NRL Melbourne Storm Minor Premiers

[07 SEPTEMBER, 2008]     NRL Melbourne Storm seal minor premiership 2008   Thousands of Storm fans gathered at Olympic Park tonight to celebrate a 40-4 win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs, a third consecutive minor premiership and to say goodbye to a club legend.   The chase was on at Olympic Park on with the Storm winning by 36 points to snatch top spot from Manly at the end of the home and away season. A margin of 26 points and a win was needed by Melbourne to claim the J.J Giltinan Shield.   Olympic Park also welcomed for the last time n a home-and-away game veteran Matt Geyer, who has been with Melbourne since their induction into the league in 1998.   The script could not have been written any better for Geyer with a great pass from fullback Billy Slater setting him up for the first try of the match to send the loyal home fans into delirium.   The Storm looked like a team on a mission as Smith converted the try and drew the chance of Melbourne’s third consecutive minor premiership six points closer.   The Storm were all about attack in the opening ten minutes of the match with constant pressure being put on the Rabbitohs at both ends of the field.   A spanner was thrown in the works when Slater was sin-binned for 10 minutes for a professional foul only metres from his own try-line. But the Rabbitohs couldn’t capitalise, and in fact it was the Storm who scored next.   Anthony Quinn took on the South Sydney defence and slammed the ball over the line for the team’s second try.   The Rabbitohs were not without spirit, with Nathan Merritt scoring a try with less than ten minutes remaining in the opening term bringing the margin back to ten points.   Just as there seemed to be a momentum shift in favour of South Sydney, the Storm were rewarded for their continual attacking efforts with, a try from Ryan Hoffman moments before half-time swinging the moments back in Melbourne’s favour.   The second half opened up quietly with ten minutes passing without a score. The silence was broken at ‘The Graveyard’ with a classic Slater run sending the ball over the line and setting the crowd alight.   Suddenly, what had seemed to be a formidable challenge at the beginning of the match was only four points away. With 26 minutes remaining, a single try would steal top spot from Manly.   With a play that was a combination of all that makes Melbourne a deserved minor premier, Folau gathered the loose ball and Slater, with speed slammed the ball over the line to seal top spot.   Smith provided Melbourne with a little bit of breathing room, converting the try with 21 minutes remaining, providing the Storm with a 28-point lead.   The Rabbitohs continued to press forward, but Melbourne’s pressure at both ends of the field forced mistakes and led to loss of possession for the visiting team.   Brett Anderson was next on the scoresheet for the Storm, a Cooper Cronk kick sending the winger on his way over the try-line.   In a match that went all Melbourne’s way a late try from Jeremy Smith crowned the Melbourne Storm as minor premiers for the third year in a row.   It was even sweeter for Matt Geyer, taking the opportunity to kick the final goal, putting it through in style to a standing ovation from the Melbourne crowd.   STORM 40 (Tries: Slater 2, Geyer, C Smith, J Smith, Quinn, Hoffman, Anderson; Goals: Smith 3, Geyer) def. RABBITOHS 4 (Try: Merritt) at Olympic Park

____________________________________________________       Chris Couch   Media Manager    Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club

Cameron Smith injury

NRL Slater, Inglis and Folau travel details

 

Melbourne Storm’s Billy Slater and Israel Folau will be arriving at Sydney airport for tonight’s Dally M Awards Ceremony on Qantas flight QF442 at 4.20pm.

 

Greg Inglis is already in Sydney and will not be at the airport.

 

Cam Smith is not travelling due to a corked thigh. With Smith required in Sydney yesterday for the Final Eight Captain’s Call, Storm medical staff did not want Smith travelling to Sydney two days in a row.

 

Slater, Inglis and Folau will be departing Sydney airport tomorrow morning on Qantas flight QF415 at 8.00am.

Panthers Frank Pritchard Injury

[25 AUGUST, 2008]

 

 

Monday night NRL saw the Storm crush Panthers with Inglis at it again and Frank Pritchard possibly feigning injury?

The melbourne storm crushed the Penrith Panthers at Penny Park and look set to grab another minor premiership with continued late NRL Results that have been very impressive.

 

The Storm did their for-and-against tally no harm tonight with a commanding 40-6 win against the Penrith Panthers at CUA Stadium, with man-of-the-moment Greg Inglis helping himself to a hat-trick and closing to within two tries of Manly’s Brett Stewart and Brisbane’s Denan Kemp at the top of the league’s try-scorers list.

 

The performance was particular pleasing to Storm coach Craig Bellamy, but he was quick to point out there are still areas they need to work on.

 

“I was really happy with our first-half,” said Bellamy.

 

“We started the second-half a bit slow, but it’s hard to be too critical. I just thought our first-half was really good.

 

“We expected a tough game out there, obviously the Panthers probably needed to win tonight to stay alive and I thought our guys handled that really well in the first-half.

 

“If someone had of told me at the beginning of the game that would be the score I would have been really happy with that. I’m really surprised actually.”

