NRL's Finals Series 2015: Winners and Losers from Semi-Finals

All the talk had been about the potential for two away wins in the qualifying semi-finals. Instead, though, both home sides progressed in emphatic fashion.

The Sydney Roosters bounced back from a defeat at home to Melbourne the previous week by knocking out the Canterbury Bulldogs at the Allianz Stadium.

Friday's contest was close at the halfway stage, with Sydney only leading 8-4 at the break.

However, the Roosters scored 30 points in the second half, with Shaun Kenny-Dowall leading the way with a hat-trick of tries, to clinch a 38-12 victory over last year's losing finalists.

The second semi, however, wasn't even close at the midway stage.

The North Queensland Cowboys thrashed the Cronulla Sharks, triumphing 39-0 at 1300SMILES Stadium.

The result means the Cowboys will now head to Melbourne to face the Storm next, while the Roosters progress to a preliminary final against the Brisbane Broncos.

Before focusing on the final four left standing in the battle to reach the grand final, Bleacher Report picks out the winners and losers from the latest round of matches.

Shaun Kenny-Dowall has had a difficult season.

The New Zealand international is dealing with issues off the field.

The focus here, though, is on what happens on the field, and Kenny-Dowall was outstanding for the Sydney Roosters against Canterbury.

His second try was a superb finish in the corner, while his third saw him pluck a high kick to the right wing out of the air before plunging over the line.

However, Kenny-Dowall wasn't just about the fancy finishing on Friday.

According to NRL.com, the winger carried the ball for over 150 metres. His work in making ground with runs was crucial in helping Sydney cope against a sizeable Canterbury forward pack.

Frank Pritchard didn't get the finish to his Canterbury career that he might have hoped for.

The giant forward had twice lost grand finals with the Bulldogs, but now he won't get the chance to finally be crowned NRL champion with the team.

Frank The Tank tried hard to help his current employers topple the Sydney Roosters, making 109 metres and also managing a line break, according to NRL.com's official stats.

But, in the end, his efforts ended up being in a losing cause.

Now Pritchard, who joined Canterbury from Penrith in 2011, is heading off for a new challenge in his career.

His next stop is the Super League, as he has signed a three-year deal with Hull FC in England.

However, he told Matt Encarnacion of AAP (h/t Fox Sports) that it was not easy saying goodbye to the Bulldogs: "I gave a speech to the boys that I came to the Bulldogs looking for change, despite not knowing any players. But now I’ll be definitely leaving with a bunch of boys who are my brothers and my family."

Johnathan Thurston was impressive as ever in North Queensland’s comprehensive win over Cronulla.

The half-back—who picked up the Players' Player Medal for the third straight year at the Rugby League Players' Association Awards—kicked five goals, dropped over a one-pointer and also threw an outrageous pass between his legs to help set up one of the home side’s seven tries.

However, Thurston’s co-captain of the Cowboys, Matt Scott, was the real star of the show on Saturday evening.

The experienced prop led from the front as the Sharks were torn to shreds, in the process helping his side bounce back from the loss in Brisbane the previous week.

Phil Lutton wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald, "Scott was like a Sherman tank, with the infantry in tow. His first half was vintage (10 runs, 113m, four tackles busts) and included a 50m kick-off return that sent defenders bouncing off like ten pins."

The final scoreline in Sydney suggested the Roosters won comfortably.

However, the Bulldogs were firmly in the mix at the end of a frantic first 40 minutes that saw both packs take it to each other.

The turning point in the contest, though, came early in the second half.

Sydney prop Kane Evans seemed set to be dragged down short of the try line, only for a late surge to take him close. Referee Matt Cecchin was on the spot and, although he called for the video referee to take a look at the grounding, initially signalled for a try.

Footage from several angles suggested Evans had been shy of the whitewash at first, then moved forward on a second effort to ground the ball on the line.

Yet, despite the doubts, the video referee stuck with the original decision on the field and awarded the score.

The Roosters never looked back after that, blowing open a tight game as Canterbury wilted.

Bulldogs coach Des Hasler tried his best to make sure he didn’t get into hot water for his comments after the match, per Tom Decent of the Sydney Morning Herald: "At the end of the day, it probably wasn't a try. The referee went with a try, and the video referee probably didn't see enough evidence to overrule it."

It may be that Sydney would have won anyway, but the officials should do all they can to make sure they are not the major talking point in the immediate aftermath of such a pivotal contest.

While the Roosters and Cowboys were successful on the field, the Broncos and Storm were winners without even throwing a pass.

Victories in the qualifying finals the previous week had allowed the players of Brisbane and Melbourne to enjoy a week off.

That doesn’t mean they all headed to the beach, but the break from the regular routine of playing helps heal some wounds.

William Botoulas‌ of NRL.com noted that Melbourne benefited from the chance to work on their injured players, most notably leading try-scorer Marika Koroibete.

Roy Masters of the Sydney Morning Herald made it clear how tough it will be for the Roosters and Cowboys to go all the way and be crowned champions: "The 2006 Broncos were the last premiers to play all four weekends of the finals."

That statistic makes excellent reading for the 2015 Broncos, as well as their counterparts in Melbourne.

Cronulla headed to Queensland having dethroned last year’s champions South Sydney.

Cowboys coach Paul Green attempted to play a few mind games prior to the game on Saturday, suggesting the Sharks “probably deserve to be favourites,” per Liam Butterworth of the Townsville Bulletin.

The Sharks' last visit to the venue had seen them battle back from an 18-0 half-time deficit to stun their opponents, back in Round 16 of the regular season.

However, no one expected history to be repeated when the Cowboys opened up a 19-0 lead by the break.

Cronulla’s hopes of a comeback were not helped by skipper Paul Gallen picking up an ankle injury in the first half. He did return after the interval, though only after treatment, as tweeted by Triple M NRL.

Ben Glover of Fox Sports wrote, "That he [Gallen] came back on and played out the second half once the game was all but over says all you need to know about his character but Gallen has to be counted among the biggest losers on the night because his chances are running out.”

Having finished with the wooden spoon last year, the Sharks should be proud of their achievements in 2015.

Right now, though, it will be hard to think about anything other than the heavy defeat that ended their season.