After the heights of knocking off the premiers last Friday night, Melbourne get a second straight home match against fellow 2023 preliminary finalists the Warriors.
Like Melbourne, the Warriors were a step back from the Panthers and Broncos last year, but expectations are high across the ditch, with sold out crowds and a roster capable of beating any opposition on their day.
This week we’re looking back at the last meeting between Melbourne and the Warriors played at AAMI Park on a day that wasn’t 25 April.
S18E05 – Melbourne Storm vs New Zealand Warriors
The last time the Warriors cracked the sads about playing on ANZAC Day in Melbourne was back in 2015 when they requested a home game on ANZAC Day to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign.1 On that occasion the Warriors travelled to Melbourne for this match in early April 2015, coming on a Monday afternoon at Easter.2 Instead of the usually packed stands, this match attracted 18,179 fans, the lowest attended match between these teams since the opening of AAMI Park.
This match marked the return of Storm favourite Ryan Hoffman who was wearing the Warriors colours for the first time against Melbourne, and was celebrating his 250th NRL appearance.
The visitors came in to this match with two wins from the opening four rounds of the 2015 season, with Melbourne sharing the same record after falling in golden point against the Cowboys in Townsville the previous Monday night. Looking at the rosters for this match, there are no current Storm players still at the club,3 but current Warriors Tohu Harris (then with Melbourne) and Shaun Johnston both played in this match.
After a physical opening, with the Warriors enjoying early attacking possession, the visitors should have opened the scoring in the 7th minute but for the final pass from Shaun Johnson missing Jono Wright down the right flank. Johnson was posing problems for the Storm defence, especially when the Warriors moved the ball right towards Kurt Mann and Marika Koroibete’s flank.
After withstanding some early pressure, Melbourne had a golden opportunity to score when Billy Slater cut through the middle of the Warriors line from a midfield scrum, only to have the ball knocked out of his grasp short of the line. Slater was crunched in the tackle from Manu Vatuvei and looked to be struggling with a shoulder complaint. While he would play out the remainder of the match bar the final few minutes, Slater would miss the next three weeks with that injury, returning only for two more Storm matches, then sitting out the rest of the 2015 season after having surgery to his left shoulder following #wrongpriorities game two.4
Blake Green next had a chance to score for Melbourne, but after taking the line on had the ball knocked out of his hands. It was becoming a game of almost and nearly tries, but eventually the Warriors cracked in the 21st minute when an ugly-looking late offload from Will Chambers was picked up by Mahe Fonua who beat four defenders to score.
Ten minutes later Melbourne would extend their lead to 12–0. The Warriors kept giving up possession, including Shaun Johnson losing the ball with the line wide open after a last-ditch ankle tap from Slater. The Storm would take advantage through Koroibete on the left edge, with the big Fijian too fast and too strong for a bunch of defenders.
In the shadows of half time, the Warriors would peg back the margin to 12–4, when Vatuvei was on the end of a passing move to find the line in the corner despite the best efforts of Cooper Cronk and Ryan Hinchcliffe.
After the break Melbourne were full of attack, with a pinpoint Cooper Cronk kick almost finding Koroibete to score, but in the 47th minute Melbourne would score the try of the match after some brilliant play in the middle of the field from Cronk and Slater, with the final pass from Fonua to Chambers sealing the try.
At 18–4, the Warriors needed to be the next team to score, but they just kept coughing up the ball, at once stage completing just 12 of 22 sets. Eventually they would hold the ball long enough to score, with former Storm player Nathan Friend coming off the bench to score on the hour. Friend barging through Slater and Hinchcliffe to score from dummy half.
While they were back in the game on the scoreboard, Melbourne were able to hit back almost immediately after Koroibete burst through and ran 90 metres before being run down. Two plays later Tim Glasby scored his fourth career try, with the forward too big and strong, running over the top of Chad Townsend.
Again down 14 points, the Warriors made the final ten minutes interesting, drawing closer when Sebastine Ikahihifo pounced on a ricochet kick. But Melbourne would seal the win with Koroibete scoring his second try to also earn the three Dally M points. Koroibete speeding down a narrow left edge, diving to make the line in spectacular fashion to score his fourth try of the season.
Melbourne were able to close the game out from there, ending a two-match losing run against the Warriors.
Melbourne – 30 (Koroibete 32', 72', Fonua 21', Chambers 47', Glasby 62' tries; Smith 5/5 goals)
New Zealand – 14 (Vatuvei 37', Friend 59', Ikahihifo 67' tries; Johnson 1/3 goals)
Stat attack
Melbourne are undefeated in five previous matches on 16 March, winning season openers against Canberra (2002), Cronulla (2003), and Wests Tigers (2007); and early season matches against North Queensland (2013) and Brisbane (2017).
Melbourne have played the Warriors four times in the month of March, with three of those played at Mt Smart Stadium. This will be the earliest meeting between the teams since 10 March 2017 when the Storm won 26–10 in round 2.
Melbourne have a 14-match winning streak against the Warriors. The last time the Warriors won the Michael Moore Trophy was at Mt Smart Stadium in July 2015.
The Warriors have won three times at AAMI Park from 13 matches. Their wins coming in 2014 and the two matches played in 2011.
Christian Welch (10 games) and Jahrome Hughes (9) are among current Storm players never to have lost an NRL match to the Warriors.