 

Given Manly’s 32-point win over Wests Tigers on the weekend, the big win and subsequent points differential boost was important in Melbourne’s quest for a third straight minor premiership.

 

“The minor premiership, it’s a really good scalp to have on your belt, it’s a little bit under-rated in our game and we’d be proud to hold that again,” said Bellamy.

 

“But we’ve still got two games to go and we can still finish second or third I think so we’re just going to concern ourselves with Newcastle now. We’ll do our revue of this game tomorrow and we’ll go from there.”

 

After feeling each other out for the first 10 minutes, Melbourne opened the scoring when halfback Cooper Cronk sent a superb pass across the face of Israel Folau and into the arms of winger Steve Turner who out-sprinted the Panthers defence to the try-line.

 

Four minutes later Cronk was at it again. A perfectly placed kick from the Storm number seven saw Billy Slater challenge Penrith halfback Luke Lewis on the try-line, the clever fullback knocking the ball back into the waiting arms of Inglis who had the simple task of falling over the try-line.

 

A couple of minutes later Cronk was at the centre of the action again.

 

Kicking from his own 30 metre line, Cronk was taken out late by Luke Priddis, gifting the Storm possession from a penalty on the Panthers 20-metre line. From there the ball was spread out to Melbourne’s left with first Inglis then Matt Geyer flicking passes in the tackle, with Anthony Quinn crossing in the corner to make the score 14-nil.

 

Another Storm kick towards the try-line, this time from Cam Smith, saw Quinn challenge Penrith winger Michael Gordon. Both missed with their hands, but the ball ricocheted off Gordon’s head into the in-goal area, and Inglis was on the spot once again. With Cam Smith’s conversion the score had blown out to 20-nil.

 

The second-half started much better for the Panthers. Nathan Smith scored Penrith’s first try for the game when first Gordon made a break down the line, and then the Storm gave away an offside penalty to give the Panthers great field position and momentum.

 

However, their joy was short-lived when a neat set-play from Melbourne saw Slater gather at his toes brilliantly, before passing to Folau. Folau committed a couple of Penrith defenders to the tackle, but the giant centre got his right arm free to offload to Turner who scored his second for the night.

 

A penalty against Rhys Wesser for incorrectly playing the ball saw Melbourne get possession 10 metres from the try-line. Cam Smith tapped and instead of passing to a runner, went himself, catching the Panthers defenders unawares as he surged across the try-line for the Storm’s sixth try of the night.

 

Only minutes later front-rower Brett White crossed under the posts, but was deemed to have been held up by Wesser. However, only two plays later and White’s front-row partner Jeff Lima wasn’t to be denied, crossing to extend Melbourne’s lead out to 30-points.

 

With four minutes remaining, Inglis put the icing on the cake, scoring his third of the night after more terrific lead-up work from Slater.

 

The Storm will now turn its attention to Newcastle, the penultimate home-and-away game at EnergyAustralia Stadium next Saturday night. Knights coach Brian Smith was in the crowd tonight, and it would be interesting to know what he thought of Melbourne’s performance.

 

STORM 40 (Tries: Inglis 3, Turner 2, Quinn, Smith, Lima; Goals: C Smith 4) def. PANTHERS 6 (Try: N Smith; Goal: Gordon) at CUA Stadium, Penrith

 

  ____________________________________________________

    

 Chris Couch

  Media Manager

 

 Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club

Panthers Storm NRL Tips

MATT GEYER - [21 AUGUST, 2008]

 

 

NRL Round 24 v Panthers Game Notes

 

WHO: Melbourne Storm v Penrith Panthers
WHAT: Round 24 of the 2008 Telstra Premiership season
WHERE: CUA Stadium, Penrith
WHEN: Monday, August 25^th @ 7.00pm
ON TV: Fox Sports 2 LIVE from 7.00pm
CHECK IT OUT: Melbourne Storm’s website with all the latest stats, profiles, updates, schedule and training times, alerts, news etc…. www.melbournestorm.com.au

 

IN BRIEF
Melbourne won their second top-four clash in as many weeks, this time defeating the Sydney Roosters 30-6 at Olympic Park, moving them to outright leadership on the NRL ladder.

 

Penrith bounced back from a crushing defeat at the hands of Canberra to defeat the Bulldogs last week 52-16 to keep their finals hopes alive.

 

FAST FACTS
• Penrith have been first try-scorers in five of their past six games at CUA Stadium
• Five of Melbourne’s six losses have been away from home
• Penrith have won only two of their seven night games at CUA Stadium in 2008
• Melbourne has won 14 of their 17 night games this season

 

DID YOU KNOW?
Matt Geyer will be playing his last game at the ground where it all began during his playing days as a junior from Mt Druitt, with retirement coming at the end of this season.

 

Having not made the grade with the Panthers, Geyer went on to play six games for the now defunct Western Reds, before moving to Melbourne when the Storm founded in 1998.

