Game 730 – S28E19 Review
Newcastle Knights 14–32 Melbourne Storm
When both teams achieve their average points for on the same day, the team with the best attacking record is always going to win, especially when Melbourne stepped up the bombardment in the second half.
Newcastle – 20 (Young 12', 28', Hunt 71' tries; Hastings 1/3 goals)
Melbourne – 30 (Katoa 39', 76', Loiero 44', 59', Bradley 48', 62' tries; Meaney 3/6, Pezet 1/1 goals)
Stay for the second half aerial bombardment in the highlights this week.
These cunts have got a crazy ass kick glitch
The above quote came from an eloquent Novocastrian social medial user bemoaning Melbourne’s ability to score tries from kicks… so that’s this week’s narrative taken care of then. Especially when Melbourne were kicking into the wind during the first half.
That wind seemed to give the home team some confidence in the early exchanges, either that or Melbourne were unable to keep the Knights from advancing deep into their own half with far too much ease. Newcastle seemed up and about and enthusiastic about knocking off Melbourne on their home patch yet again.
Melbourne’s aerial bombardment started as early as the fourth minute with Jahrome Hughes trying to find his main man on the right edge in a charging Eli Katoa. That initial kick was defused by Knights makeshift fullback Dane Gagai, the second kick had the referee blowing a penalty against Newcastle on Jackson Hastings for pushing over Hughes. An easy enough two points taken by Nick Meaney to open the scoring.
The Grant Anderson Experience Revival
Did I predict Dom Young to score a try this week? Yes.
Did I think it would come with a revival of an old classic? Not so much.
The Grant Anderson Experience had a 2025 revival this week. It’s been a while, but Anderson and the returning Jack Howarth defending up against Young and Fletcher Hunt didn’t get off to a great start. Young’s first try was set up with a slick passing move from just inside their own half, the winger’s kick evading Tyran Wishart with a horrible bounce, the Englishman getting the ball down… just. It was individual brilliance and the bounce of the ball.
Wait… maybe this wasn’t the GAE after all… maybe it was just going to be one of ǝsoɥʇ days…
It certainly felt like that in the 17th minute when Hughes sent a bullet pass to the touch judge on a move down the right channel in a move that definitely requires further practise at training.
Melbourne seemed to be doing okay into the breeze and had the fortunate of an extended period on the Knights line with set restarts and penalties. It was a disappointing end to the pressure being applied against Newcastle when Katoa put the ball down when the pass from Hughes was just behind him.
Newcastle took advantage of that reprieve with Young extending their lead to 8–2 this time fully embracing the revival of the GAE and some passive defence too close to the line.1 Anderson missed the tackle and Howarth and Meaney couldn’t wrap the ball up and stop the try. Again it was brilliance from Young with Melbourne searching for answers.
Young could have had his hat-trick after the Knight broke down their left edge a few minutes later, with a passing play out to the winger unable to find him due to a low pass on the last tackle. The break came via Bradman Best who was giving Joe Chan a tough time on his side of the field.
That near miss, and the introduction of Ativalu Lisati (and Trent Loiero earlier) seemed to change the attitude of the Storm in defence. Melbourne also started playing faster to match the speed that the home team was exhibiting with the ball.
Changing gears
That change of gears has been something available to Melbourne in 2025 and just before half time the switched flicked to [on]. Not before time though. The kicking game of Hughes finally reaping benefits thanks again to the effort play of Katoa.
Reviewing the play though, watch Harry Grant at dummy half realise that Newcastle were bent out of shape from the previous play (a run by Chan), the hooker’s head fake catching out the Knights defence to give Hughes just enough time and space to dink the kick short of the dead-ball line with enough height for Katoa to be the only player capable of grabbing the ball and scoring. Cutting the lead to just two points heading off for half time was just what the Storm needed.
Don’t be alarmed, Trent Loiero has scored
How can you not enjoy the way Trent Loiero is playing in 2025. Yes he got the bounce of the ball to score his first try of the day from Grant’s intentional kick at the posts, but it’s the fact he’s there, backing up and competing. It was a bit of a chaos play with Kane Bradley bringing down a Wishart kick for Grant to put in the second kick; again though Melbourne started second half the way they finished the first half — playing fast and attacking the edges.
