S27E26 Preview – Vacation mode
Sunshine swing part one
Time for rest and relaxation for some Storm players this week, with an alternate squad dressed as Melbourne headed north for some fun and frivolity.
J. J. Giltinan Shield
With Melbourne’s ninth sixth minor premiership clinched last week with the win against the Dolphins, this week my thoughts turned to the previous times Melbourne had been presented with the big glass frame holding the shiny old shield.1
2006
Melbourne clinched their first minor premiership in round 24 with two games remaining, having sat on top of the ladder since round 14. Canterbury’s loss to the Broncos on the Friday night sent the trophy to Melbourne, despite the Storm losing to the Warriors 20–24 at Olympic Park.
The Shield was presented following the round 26 win against Manly at Olympic Park.
20 wins, four losses. 605 points for, 404 points against.
2007
On a mission in 2007, Melbourne clinched back-to-back minor premierships. The match that sealed the trophy’s return to Melbourne came in round 24 against the Bulldogs, Israel Folau scoring a hat-trick in a 38–6 win at Stadium Australia. Runners-up Manly lost consecutive matches against Souths and the Warriors to end the regular season, with the Shield presented following Melbourne’s 50–6 win against the Titans in the final home match of the season.
21 wins, three losses. 627 points for, 277 points against.
2008
Behind on points difference going into the final round, Melbourne needed to beat Souths by more than 27 points at Olympic Park on the final Sunday of the season. Saying farewell to the Storm fans, Matt Geyer scored the first try in a 42–4 thumping.
The Shield wasn’t presented that evening and instead was due to be presented the following week at the qualifying final against the Warriors. However after the upset loss, the Shield was boxed up on the field by the NRL and was handed over to the club at their Princes Park headquarters.2
17 wins, seven losses. 584 points for, 282 points against.
2011
Playing for everything, Melbourne started the final round a game clear on top having been in first place since round 15. Following the Battle of Brookvale, Manly had the chance to draw level on points and possibly go ahead with a win against the Broncos, but a loss that afternoon gave the Storm a dead rubber against the Roosters later that same evening. Craig Bellamy opted to rest a bunch of players in a 40–8 loss.
The Shield3 was presented to Ron Gauci and Maurice Blair at AAMI Park before the qualifying final against Newcastle by #SackGallop, who was loudly jeered by the Storm fans. His famous comments on radio in the days following his public appearance at AAMI Park will be his epitaph.
19 wins, five losses. 521 points for, 308 points against.
2016
Entering the final round a single point clear of Cronulla, the Sharks and Storm met on a Saturday night at a sold out AAMI Park, with the home team taking a 26–6 win. The result dropped the Sharks to third on the ladder behind the Raiders. The Shield was presented straight after the match.
19 wins, five losses. 563 points for, 302 points against.
2017
Melbourne had virtually clinched back-to-back minor premierships in round 24 with two matches to play, after sitting on top of the ladder since round 8. The Storm thrashed Newcastle 44–12 away, then demolished Souths 64–6 at AAMI Park to make it official.
The Shield was presented following the round 26 win against Canberra at AAMI Park, with Craig Bellamy opting not to rest any of Melbourne’s stars ahead of the finals.
20 wins, four losses. 633 points for, 336 points against.
2019
After missing out on retaining the Shield in 2018 on points difference, the Shield returned to Melbourne in 2019. The Storm maintained a four point lead in round 24, thrashing Manly at Fortress Shithole 36–6, with the trophy presented following a 24–16 win over the Cowboys at AAMI Park.
20 wins, four losses. 631 points for, 300 points against.
2021
After the record winning streak ended the previous week, Melbourne went into the last round level on points with Penrith, but with a massive lead on points difference. With both teams playing in a Friday night doubleheader on the Gold Coast, Melbourne needed a win against the Sharks in the first match, lest Penrith beat Parramatta in the second match. Melbourne rested a few players and were level 12–all at half time, but did enough in the second half to take the Shield with a 28–16 win.
Such were the times during the pandemic, Andrew Abdo appeared on the scoreboard to congratulate Melbourne remotely, while Craig Bellamy and Dale Finucane received the trophy to an almost empty stadium after the second match finished.
21 wins, three losses. 815 points for, 316 points against.
Stat attack
Melbourne have played three matches on 29 August, winning the farewell to Olympic Park match against the Roosters in 2009, losing to the Tigers at the Lilyfield Rectangle the year after, and beating the Cowboys 14–6 at AAMI Park in 2015.
Melbourne boast a winning record at the now demolished stadium in suburban Townsville, but have only one win from three matches at the new Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
North Queensland haven’t visited Melbourne since September 2019, with this being Melbourne’s fourth-straight season of playing just once against the Cowboys in Townsville.
The Cowboys were one of three teams to play more than five times at Olympic Park and never leave the Graveyard with a win.