 

Geyer has since gone on to play 255 games for the club, scoring 111 tries and 104 goals in the process.

 

Let’s hope he adds to his try-scoring tally on Monday night!

 

HEAD-TO-HEAD
Total: Played: 17, Storm: 11, Panthers: 6
At CUA Stadium: Played: 6, Storm: 2, Panthers: 4

FOR AND AGAINST 2008
Points for: Storm: 486, Panthers: 462
Points against: Storm: 255, Panthers: 495
Tries for: Storm: 87, Panthers: 78
Points differential: Storm: +231, Panthers: -33

LAST ROUND MATCHES
Storm def. Roosters 30-6 @ Olympic Park, Melbourne
Panthers def. Bulldogs 52-16 @ CUA Stadium, Penrith

 

LAST EIGHT CLASHES

YEAR	RESULT	VENUE
2007	Storm def. Panthers 30-20 @	Olympic Park
2006	Storm def. Panthers 17-16 @	Olympic Park
2006	Storm def. Panthers 40-18 @	Hindmarsh Stadium
2005	Panthers def. Storm 28-14 @	Olympic Park
2005	Panthers def. Storm 36-16 @	CUA Stadium
2004	Storm def. Panthers 66-14@	Olympic Park
2004	Panther def. Storm 30-26 @	CUA Stadium
2003	Storm def. Panthers 32-12 @	CUA Stadium

 

THE STORM STORY SO FAR
WORLD CLUB CHALLENGE: STORM 4 (Try: Hoffman) def. by RHINOS 11 (Try: Donald; Goals: Sinfield 3; Field Goal: Sinfield) at Elland Road, Leeds
ROUND 1: STORM 32 (Tries: Slater 3, Johnson, Tagataese; Goals: C. Smith 5, Turner) def. WARRIORS 18 (Tries: Vatuvei 2, Ropati; Goals: Witt 3) at Telstra Dome, Melbourne
ROUND 2: STORM 16 (Tries: Aitken, White, Falou; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. by SHARKS 17 (Tries: Kearney, Gallen, Simmons; Goals: Covell 2; Field Goals: Kimmorley) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 3: Storm (Try: Slater; Goal: C. Smith) def. by ROOSTERS (Try: Kenny-Dowell; Goals: FitzGibbon 3) at Sydney Football Stadium
ROUND 4: STORM 28 (Tries: Quinn 3, Folau, Hoffman; Goals: Smith 4) def. BRONCOS 8 (Tries: Robinson, Stagg) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 5: STORM 26 (Tries: Slater 2, Inglis, Quinn, Hoffman; Goals: Smith 3) def. SEA EAGLES 4 (Try: Barney) at Olympic Park
ROUND 6: STORM 23 (Tries: Chambers, Turner, Slater, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 3; Field Goal: Cronk) def. RAIDERS 16 (Tries: Best, Plum, Purtell; Goals: Carney 2) at Canberra Stadium
ROUND 7: STORM 12 (Tries: Inglis, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. COWBOYS 10 (Tries: Williams 2; Goals: Thurston) at Dairy Farmer’s Stadium
ROUND 8: BYE
ROUND 9: STORM 18 (Tries: Folau 2, Quinn; Goals: C. Smith 3) def. KNIGHTS 4 (Try: Mullen) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 10: STORM 12 (Tries: Chambers, Manu; Goals: Smith, Turner) def. by DRAGONS 36 (Tries: Nightingale 2, B. Morris, J Morris, Lett, Soward; Goals: Soward 6) at ANZ Stadium
ROUND 11: STORM 15 (Tries: Chambers, J. Smith; Goals: C. Smith 2, Field Goals: Cronk) def. RABBITOHS 12 (Tries: Vagana 2; Goals: Luke) at Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
ROUND 12: STORM 46 (Tries: Geyer 2, C. Smith, Folau, Turner, J. Smith, Crocker, Cronk; Goals: C. Smith 7) def. BULLDOGS 0 at Olympic Park
ROUND 13: STORM 0 def. by TITANS 18 (Tries: Delaney, Meyers, Jeffrey; Goals: Rogers 3) at Skilled Park
ROUND 14: BYE
ROUND 15: STORM 48 (Tries: Inglis 3, Turner 2, J Smith, Slater, Geyer, Folau; Goals: C Smith 6) def. COWBOYS 20 (Tries: Henry, Williams, Webb, Cashmere; Goals: Thurston 2) at Olympic Park
ROUND 16: STORM 22 (Tries: Manu 2, Tomane, Cronk; Goals: Turner 2, Cronk) def. by EELS 24 (Tries: Tautai, Williams, Reddy, Inu; Goals: Burt 4) at Parramatta Stadium
ROUND 17: STORM 30 (Tries: Inglis 2, Slater, Manu, Quinn, Turner; Goals: Smith 3) def. RAIDERS 14 (Tries: Monaghan, Carney, Chalk; Goals: Carney) at Olympic Park
ROUND 18: STORM 30 (Tries: Inglis 3, Slater, Manu; Goals: C. Smith 5) def. TIGERS 18 (Tries: Tuiaki, Hodgson, Ryan; Goals: Hodgson 3) at Campbelltown Sports Stadium
ROUND 19: STORM 26 (Tries: J Smith, Lima, Geyer, Turner, Folau; Goals: C Smith 3) def. DRAGONS 0 at Olympic Park
ROUND 20: STORM 6 (Try: Manu; Goal: C Smith) def. by WARRIORS 8 (Try: Fai; Goals: Hohaia 2) at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
ROUND 21: STORM 44 (Tries: Folau 2, Inglis 2, Turner, Quinn, Hoffman, Geyer, J Smith; Goals: Cam Smith 4) def. TITANS 4 (Try: Ropana) at Olympic Park
ROUND 22: STORM 16 (Tries: Geyer, Folau, Cronk; Goals: C Smith 2) def. SEA EAGLES 10 (Tries: Hall, Williams; Goals: Matai) at Brookvale Oval
ROUND 23: STORM 30 (Tries: Quinn 2, C Smith, Cronk, Slater; Goals: Smith 5) def. ROOSTERS 6 (Try: M Aubusson; Goal: Roberts 1) at Olympic Park

