Two competition points. 2-2 after four games.
It wasn’t fluent, but after the last fortnight, any win is a good win.
Melbourne – 24 (Warbrick 18’, Meaney 23’, Olam 33’, Munster 38’ tries; Meaney 4/6 goals)
Wests Tigers – 12 (Kepaoa 29’, Koroisau 54’ tries; Doueihi 2/2 goals)
Surely Melbourne’s attitude and effort won’t be missing again this week after having the Bellyache blowtorch on them for the last fortnight.
Attitude and effort levels were definitely better this week, even if by full time it felt like Melbourne were a team low in confidence just hanging on for full time.
Melbourne had the early field position, but settled for a #RyanTandyMemorialSpecial™ instead of going for the try.1
There were a few chances for both teams in the first 20 minutes, with Melbourne coming closest but for a correctly ruled Trent Loiero knock on no try decision that the video referee quickly adjudicated upon.
When I wrote about Will Warbrick in last week’s match review, I did wonder whether there would be a response this week.2
From getting more involved in the middle coming out from the back, to running over Luke Brooks, and taking intercepts; Warbrick looked really good this week with the ball. His reward was that previously elusive first try.
The Josh King offload, the Jonah Pezet flick out the back, to Eliesa Katoa’s cutout pass, that’s a beautiful rugby league try. It’s a comfortable finish from Warbrick, finding the line from this position.
At 6–0 after 20 minutes, things were going okay. Melbourne’s middle forwards first spell was good, Justin Olam and Loiero looked busy on the left edge, assisted by the return of Cameron Munster.3
Munster would have a key hand in the second try, putting Pezet over the advantage line for the young half to send Katoa into a hole, with Nick Meaney finishing the movement in support. 12–0 and everything was fine.
Alas, Wests were next to score with Melbourne’s nemesis John Bateman setting up a converted try down the Tigers left edge after receiving the ball on the right side of the posts. I’ve seen some Storm fans aggrieved with the defending of Warbrick and Reimis Smith on this play and I find that a little annoying.4 Bateman’s run was too good for three Melbourne forwards,5 and then Pezet, which meant Smith and Warbrick had to slide in as cover. Warbrick was on the hashes when Isaiah Papali’i received the ball with Asu Kepaoa and Junior Tupou unmarked. Kepaoa scores untouched, but sometimes a try is scored because of the brilliant play somewhere else, in this case Bateman’s floating run, than what the outside backs did in failing to cover everyone.
The next Tigers set from the kickoff would have worried Craig Bellamy after last week, with Wests finding plenty of space to march down the field, only for a Luke Brooks kick to find Meaney on the full all alone in the ingoal area.6
From the tap restart, Melbourne found that gear in which players gain metres with win good ruck speed to move the ball to the opposition 20m for the last tackle.7 Munster had time and space to put the perfect kick for Coates to put it back8 for Olam to score. It really was the quintessential Melbourne Storm set of six, finished in the ways of old.9
Melbourne had a bit of a roll on after that try, earning consecutive line dropouts, which eventually cracked the Tigers down the left channel. Munster scored the try and Storm had a deserved 22–6 lead at the break.10
Melbourne should have scored straight after half time, but in what would become a theme of the second half, Melbourne ran it through Munster on the last tackle to turn the ball over.
The second half was a bit of a grind. It wasn’t that the teams played negative football, it was just the Tigers aren’t that good, and Melbourne are low enough in confidence to not put the cleaners through them. Melbourne applied pressure, but without penetration. Wests threatened to score, but didn’t have the talent in the right positions to get the job done.
Eventually Wests scored when Meaney had an embarrassing moment at the back in allowing Api Koroisau to score. At 22–12 the game felt like it could go the way of last week’s loss on the Gold Coast, especially whenever Koroisau or Bateman had the ball with intent.
What came next though was the comedic moment of the match provided by Wests losing a scrum against the feed.11
With 14 to go, Melbourne settled with a penalty goal to take the margin back to 12 points, and that was the end of the points for the game.
Watching live at the ground, the final ten minutes seemed to fly by, but the replay just felt annoying. Best not to dwell on it.