Scott Drinkwater scored a try on his Melbourne Storm debut in the final round of the 2018 season, and has score one try in his five matches for the Cowboys against Melbourne.
Departing Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt has scored seven tries in 13 appearances against Melbourne, but his only been on the winning side on two occasions.
Joe Chan is yet to taste defeat in his ten Storm appearances this season.
Named as co-captains, Ryan Papenhuyzen will be captaining the Storm for just the second time, while Cameron Munster becomes Storm captain #29.
Team line-up
Ryan Papenhuyzen ©
Dean Ieremia
Marion Seve
Young Tonumaipea
Sualauvi Fa’alogo
Cameron Munster ©
Grant Anderson
Lazarus Vaalepu
Tyran Wishart
Christian Welch
Kane Bradley
Joe Chan
Alec MacDonald
Keagan Russell-Smith (NRL debut)
Tepai Moeroa
Ativalu Lisata (NRL debut)
Tristan Powell (NRL debut)
Coby Williamson
Ammaron Gudgeon
Josh KingTrent LoieroNick Meaney
Referee: Grant Atkins (Bunker: Adam Gee)
Preview
North Queensland Cowboys vs Melbourne Storm
— Queensland Country Bank Stadium, 7:50pm Thursday 29 August 2024
Comedy capers.
Out: Jahrome Hughes, Harry Grant, Will Warbrick, Jack Howarth, Nick Meaney, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Josh King, Shawn Blore, Eli Katoa, Trent Loiero and Tui Kamikamica.
Shenanigans. Love that Melbourne named three players to the reserves as part of their obligations, but none of them caught the flight to Queensland on Tuesday.
There’s three probable debutants including Keagan Russell-Smith to fulfill the prophecy that there must always be a Smith in Melbourne.
It’s great to see some of the players who are on the fringe of Storm selection get a game this week. As Christian Welch put it:
We call them the Renegades. They’re the guys who create the opposition during the week, so this week will be pretty funny because we’ll have plenty of senior players over on the other side who’ll be trying to mimic the Cowboys mannerisms and their star players.
As such, Melbourne’s squad probably won’t be winning this week, but I’m sure the Renegades and regulars will be putting in their best nonetheless.
Over at the Cowboys, Jason Taumalolo and Jeremiah Nanai are both back in action, while both of their former Storm players Scott Drinkwater and Jordan McLean will start. Since their bye weekend in round 19, the Cowboys have won four of their five matches, their only defeat coming at home against the Broncos in round 23. They had their third bye last week, and have won both matches this season the week after resuming.
The Cowboys will be looking to consolidate their position in sixth on the ladder and a home elimination final, lest they be sent to Fortress Shithole. To do that though, they’ll need to win this one and possibly next week in their final match away to the fifth-placed Bulldogs. So, unlike Melbourne the Cowboys do have a little bit to play for ahead of September.
Like last year’s fun match against the Broncos in round 27, this could be a good time or it could be more like the last time Ryan Papenhuyzen was captain with Melbourne starting well, but fading as the match went on for a loss. Either way for the Storm, the points don’t matter.
What else is going on?
There’s talk of the NRL Under-20s returning, while Jahrome Hughes could be on track for a shiny medal.
The Jersey Flegg season will come to an end on Saturday afternoon (kickoff 2pm) for the Storm, with the fourth-placed Knights coming to Seabrook Reserve. Winless for a month, the Storm have dropped to 12th on the ladder and can potentially fall to 13th with a loss, or sneak back up to 11th with a win. It’s been a difficult second half of the season for the squad, but a win to finish would be a nice reward for hard work.
In the final round of the NSW Cup, the Bears will have the chance to take back first spot on Saturday night (kick off 7:30pm) at North Sydney Oval when they take on the Knights. With the Raiders taking on the out of contention Roosters on Sunday afternoon, the Bears could do with a win to restore some confidence ahead of the finals.
While in Queensland, it’s the first weekend of the Queensland Cup finals. The Falcons head to Cairns to kick off Super Saturday, with three matches back-to-back from 2pm. It will be a big ask against the minor premiers Northern Pride, who ended up eight points clear on top of the ladder with 17 wins from 20 matches. Earlier this season the Falcons won 32–10 in April, while the Pride won the most recent match 38–18 in August. It will be a tough ask for the Falcons to restrict the Pride to a score that they could chase down, especially so given the Pride are averaging just 15 points against per game. For the second year in a row, the Falcons will likely have to play a final without any Storm contracted players.4
Can attest from first hand experience that the J.J. Giltinan Shield is awkward to hold and reasonably heavy too.
Must admit I had blocked this out of my memory, but there’s reports out there about the trophy and stage being set up at Olympic Park after the last gasp try from Michael Witt, only for it to be dismantled and the Shield boxed up.
And the NRL Club Championship with Melbourne’s Under-20s finishing the season in fourth.
AJ Gudgeon has been named to play for the Falcons, so perhaps he won’t be 18th man for the Storm on Thursday night.