James Maloney was different class for the Panthers.

A double from Benji Marshall guided Wests Tigers to a rampant 38-12 win over Manly Sea Eagles at Lottoland. The Tigers are looking good to make the top four this year, while ex-Widnes star Corey Thompson is in remarkable form.

South Sydney Rabbitohs put in a determined display to grind out a 26-14 victory over city rivals Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Thursday. Greg Inglis scored for the Rabbitohs, while Latrell Mitchell was unlucky to be on the losing side after scoring a try and kicking three goals.

The Dragons are currently top of the NRL ladder, having won six out of six, while the Eels are rock bottom after losing every game so far.