 

2008 TRY SCORERS (STORM)
Inglis 12, Folau 12, Slater 11, Quinn 9, Turner 7, Manu 6, Geyer 6, J. Smith 5, Cronk 4, Chambers 3, Hoffman 3, C. Smith 2, Johnson, Tagataese, Aitken, White, Crocker, Tomane, Lima

 

2008 GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
C. Smith 62, Turner 4, J. Smith, Cronk

 

2008 FIELD GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
Cronk 2

 

2008 POINTSCORERS (STORM)
C Smith 132, Inglis 48, Folau 48, Slater 44, Quinn 36, Turner 36, Manu 24, Geyer 24, J. Smith 22, Cronk 20, Chambers 12, Hoffman 12, Johnson 4, Tagataese 4, Aitken 4, White 4, Crocker 4, Tomane 4, Lima 4

 

MELBOURNE STORM MEDIBANK PRIVATE INJURY UPDATE
Ryan Hoffman (ankle): 2 weeks
Danny Vaughan (knee): season
Ben MacDougall (knee): season
Dane Nielsen (shoulder): season
Will Chambers (knee): season

 

THE STORM AHEAD
Round 25: Saturday, August 30^th v Knights @ EnergyAustralia Stadium, 5.30pm
Round 26: Sunday, September 8^th v Rabbitohs @ Olympic Park, 7.00pm

 

TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP LADDER

POSITION	CLUB	POINTS
1	Storm	34
2	Sea Eagles	32
3	Sharks	32
4	Roosters	30
5	Broncos	27
6	Raiders	26
7	Dragons	26
8	Warriors	26
9	Panthers	25
10	Knights	24
11	Wests Tigers	24
12	Eels	24
13	Titans	24
14	Rabbitohs	20
15	Bulldogs	14
16	Cowboys	12

 

SQUAD FOR MONDAY'S GAME

Starting team:
1. Billy Slater
2. Steve Turner
3. Matt Geyer
4. Israel Folau
5. Anthony Quinn
6. Greg Inglis
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Jeff Lima
9. Cam Smith
10. Brett White
11. Michael Crocker
12. Jeremy Smith
13. Dallas Johnson

 

Interchange:
14. Aiden Tolman, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Sika Manu, 17. Antonio Kaufusi.

 

Coach: Craig Bellamy.

Storm NRL Training Session

Latest NRL Information from the Melbourne Storm; the championship Storm Rugby League side is set to enter the NRL Top 8 finals for 2008, with possibly another minor premiership under their belt.

Heres their latest training and fitness information:

Storm training and travel schedule: 18.08.08 – 25.08.08

 

See below for Melbourne Storm's planned training schedule for the week beginning Monday, August 18^th.

 

Please note these details are subject to change. Any changes to the training schedule will be made to the "Storm Schedule" on the Melbourne Storm website, www.melbournestorm.com.au, as soon as possible.

 

All sessions will take place at MC Labour Park unless otherwise stated.

 

Monday, August 18^th:
10.30am - 12.45pm: Weights

 

Tuesday, August 19^th:
1.00pm: Skills and Conditioning Session

 

Wednesday, August 20^th:
9.45am - 12.00pm: Weights
2.00pm: Skills Session (Xavier College, Barkers Road)

 

Thursday, August 21^st:
DAY OFF

 

Friday, August 22^nd:
10.15am: Speed and Ballwork Session
1.00pm - 3.15pm: Weights

 

Saturday, August 23^rd:
DAY OFF

 

Sunday, August 24^th:
2.00pm: Flight from Melbourne to Sydney

 

Monday, August 25^th:
7.00pm: STORM v PANTHERS (CUA Stadium, Penrith)

 

  ____________________________________________________

    

 Chris Couch

  Media Manager

 

 Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club

  Princes Park, Gate 3, Royal Parade, Carlton North VIC 3054

  PO Box 141 Parkville VIC 3052

  E-mail: ccouch@melbournestorm.com.au

  Website: www.melbournestorm.com.au

Storm vs Roosters Round 23

NRL Table toppers the Melbourne Storm will be the sounding board for struggling Sydney Roosters this weekend, the Roosters downed by the Parramatta Eels and looking for redemption close to the Top 8 finals series.

