NRL

Merrin, 30, spent this year with the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League, but is back with the club he started his career at in 2009.

The former Australia and New South Wales representative played 133 NRL games for the Dragons, including the 2010 Grand Final win, before joining the Penrith Panthers in 2016.

Merrin replaces Luciano Leilua, who was released from the final year of his contract, in the Dragons squad.

The Cowboys wasted no time snapping up the former Cronulla flyer, inking a deal until the end of the 2025 season barely 24 hours after Holmes was officially released by NFL franchise the New York Jets.

Townsville-born Holmes, 24, is tipped to don the No.1 jersey for North Queensland after signing the lucrative long term deal, reportedly worth almost $1 million a season.

While known for his prowess on the wing, Holmes played the majority of games in his last NRL season in 2018 at fullback for the Sharks, scoring 22 tries in 26 games with a league leading 26 line-breaks.

The back-to-back premiers announced Cronk has signed on to be a part-time specialist halves coach and will work with every playmaker coming through Roosters system next year.

Cronk, 35, retired following the NRL grand final after a third consecutive premiership with the Roosters and Storm. 

The Tricolours have signed former Cronulla playmaker Kyle Flanagan as a replacement for the two-time Dally M medallist. 

He's likely to partner premiership-winner Luke Keary in the halves with Lachlan Lam another option for Roosters coach Trent Robinson.

Leilua returned to the changing room for treatment at AAMI Park after suffering a freak injury moments before kick-off on Saturday.

The centre was running through an arch which was firing out steam and sparklers when the damage was done.

Leilua was unable to start the match and his late replacement, Bailey Simonsson, scored the opening try after only three minutes.

Former Newcastle Knights man Leilua recovered to join the action midway through the first half, replacing Nick Cotric, with Canberra leading 6-2 at the break.

The 11-test Kiwis winger, who plies his trade for the Canberra Raiders, is likely to join the Robbie Deans-coached Wild Knights, according to the Sun-Herald.

Coming off contract at the end of this season, the Raiders tabled an offer in an attempt to retain the services of the 30-year-old, but, due to salary cap restraints, the contract offer is paltry is comparison to what Rapana could earn while playing union outside of Australia.

Needing to win to stay in finals contention, the Warriors led 6-0 early on Sunday afternoon but otherwise failed to land a punch as they conceded eight unanswered tries.

They also lost Gerard Beale to a serious knee injury early, while Jazz Tevaga might be suspended for a late shoulder charge on Cronk.

Tevaga was sin-binned for the hit and, while Cronk initially remained grounded, he played on without any real concerns.

Tries to Maika Sivo and Dylan Brown in the first half enabled the Eels to take  a 10-0 lead into the break, but the second period proved far more difficult for the visitors to put the Dragons away.

St George Illawarra lost winger Zac Lomax in the pre-game warm-up to a hamstring concern with Mikaele Ravalawa coming into the side in No.21 jersey as a replacement.

Ravalawa helped get the Dragons on the board in the 47th minute to narrow the visitors' lead after a Corey Norman cross-field kick fell back to James Graham, who helped send the Fijian flyer over in the corner.

Isaako, who spent several weeks by his father's side in hospital in late June and early July, said his dad collapsed one day at work and was sent for tests which revealed cancer in his nose, which then spread to his brain and through his body.

After playing in Samoa's 24-6 win over Papua New Guinea on June 22, Isaako dashed back to Christchurch to support his father.

"At one point, he was only given a few weeks to live when I went back home. It's now been a month and he has managed to do well," Isaako said.

The visiting Cowboys led 8-4 at the interval but were undone by two tries in the space of four minutes, as Shaun Johnson played a key role with hands and boot.

The Sharks had won the previous two meetings with the Cowboys and six of the past eight, but they fell behind three minutes in when Scott Drinkwater sprinted clear to score.

Ronaldo Mulitalo levelled after 36 minutes from Johnson's pass, but Matthew Scott restored the Cowboys' advantage just three minutes later, powering through a defensive blockade to spin and dot down just before the interval.

The Warriors, almost certain to part company with Issac Luke at the end of the season, are one of three clubs that have already expressed interest in Koroisau. Canterbury is another, although they are also in negotiations with Newcastle's Kiwis hooker Danny Levi, another contracted player on the outer.