These cunts have got a crazy ass kick glitch
Scoring again from a kick? I can’t see why not.
Kane Bradley versus Greg Marzhew in the air hardly seems fair. Especially when Hughes is placing the ball precisely where he wants it. Bradley did a massive job grabbing the ball and getting it down all while being fouled by the Newcastle winger. One day a referee will award that kind of foul as a potential eight-point try, but this was not that day.
Bradley almost had his second from the very next set when Katoa dragged in another Hughes kick, this time unable to take the offload, doing his best Young impression from the first half.
Newcastle did put some pressure on Melbourne’s line midway through the half, Young went close once, but the chance was lost when who else than Katoa took an intercept to run over 60 metres. That break set up the play that led to a second Loiero try.
Repeat a SECOND Loiero try. We’re through the looking glass people.
Hughes set up the try for Loiero to crash over under the posts, the Knights defence helpless to stop him so close to the line.
Out by 14 points after scoring four straight tries, Hughes showed that Melbourne wasn’t done just yet, a 40-20 kick from the restart might have been wind assisted, the halfback now has five of them though.
Scoring another try, but not from a kick? Yes, that’ll be a treat.
Hughes… Bradley… try. Simple. Newcastle were shot, Melbourne were on top. There’s not much more to it than that.
The final 15 minutes or so felt a little like junk time, Newcastle looked just about done. Melbourne tried a few fancy looking plays that sometimes worked, but didn’t add to the scoreboard.
It would be the Knights who scored with just under 10 minutes left, the bounce of the ball returning to their favour when Young offloaded into the knee of Shawn Blore only for the ball to bounce into the in-goal area for Fletcher Hunt to ground the ball. I guess that could have set up a nervous finale,2 but Melbourne’s defence held strong. The result put to bed thanks to another Katoa piece of brilliance. He beat three tacklers. Three. How is he not the leading edge forward this season?
Post match quotes
Was that a contented Bellyache this week?
I thought we probably got outplayed or out-aggressed in that first half hour. Newcastle are a team that don’t beat themselves. I thought they started aggressive with their running and defence. It was like we just weathered the storm.
I thought we did a great job of getting back into the game when they had so much field position.
We really clicked into gear in the second half.
He [Eli Katoa] never ceases to amaze to be quite honest, some of the stuff he comes up with. He’s made a bit of a name for himself competing on high kicks and scoring tries, but he found a couple of other ways to score tries today. The season that he’s having for us is unbelievable. He’s been brilliantly consistent.
Stat offloads
That was the fourth win by Melbourne with a score of 32–14. There has been 14 NRL-era matches that have ended with that particular scoreline.
Trent Loiero’s double saw jump past Joe Stimson, Dustin Cooper and Paul Marquet to score 10 tries in Melbourne Storm colours, drawing level with Tui Kamikamica and Josh King amongst others with 10 tries for the club.
Eliesa Katoa’s double sees him with 27 Storm tries, level with Brett Kimmorley who scored 25 in 79 NRL matches for the club.
Dom Young now has five tries in as many appearances against Melbourne, but has only been on the winning team just once.
Was it worth it?
It’s been a while since I’ve ventured to Newcastle and I probably should have made the effort this year. Especially so when my sister and brother-in-law drove down from the Gold Coast for this match on a road trip of their own.
As for those of us playing at home, at least Warren Smith and Greg Alexander aren’t as bad as the other options on Fox League these days.
I had hoped that this might have been a nice fun day at the footy for the Storm, but I’ll take an away win where Melbourne played a solid second half after failing to impress for much of the first half.
6/10
One more thing…
Jackson Hastings you are hereby charged with serious hosiery injury. Making your footy socks into LEG WARMERS is a crime punishable by booting… or at least exile back to Super League.3
Storm Machine Player of the Year
When three players get doubles and your halfback sets up most of those tries, well the points seem kinda easy to distribute.
Eli Katoa is in such a rich vein of form at the moment, while Jahrome Hughes is finding some of the form he showed on the way to the Dally M Medal last season. I’ll even excuse his pass in the first half that went into touch on the basis that he might need more practise with that play.