Brad Fittler will surely have his team pumped; details below -

NRL and under-20 squads for Roosters clash

 

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has no changes to his squad for Friday night’s Round 23 clash against the Sydney Roosters.

 

The game will be played at Olympic Park in Melbourne from 7.35pm.

 

NRL squad for Friday’s game:

 

Starting team:

1. Billy Slater

2. Steve Turner

3. Matt Geyer

4. Israel Folau

5. Anthony Quinn

6. Greg Inglis

7. Cooper Cronk

8. Jeff Lima

9. Cam Smith ©

10. Brett White

11. Michael Crocker

12. Ryan Hoffman

13. Dallas Johnson

 

Interchange:

14. Jeremy Smith, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Sika Manu, 17. Antonio Kaufusi.

 

Coach: Craig Bellamy.

 

Under-20’s squad for Friday’s game:

 

Starting team:

 

1. Gareth Widdop

2. Malo Feterika

3. Sam Joe

4. Zeb Tawha ©

5. Josh Jerome

6. Luke Kelly

7. Liam Foran

8. Aiden Tolman

9. James Woolford

10. Louis Fanene

11. Aiden Guerra

12. Aidan Guerra

13. Will Naitoro

 

Interchange:

14. Jay Aston, 15. Pulou Vaituutuu, 16. Vili Faingaa, 17. Matt Croker.

 

Coach: Brad Arthur

 

  ____________________________________________________

    

 Chris Couch

  Media Manager

 

 Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club

  Princes Park, Gate 3, Royal Parade, Carlton North VIC 3054

  PO Box 141 Parkville VIC 3052

  E-mail: ccouch@melbournestorm.com.au

  Website: www.melbournestorm.com.au

Cooper Cronk Resigns Storm

NRL and Melbourne Storm halfback Cooper Cronk committed his immediate future to the club that gave him his chance in the number seven jersey, signing a four year extension that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2013 season.

 

Storm Football Operations Manager Frank Ponissi, who brokered the deal with Cronk and his agent, says the deal has been a long time in the making.

 

“The first time we spoke with Cooper’s management about extending his deal with the club was several months ago and we’ve finally managed to sign off on the contract today,” said Ponissi.

 

“Given Cooper’s affection for the club and his teammates, we were always confident he would stay, but there’s always a process to go through.

 

“These negotiations take time, but now that it’s done we’re just delighted Cooper’s decided to stay with us. He’s an integral part of our future, he’s a tremendous leader and he’s one of the best halfbacks in the competition.”

 

A proud Queenslander, the lure of returning home is always strong, but Cronk says his decision to stay was an easy one.

 

“I never even considered leaving the Storm,” said Cronk.

 

“I enjoy playing for the club and I want to play for this group of coaches and players. The thought never really entered my mind to play for another club either here in Australia or overseas.

 

“I’ve bought a house here in Melbourne, I’ve made some really close friends and I enjoy the lifestyle. There really was no need for me to look anywhere else.”

 

Cronk, who played predominantly rugby union through his junior career, was a schoolboy star with St Lawrence's High School in Brisbane. The securing of Cronk is sure to see the NRL Results of the Storm continue.

 

He was selected for the Australian schoolboys rugby union side in 2001, but was invited to join Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup rugby league competition when spotted by Brisbane Colts coach Andy Griffin.

 

He quickly established himself in the Norths Queensland Cup team and was invited to train with the Storm squad at the end of 2003.

 

While predominantly a utility player in his early years with the Storm, filling in at hooker and five-eighth when Scott Hill or Cam Smith were unavailable, Cooper took over the halfback role in 2006 when Matt Orford left to play for Manly.

 

He has been a revelation in the role, winning the Dally M Halfback-of-the-Year Award in 2006 and the NRL premiership in 2007.

 

At the end of the 2007 season, Cronk won his first Australian jersey in the Test match against New Zealand in Wellington when the Kangaroos recorded their record breaking 58-0 win over the Kiwis.

Melbourne Storm NZ Warriors NRL Round 20

The NRL Table topping Melbourne Storm face the NZ Warriors this week in what should be a great Rugby League contest. The New Zealand Warriors are at home and on a nice hot streak of 3 games, the Storm fresh from their fight night against St George Illawarra last Monday and will be without Billy Slater.

