Greg Bird kicked a field goal in golden-point extra time to give Gold Coast a 23-22 win over Canberra yesterday in the fourth round of the National Rugby League, snapping its three-match losing start to the season.
Canberra led 22-16 with 40 seconds remaining but halfback Matt Orford knocked on at the base of a scrum and Gold Coast scored from its next set of six tackles to send the match into overtime.
Raiders winger Doug Ferguson then knocked on inside his 10m and Bird calmly slotted the field goal that gave Gold Coast its first win in Canberra.
Gold Coast coach John Cartwright said his players had earned their first win of the season.
"They've been putting in for the last four weeks, just haven't been getting the odd bounce of the ball. We got one tonight," he said. "It was a great reward for a lot of effort."
Cartwright also hit back at commentators who claimed that after three straight losses, Gold Coast was out of championship contention.
"It's ridiculous to say someone's season is over after just three games," he said. "It obviously shows that they have no idea what they're talking about."
Luke Burt scored a record-breaking try four minutes from full-time, then kicked a sideline conversion to give Parramatta a 22-20 win over North Queensland, breaking the Eels' run of three straight losses.
Burt's try was his 111th for Parramatta, breaking Brett Kenny's club record of 110.
A 69th-minute try by Willie Tonga appeared to have clinched a win for North Queensland but Burt's record-breaker tied the scores and his goal sealed the victory.
Burt also denied North Queensland, which beat Melbourne 34-6 on Monday, their first back-to-back wins since round 13 of the 2009 season.
Parramatta coach Steve Kearney praised his team's spirit.
"What was pleasing was that we got ourselves from behind three times and over the last couple of weeks, when we have found ourselves in that position, we haven't responded well," he said. "But tonight we jumped straight back into it after being scored against."
Nineteen-year-old Dylan Farrell scored three tries for the second time in only nine NRL matches as Souths beat Manly 32-30 in another fourth-round cliffhanger.
Manly scrumhalf Daly Cherry-Evans had a chance to take the match into extra time with the conversion of William Hopoate's last-minute try but his kick drifted wide of the posts.
Souths' win owed a great deal to Farrell, who scored a treble on debut against Wests last season and repeated the feat before leaving the field with a dislocated shoulder.
Souths coach John Lang said he was on edge as he watched Cherry-Evans' final kick.
"It's never over until it's over, we were running out of gas, we were out of interchanges, we just couldn't get the ball," Lang said.
"We've let sides back into the game too often this season, but I think it was a step in the right direction even though we are not really where we want to be."
Reigning premiers St George Illawarra held on for a narrow 20-18 win over Newcastle, ending a dramatic week in which the Newcastle club was sold.
Fullback Glen Fisiiahi scored two tries as the New Zealand Warriors beat Cronulla 26-18 for their first win of the season, while Brisbane beat Penrith 18-10 and the Sydney Roosters beat Wests 24-6.