Melbourne getting the job done against the Roosters in the second half, before taking an early mark. Happy to take the two points and leave that cursed place.
Sydney – 16 (Tupou 33', 78', Wong 80' tries; Sua’ali’i 2/4 goals)
Melbourne – 30 (Coates 12', 56', 74', Hughes 53', Grant 64' tries; Meaney 5/5 goals)
Highlights this week seems long at over four minutes.1
When I reviewed the 2017 meeting between the teams at AAMI Park, this line struck me when watching the replay of this game:
The match moved as so often Storm versus Roosters matches do into a grinding phase…
For extended periods this game was very much a grind. The 2023 Roosters aren’t a quality team in the way that they are structured and their output has shown that. Melbourne are a bit away from the elite level teams at the moment, and post Origin games can easily go this way. Call it mid-season lethargy.2
The Harry Grant Show
With Brandon Smith warming the bench at the Roosters, Melbourne is increasingly Harry Grant’s team. Cameron Munster is undoubtedly Melbourne’s most talented player, Jahrome Hughes the Storm’s general; but it feels in every passing game that our colours are tied inextricably to Grant.
After an off night in Origin III in which he was targeted by the Blues, Grant seemed to be out to make amends for Melbourne in this one. His 30 tackles3 was second only to Josh King for Melbourne, but it was his work in steering Melbourne from dummy half with his passing game that was the key to Melbourne getting over the Roosters in the second half.
Xavier Coates, rocks or diamonds
I don’t think Xavier Coates is an enigma. His talent is quite clearly evident and his improvement since joining the Storm from Brisbane is still tracking upwards. There are occasions where his hands just don’t seem to function though. It’s those occasions that will frustrate Storm fans. On this night though, it was all diamonds from the Queensland winger.
His first try was a well-read intercept of a Sandon Smith pass, running 90 metres to score after burning off Luke Keary and Junior Pauga. It was a good decision to jam up in the line to be in a position to take the high pass, and there’s not many outside backs who would have been able to make that play.
That this was Melbourne’s only try of the first half is proof positive of how each team was able to scramble in defensive, with Melbourne especially able to smother the Roosters in the middle. The home team probably had the better chances to go with their territorial advantage in the opening half, with their offloads often extending plays even if their attack lacked fluency.
Easts were eventually able to score through Daniel Tupou down their left flank, with the try coming after an earlier line break set up by Tupou and Keary. That line break felt like the first time Melbourne’s swarm defence cracked, and the try came mostly through weight of numbers going left at Reimis Smith and Will Warbrick. At 6–4 up close to half time, Melbourne would have been only a little disappointed with the score board, only because they had less opportunities than the hosts.
Of course though the half wouldn’t be complete without referee Grant Atkins doing his weekly impression of competency, awarding the Roosters a penalty for obstruction which didn’t go down well with many.
Thankfully Joseph Sua’ali’i missed the penalty shot from almost directly in front of the posts after a nasty shank. That was the first of two parts of a sloppy end to the half from the Roosters, with a failed two-point field goal attempt in the final seconds also no real danger of adding to the score board.
Coming out of the grind
The second half started in similar fashion to the pattern of the first half, and it took about 10 minutes for Melbourne to first be disallowed a try for obstruction,4 before Hughes would score the Storm’s second try of the match. Coming off the back of a meandering run from Nick Meaney in the middle, a quick play-the-ball near the posts saw Grant choose the right pass to Hughes who could run through a massive hole opened by by Keary. It was a classic halfback try from Hughes ability to read the play in front of him.
Melbourne would go back-to-back and score again through Coates, with the winger able to regather a Munster kick when Pauga couldn’t take the ball cleanly. That the ball bounced off the torso of Coates wasn’t an issue.
Up 18–4 things were going Melbourne’s way, even getting a rare captain’s challenge call when Trent Loiero had the ball stripped in a tackle, even if the challenge might have come after 11 or 12 seconds. In the final 20 minutes, Melbourne extended their lead with Grant scoring a try after a great run from Alec MacDonald set up Melbourne in great field position. Interesting that in the act of scoring the try Jared Waerea-Hargreaves attempted trip on Grant didn’t have the potential for an eight point try, but that the Roosters enforcer will cop yet another NRL Judiciary penalty.
The Roosters were well and truly plucked and Coates would grab his second hat trick of the season against the Bondi boys, sealing the victory with a spectacular leaping effort over Pauga, flying high to grab a Munster kick.
With five minutes to go, Melbourne rested both Munster and Grant and called it a night, allowing the home team to score two late tries. Tupou’s effort was some nice play from Keary and Joey Manu on the inside, but the final try was just bad defence from Melbourne in the middle of the park to allow Wong to score in the final seconds. the 30–16 final scoreline flattering the home team.
Coach quotes
Without Christian Welch in the post match conference,5 Bellyache seemed more effusive than normal:
I thought it was a pretty good contest the entire game. I thought it was a tight contest. We were really resilient and hung on in the first half. Second half we had more ball and wore them down. We knew it would be physical. Sometimes we were under the pump, but we hung in there.
On Xavier Coates:
He’s been great for us, he’s worked really hard to make himself more effective and better. He’s a really good guy too, a good clubman and team man. He’s still looking to improve.
Was it worth it?
With their home ground unavailable, surely the Roosters could have taken this game to a better venue. They have some links with the rugby league community in Gosford, meaning this would have been a perfect opportunity to play there and potentially attract more than the advertised crowd of 12,021 through the gates. Especially as many of those in attendance would have been members of the not fit for purpose venue.
As for me, this was one of the few Storm games that I wasn’t able to watch live either at the ground or via the broadcast. Instead I was without reliable mobile reception in South Geelong being entertained nonetheless.
6.5/10
Storm Machine Player of the Year
As Bellyache said in the press conference, Jahrome Hughes really stepped up in this game, taking the lead from both Munster and Grant on their return from Origin duties. There were solid performances from a bunch of players, with those earning points this week rewarded for above expectations performances.
Round 20 points:
3 – Jahrome Hughes
2 – Xavier Coates
2 – Harry Grant
1 – Cameron Munster
1 – Josh King
Leaderboard
23 – Harry Grant
16 – Cameron Munster
13 – Nick Meaney
12 – Jahrome Hughes
9 – Christian Welch
8 – Trent Loiero
6 – Will Warbrick, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Josh King, Xavier Coates
4 – Eliesa Katoa, Tui Kamikamica
2 – Alec MacDonald, Jonah Pezet
1 – Reimis Smith, Justin Olam
Next up
Newcastle Knights – McDonald Jones Stadium, Saturday 22 July, 5:30pm
A trip to Newcastle awaits Melbourne, where after losing six in a row there from 1998 to 2003 has turned into a happy hunting ground for the Storm boys. Melbourne’s last loss there was in 2014, and Newcastle haven’t beaten Melbourne since 2015.
Full preview later in the week.
Which is all I got to see of this match on Saturday night until I finally was able to watch the replay for this review.
This review might also be suffering from that same lethargy.
Using Fox Sports Lab stats this week.
No complaints here, clear obstruction, good decision.
Solidarity forever.