WHO: Melbourne Storm v New Zealand Warriors
WHAT: Round 20 of the 2008 Telstra Premiership season
WHERE: Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
WHEN: Sunday, July 26^th @ 2.00pm (NZST)
ON TV: Fox Sports 2 LIVE – 12.00pm (AEST)
CHECK IT OUT: Melbourne Storm’s website with all the latest stats, profiles, updates, schedule and training times, alerts, news etc…. www.melbournestorm.com.au

 

IN BRIEF
Melbourne proved too strong for the Dragons on Monday night, keeping the visitors scoreless on their way to a 26-0 victory. The win kept the Storm in second spot on the NRL ladder.

 

New Zealand won their third game in a row, this time downing the Bulldogs 40-22 at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The win leaves the Warriors one point outside the top eight in ninth position.

 

FAST FACTS
• New Zealand has scored the first try in their past four games
• Melbourne has won five of their last six games against New Zealand
• New Zealand hasn’t won four games straight since Rounds 22-25, 2006

 

DID YOU KNOW?
While he may be the king of taking the big grabs in the NRL, centre Israel Folau is actually afraid of heights!

 

KEY MATCH UP
An interesting side-story to the clash will be the fact Stephen Kearney, Storm’s assistant coach and New Zealand head coach, will be able to run the rule over many of his national team players leading into the end-of-year World Cup. There will be a few personal duels between Kiwis from both sides, but none more potentially explosive than in the front-row between Jeff Lima and Wiki.

 

Lima is part the new guard of front-rowers in the Kiwi national set-up, and his performances for Melbourne over the past 18 months have been astounding. Lima arrived at the club two-and-a-half years ago after a stint in French rugby league overweight and far from becoming a regular first-grade Storm player. Fast forward to the current day, and Lima has not only forced his way into the Storm squad, he is now one of the first names on coach Craig Bellamy’s team sheets. His fitness levels are as good as anyone at the club let alone the forwards, and he can be relied upon to do the tough stuff required of a front-rower each and every week.

 

While Wiki could be regarded as part of the old guard of Kiwi front-rower, he is still the benchmark by which all other New Zealand front-rowers measure themselves. He’s an inspiration to all Kiwi players who pull on their national jersey and they look up to him as their leader. He doesn’t seem to be slowing down with age, and his front-row partnership with Price, another aging warhorse who doesn’t seem to be slowing down either, is as fierce and uncompromising as any in the NRL.

 

If Lima can take the points in this head-to-head battle, he may just secure his World Cup spot in the Kiwis line-up come season’s end.

 

HEAD-TO-HEAD
Total: Played: 20, Storm: 11, Warriors: 8, Draw: 1
At Mt Smart Stadium: Played: 10, Storm: 5, Warriors: 5

FOR AND AGAINST 2008
Points for: Storm: 390, Warriors: 368
Points against: Storm: 227, Warriors: 467
Tries for: Storm: 69, Warriors: 65
Points differential: Storm: +163, Warriors: -99

LAST ROUND MATCHES
Storm def. Dragons 26-0 @ Olympic Park, Melbourne
Warriors def. Bulldogs 40-22 @ ANZ Stadium, Sydney

 

LAST EIGHT CLASHES

YEAR	RESULT	VENUE
2008	Storm def. Warriors 32-18 @	Telstra Dome
2007	Storm def. Warriors 4-2 @	Mt Smart Stadium
2007	Storm def. Warriors 30-12 @	Olympic Park
2006	Warriors def. Storm 24-20 @	Olympic Park
2006	Storm def. Warriors 24-16 @	Mt Smart Stadium
2005	Storm def. Warriors 22-10 @	Olympic Park
2005	Warriors def. Storm 24-16 @	Mt Smart Stadium
2004	Storm def. Warriors 42-6 @	Olympic Park

 