Former Melbourne backrower and Warriors captain Tohu Harris has never been on the winning team in six previous matches against Melbourne, while Warriors outside back Marcelo Montoya is winless (and tryless) in seven matches against Melbourne while with Canterbury and the Warriors.
This is just the fourth time Chris Butler has been appointed to a Melbourne Storm match under the single referee system. Overall Melbourne have won 13 of 16 matches where Butler has had the whistle.
Team line-up
Ryan Papenhuyzen
Will Warbrick
Reimis Smith
Nick Meaney (50th Storm match)
Xavier Coates
Jonah Pezet
Jahrome Hughes
Tui Kamikamica
Harry Grant ©
Josh King
Joe Chan
Eliesa Katoa
Trent Loiero
Tyran Wishart
Christian Welch
Chris Lewis
Alec MacDonald
Shawn Blore
Kane Bradley
Marion Seve
Sualauvi Fa’alogo
Tepai Moeroa
Referee: Chris Butler (Bunker: Matt Noyen)
Preview
Melbourne Storm vs New Zealand Warriors — AAMI Park, 7:35pm Saturday 16 March 2024
Both teams are relatively settled after round 1. Melbourne have retained Jonah Pezet at five-eighth, with Cameron Munster still missing through injury.5 Bears trio Shawn Blore, Tepai Moeroa and Sua Fa’alogo are on the reserves list with Kane Bradley who from all reports had a good game for the Tigers.
The Warriors are unchanged 1-17, but Wayde Egan is under an injury cloud (elbow), and I spy a bunch of Warriors veterans in their reserves.
Looking at the extended highlights of the Warriors match last week, when they were 12–0 up inside 15 minutes, 80% of the time they should have gone on to win from there. They looked to be finding space in the middle of the Sharks defensive line and how they didn’t extend that lead wasn’t through lack of effort. But when the Sharks scored just before half time, and again just after the break, the Warriors all of a sudden looked in trouble. That no points were scored in the final 20 minutes probably says more about Cronulla’s chances this year, but the Warriors failure will put them in an interesting mental state for this week.
It’s that mental state that pose the most interesting questions for this match. As a group can the Warriors focus their energy into beating Melbourne for the first time in a long time? The average losing margin over the 14-match streak is over 20 points, the Warriors will need to score at least 20 points to beat Melbourne and they have the strike-power to do so, but can they grind it out and apply pressure to a Melbourne line that did not break against the premiers?
For the Storm, you suspect that the focus of meetings this week would have been looking ahead rather than a review of the game against the Panthers. Melbourne had more opportunities to score and with the potential for better field position against the Warriors, should be looking more attuned in attack. Defence obviously wasn’t an issue last week, but that effort and accountability will be needed again with the Warriors having a good mix of speed and playmaking ability across key positions.
I have my doubts about Melbourne this week, probably more than I did last week. I have this suspicion that the Warriors might be able to blunt Pezet and Hughes enough to cause issues for the Storm, while scoring enough points to get the win in a close finish.
If you’re heading to AAMI Park on Saturday, stop on over at Gosch’s Paddock where the HM Cup U17s will be playing Parramatta (kick off 12:45pm) and the SG Ball Cup U19s will also face the Eels (kick off 2:30pm). While before the main game, the Jersey Flegg Cup U21s will face off against the Warriors from 5pm.
Meanwhile North Sydney will travel to New Zealand on Sunday to play the Warriors in the NSW Cup, with the Falcons host their Queensland Cup home opener against the Cutters on Saturday night, while the Tigers travel to Cairns to play the Pride on Saturday afternoon. With that travel schedule, there might be a few less Storm players in action at the state-level this week.
Merch drop review
I used to be with ‘it’, but then they changed what ‘it’ was. Now what I’m with isn’t ‘it’ anymore and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary.
— Abe Simpson
Previously in this space I had a look at the last merch drop from Mitchell & Ness; well they’re back with three new NRL Heritage items which dropped on Leap Day.
Umm what the hell are those? What did they do to Storm Man’s nose? What’s with the mishmash of text on that very odd white jumper?
As someone who was alive for the entirety of the 1990s, I’ve been mildly intrigued by the resurgence of “90s street fashion” as a trend this decade. Now I might not know much about fashion or design, but I know that these aren’t it. I own the original 1999 premiers t-shirt that the black6 t-shirt and purple jumper are riffing off...
Compared to that, this new design looks bizarre and not even faux-vintage.7
As for that white jumper… even the CCC uglies has more style than that hideous design. Please do better.8
Looking at their hype video, there’s also a “spray jacket” coming soon to this range. It of course is black.
The Warriors would end up playing against the Titans, which is being repeated again this year because time is a flat circle.
They scheduled this match to kickoff at 5pm as part of an Easter Monday triple header.
Young Tonumaipea and Cameron Munster did not play this match, while Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Christian Welch made their first grade debuts later in the 2015 season.
That Slater fell short of Ken Irvine’s try scoring record can directly be contributed to this injury and playing Origin in 2015.
Seemingly Munster and NAS will be back after the bye.
Again, stop trying to make black Storm merchandise a thing.
Also M&N released a similar 1998 Broncos premiers design; questionable Roosters and Warriors foundation season designs and an entirely weird 2014 Rabbitohs premiers design. Wasn’t this supposed to be a 1990s range?
If I see anyone wearing this on Swan Street I will be judging you for spending $150, especially when this understated classic exists.