After his efforts on Wednesday night, how good was Trent Loiero again? He was so offended when a set restart went against him in the second half, it was almost like he wanted to explain to Todd Smith what that will cost him with the fans and Bellyache. So he scored two tries to hopefully quell those with wrong opinions.
A point this week to Ativalu Lisati who got to play against someone other than the Cowboys at NRL level and was a spark in the middle during Melbourne’s shift in gears.
Honourable mentions to Shawn Blore and Nick Meaney this week. Blore just keeps showing up and playing his role, while Means has shown why he is the understudy at fullback, hardly putting a foot wrong at the back.
Round 19 points:
3 – Eliesa Katoa
3 – Trent Loiero
3 – Jahrome Hughes
1 – Kane Bradley
1 – Ativalu Lisati
Leaderboard
21 – Eliesa Katoa
13 – Ryan Papenhuyzen
12 – Jahrome Hughes
11 – Trent Loiero
10 – Cameron Munster
7 – Shawn Blore
6 – Harry Grant
5 – Xavier Coates
4 – Stefano Utoikamanu, Josh King
3 – Grant Anderson, Sualauvi Fa’alogo, Nick Meaney
2 – Jack Howarth, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Alec MacDonald, Kane Bradley,
1 – Joe Chan, Bronson Garlick, Tyran Wishart, Ativalu Lisati
Around the grounds
Jersey Flegg Cup — Melbourne Storm 34–26 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
At Gosch’s Paddock on Saturday afternoon the Storm under-21s got off to a bad start against the Bulldogs. Two tries to the visitors, the second coming from a dropped ball on the first tackle from a midfield scrum had the Bulldogs up 12–0 after just over halfway through the opening stanza. A great run from Amaziah Murgha put Hugo Peel under the posts to score the Storm’s first try, but it looked like the home team would be down plenty at half time when the Dogs scored quick two tries. Just before they left the field, a scrum play saw Dylan Brettle kick ahead for Mitchell Jennings to score and have Melbourne down 20–10.
K-Ci Newtown-Whare crashed over a minute upon the resumption of play and Melbourne had a sniff of the comeback. A converted try from Jennings had Melbourne in front, and when Talas Abell crashed over with 10 minutes to go, the Storm were looking good for the win. They were in for a nervous final five minutes though when the visitors crashed over to cut the lead to four points, but the result was put beyond doubt when Ioane Lui scored a try after a great run and step from dummy half in the last 100 seconds.
NSW Cup — North Sydney Bears 50–0 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
A big win for the Bears at home, running in nine tries while keeping the Bulldogs to a doughnut. Bronson Garlick and Siulagi Tiumalatu-Brown each scored a try, while Moses Leo and Gabriel Satrick also saw action. The win saw Norths up into seventh on the ladder, with a big match coming up against the runaway ladder leaders across the ditch next weekend.
Super Netball — Adelaide Thunderbirds 59–55 Sunshine Coast Lightning
It’s season over for the Lightning, their loss to the Thunderbirds resulting in a fifth-place finish. They started brightly and took an early lead, eventually settling on a two-goal advantage at quarter time. But the home team dominated the second quarter to take a seven-goal lead.
Playing catch up in the second half wasn’t going well in the third quarter, and while Cara Koenen and Reilly Batcheldor were able to sink some super shots late in the fourth quarter, they had too much to do and not enough time to do it in. I thought the Lightning defenders did well, but the stats were all in favour of the Thunderbirds.
Next up
Round 20 vs Manly Warringah Sea Eagles – Saturday 19 July 2025, 7:35pm @ AAMI Park
Back home this week for Melbourne’s last weekend match for 2025. Yep from next week onward it’s clear your Thursday nights until late August. Manly come to town for MOB weekend, so that’s going to be a fun time. The old boys will be loose come Saturday night, so watch out for some madness. Hopefully that’s limited to the pregame festivities and that some more of Melbourne’s elite players are back in the line-up.
Preview post online Thursday.
Suffice to say I haven’t missed the passive outside defensive structure. If you’re going to be beaten on the edges, at least make it count in defence.
Don’t make me think about round 22, 2024…