THE STORM STORY SO FAR
WORLD CLUB CHALLENGE: STORM 4 (Try: Hoffman) def. by RHINOS 11 (Try: Donald; Goals: Sinfield 3; Field Goal: Sinfield) at Elland Road, Leeds
ROUND 1: STORM 32 (Tries: Slater 3, Johnson, Tagataese; Goals: C. Smith 5, Turner) def. WARRIORS 18 (Tries: Vatuvei 2, Ropati; Goals: Witt 3) at Telstra Dome, Melbourne
ROUND 2: STORM 16 (Tries: Aitken, White, Falou; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. by SHARKS 17 (Tries: Kearney, Gallen, Simmons; Goals: Covell 2; Field Goals: Kimmorley) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 3: Storm (Try: Slater; Goal: C. Smith) def. by ROOSTERS (Try: Kenny-Dowell; Goals: FitzGibbon 3) at Sydney Football Stadium
ROUND 4: STORM 28 (Tries: Quinn 3, Folau, Hoffman; Goals: Smith 4) def. BRONCOS 8 (Tries: Robinson, Stagg) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 5: STORM 26 (Tries: Slater 2, Inglis, Quinn, Hoffman; Goals: Smith 3) def. SEA EAGLES 4 (Try: Barney) at Olympic Park
ROUND 6: STORM 23 (Tries: Chambers, Turner, Slater, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 3; Field Goal: Cronk) def. RAIDERS 16 (Tries: Best, Plum, Purtell; Goals: Carney 2) at Canberra Stadium
ROUND 7: STORM 12 (Tries: Inglis, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. COWBOYS 10 (Tries: Williams 2; Goals: Thurston) at Dairy Farmer’s Stadium
ROUND 8: BYE
ROUND 9: STORM 18 (Tries: Folau 2, Quinn; Goals: C. Smith 3) def. KNIGHTS 4 (Try: Mullen) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 10: STORM 12 (Tries: Chambers, Manu; Goals: Smith, Turner) def. by DRAGONS 36 (Tries: Nightingale 2, B. Morris, J Morris, Lett, Soward; Goals: Soward 6) at ANZ Stadium
ROUND 11: STORM 15 (Tries: Chambers, J. Smith; Goals: C. Smith 2, Field Goals: Cronk) def. RABBITOHS 12 (Tries: Vagana 2; Goals: Luke) at Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
ROUND 12: STORM 46 (Tries: Geyer 2, C. Smith, Folau, Turner, J. Smith, Crocker, Cronk; Goals: C. Smith 7) def. BULLDOGS 0 at Olympic Park
ROUND 13: STORM 0 def. by TITANS 18 (Tries: Delaney, Meyers, Jeffrey; Goals: Rogers 3) at Skilled Park
ROUND 14: BYE
ROUND 15: STORM 48 (Tries: Inglis 3, Turner 2, J Smith, Slater, Geyer, Folau; Goals: C Smith 6) def. COWBOYS 20 (Tries: Henry, Williams, Webb, Cashmere; Goals: Thurston 2) at Olympic Park
ROUND 16: STORM 22 (Tries: Manu 2, Tomane, Cronk; Goals: Turner 2, Cronk) def. by EELS 24 (Tries: Tautai, Williams, Reddy, Inu; Goals: Burt 4) at Parramatta Stadium
ROUND 17: STORM 30 (Tries: Inglis 2, Slater, Manu, Quinn, Turner; Goals: Smith 3) def. RAIDERS 14 (Tries: Monaghan, Carney, Chalk; Goals: Carney) at Olympic Park
ROUND 18: STORM 30 (Tries: Inglis 3, Slater, Manu; Goals: C. Smith 5) def. TIGERS 18 (Tries: Tuiaki, Hodgson, Ryan; Goals: Hodgson 3) at Campbelltown Sports Stadium
ROUND 19: STORM 26 (Tries: J Smith, Lima, Geyer, Turner, Folau; Goals: C Smith 3) def. DRAGONS 0 at Olympic Park

 

2008 TRY SCORERS (STORM)
Slater 10, Inglis 10, Folau 9, Quinn 6, Turner 6, Manu 5, J. Smith 4, Geyer 4, Chambers 3, Hoffman 2, Cronk 2, Johnson, Tagataese, Aitken, White, C. Smith, Crocker, Tomane, Lima

 

2008 GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
C. Smith 50, Turner 4, J. Smith, Cronk

 

2008 FIELD GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
Cronk 2

 

2008 POINTSCORERS (STORM)
C Smith 104, Slater 40, Inglis 40, Folau 36, Quinn 24, Turner 24, Manu 20, J. Smith 18, Geyer 16, Chambers 12, Cronk 12, Hoffman 8, Johnson 4, Tagataese 4, Aitken 4, White 4, Crocker 4, Tomane 4, Lima 4

 

MELBOURNE STORM MEDIBANK PRIVATE INJURY UPDATE
Sam Tagataese (shoulder): 1 week
Danny Vaughan (knee): season
Ben MacDougall (knee): season
Dane Nielsen (shoulder): season
Will Chambers (knee): season

 

THE STORM AHEAD
Round 21: Friday, August 1^st v Titans @ Olympic Park, 7.45pm
Round 22: Friday, August 8^th v Sea Eagles @ Brookvale Oval, 7.45pm
Round 23: Friday, August 15^th v Roosters @ Olympic Park, 7.35pm

 

TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP LADDER

POSITION	CLUB	POINTS
1	Sea Eagles	30
2	Storm	28
3	Sharks	28
4	Roosters	26
5	Broncos	23
6	Dragons	22
7	Titans	22
8	Panthers	21
9	Raiders	20
10	Tigers	20
11	Warriors	20
12	Knights	18
13	Eels	18
14	Rabbitohs	16
15	Bulldogs	14
16	Cowboys	10

 

SQUAD FOR SUNDAY'S GAME

Starting team:
1. Billy Slater
2. Steve Turner
3. Matt Geyer
4. Israel Folau
5. Anthony Quinn
6. Greg Inglis
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Jeff Lima
9. Cam Smith
10. Brett White
11. Michael Crocker
12. Ryan Hoffman
13. Dallas Johnson

 

Interchange:
14. Jeremy Smith, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Sika Manu, 17. Antonio Kaufusi.