Bellyache post match:
It was a much improved effort from our last two weeks and I think they took a bit of pride in playing at home tonight and that was the pleasing thing.
Have to say the retirement villages at Concord need better locks.
Was it worth it?
The 6pm Friday night game is not a good time slot for attending rugby league games. I’ll support a second NZ team coming into the competition if it means that there’s never another game hosted in Australia during this time slot.
Even as someone who works in the Melbourne CBD, it’s just not convenient and the atmosphere is always reduced with people struggling to make it in time for kickoff. Walking around from my pregame role to my seat during the first few minutes of the game, there were many people still on the AAMI Park concourse and not yet in their seats. The final attendance figure of 11,669 feels both inflated and a lot smaller than it could have been in a better time slot.
Also if Fox League could stop insulting subscribers and viewers with commentary like “the crowd is making a lot of noise here” – champ you’re in a studio in The Bad Place. There’s currently no media centre at AAMI Park and your network hasn’t sent commentators here for three years. You do the game a disservice.12
As for the game itself, the first half was nice, and the second half didn’t really drag on despite the lack of tries scored by the home team. It won’t go down as a classic game, but for now ending the losing streak and the losing run at AAMI Park, it’ll do.
5/10
Storm Machine Player of the Year
Let’s be real, Melbourne missed Munster and wouldn’t have won this game without him. To play and have the impact he had with only this small bandage is impressive.
I’ve spread the rest of the points this week, with a special mention to tackling machine Harry Grant.13 Pezet looked good in game two, while I’m giving a point to a couple of hard working forwards,14 and a couple of backs for their efforts. If the theme was improved effort this week, then the whole team responded.
Round 4 points:
3 – Cameron Munster
2 – Harry Grant
1 – Christian Welch
1 – Josh King
1 – Justin Olam
1 – Trent Loiero
1 – Will Warbrick
1 – Jonah Pezet
Leaderboard
7 – Harry Grant
5 – Cameron Munster
4 – Nick Meaney, Christian Welch
2 – Eliesa Katoa, Josh King, Jonah Pezet
1 – Jahrome Hughes, Alec MacDonald, Trent Loiero, Will Warbrick
Next up
South Sydney – Accor Stadium, Friday 31 March, 8:00pm
Off to The Bad Place to play Souths who also sit at 2-2. Early reports suggest no further injuries or suspensions, so that’s a welcome change.
Souths weren’t impressive against Manly on Saturday night, needing #GoldenGallop to get the win. Melbourne in the past have matched up well against the Bunnies, but did lose this fixture last year. If the theme of the last week was attitude and effort, this week might need to be resilience with a hint of flair. Preview post coming later in the week.
There’s far too much lore about the #RyanTandyMemorialSpecial™ to get into, but it is one of my favourite rugby league things.
I had also forgotten that Melbourne do have an excellent former player on the coaching staff who did make the right wing his own, so thank you for your service Matt Duffie.
Coming back so soon after that finger injury and subsequent surgery is a miracle.
Never read the comments right? Comment here though and I’ll read them!
King, MacDonald and Katoa.
I’m not sure even Bellyache could have turned around Luke Brooks’ career if his rumoured move to Melbourne ever panned out. Praise jebus it didn’t happen, because Brooks is just Ben Roberts with slightly better press.
Breaking it down it went: Meaney nine metres; Sims eight metres; Coates ten metres; MacDonald 12 metres; Sims 11 metres; MacDonald 10 metres. Only the second Sims run wasn’t a one-out run from a Harry Grant dummy half pass.
He probably should be catching these and scoring them himself, but this is the next best thing.
Including a missed conversion,
95% completion rate, one error, seven missed tackles. That’s one heck of an attitude and effort adjustment. For a time that margin would have meant game over, but with this current iteration, I’m not so sure.
Even if it happens once a year or so, it’s still amusing af. I do question the penalty that resulted in that scrum though. Watching the replay, Ben Cummins has had a bit of a moment.
And also putting Blocker Roach to commentate on Tigers games seemingly every fucking week.
Just a lazy 50 tackles.
Loiero was especially busy, but his impact off the bench was a good thing in previous seasons, his efforts just don’t hit the same playing the full 80 minutes.