 

Coach: Craig Bellamy.

Melbourne Storm fight night with St George Dragons

Melbourne Storm tonight overcame rain, wind and a fiery opposition to defeat the St George Illawarra Dragons 26-0 at Olympic Park in front of 9,335 brave fans.

The miserable conditions set the stage for what was predicted to be one of the best clashes of the round. The Storm and the Dragons have had a history of great matches, and with both teams battling for a top four finish, Melbourne’s winter weather was unlikely to hold anyone back.

This match was no exception with the opening half providing two tries to Melbourne, three players sent to the sin, another sent off, and a heavy rain fall all in the mix.

Travelling to Melbourne in recent times has not brought St George Illawarra much luck having lost their past five matches at ‘The Graveyard’.

The Storm opened the proceedings in spectacular fashion with Israel Folau leaping over his opponent to catch the ball, before dragging a couple of would-be tacklers across the line to score Melbourne’s first try.

Folau demonstrated why he was rated as one of league’s “greatest jumpers” by the Dragons coach Nathan Brown mid-week, with his try showing that he is an unstoppable force when in full flight.

The Storm pushed forward for their second try with Steve Turner diving over the line, however they were denied by the video referee due with the Dragon’s Jason Nightingale forcing Turner out of the field.

Tensions were high, and not long after Turner’s disallowed try the two teams’ frustrations boiled over and an all-in brawl erupted resulting in Billy Slater, Adam Blair and the Dragons’ Jamie Soward given a 10-minute spell on the sidelines to cool down.

Rather than the Dragons capitalising on their numerical advantage on field, a rogue kick from front-rower Jason Ryles at Jeff Lima in the scrum saw him being sent off the field, this time for the remainder of the game.

With Melbourne’s full compliment of players back on the field, and St George one man down, the Storm ramped up the pressure having an immediate effect.

On the stroke of half-time, Lima stormed through a number of Dragon’s defenders to put the ball over the line for Melbourne’s second try of an eventful opening half, sending his team in at the break 10-0 up.

Without dampening the Storm’s drive pushing forward, this time with Jeremy Smith breaking free from the Dragons defenders to secure Storm’s third try. Instead of celebrating the try, Smith reacted to another late tackle, catalysing yet another scuffle between the two teams.

Minutes later an offload in the tackle from Israel Folau found Sika Manu on the run.  The young backrower took off streaming down field leaving several Dragons in his wake, timing an immaculate pass off to Turner out wide.

The Storm were unstoppable, following another Dragons error Melbourne took advantage to see a penalty awarded cementing Matt Geyer’s customary try for the evening.

STORM 26 (Tries: J Smith, Lima, Geyer, Turner, Folau; Goals: C Smith 3) def. DRAGONS 0 at Olympic Park

NRL Melbourne Storm vs St George Illawarra Game Notes

WHO: Melbourne Storm v St George Illawarra Dragons
WHAT: Round 19 of the 2008 Telstra Premiership season
WHERE: Olympic Park, Melbourne
WHEN: Monday, July 21st @ 7.00pm
ON TV: Fox Sports 2 LIVE – 7.00pm
CHECK IT OUT: Melbourne Storm’s website with all the latest stats, profiles, updates, schedule and training times, alerts, news etc…. www.melbournestorm.com.au

IN BRIEF
Melbourne were too strong for Wests Tigers last Monday night, defeating them 30-18 at Campbelltown Sports Stadium with Greg Inglis scoring a memorable hat-trick.

The win elevated the Storm into second place on the NRL ladder.

St George Illawarra suffered their first defeat in eight weeks last week, going down to Canberra in Wollongong 19-12. The loss left them in fifth position on the NRL ladder.

FAST FACTS
• St George Illawarra have lost their past five matches at Olympic Park
• Melbourne has won seven of their eight home games this year
• St George Illawarra has won their past six night games
• Melbourne has conceded less than 11 points per game on average at home this year

DID YOU KNOW?
The players’ annual comedy day will take place on Sunday, August 17th at the Comics Lounge in North Melbourne. Starting at 3.00pm and going on well into the night, the event will feature 10 of Melbourne’s best comedians, and will be hosted by Storm Ambassador and comedian Marty Fields.

Tickets are $30 each and are available before the day at the Melbourne Storm or at the Comics Lounge, or on the door on the day.

KEY MATCH UP
Could Greg Inglis’ duel with Mark Gasnier be the individual duel of the year? Gasnier clearly got the better of Inglis in Game I of the State-of-Origin series while Inglis returned the favour in Game II in one of the most dominant individual displays in Origin history. Showdown III between these two may go along way to deciding who really is the best centre in the world.

Gasnier is the Dragons’ leader, and had he not been heading to France next year, would probably be captain of the New South Wales State-of-Origin team next year if recent comments from Blues coach Craig Bellamy are anything to go by. He is the complete package when it comes to centres – strong, powerful, quick and is equally adept at scoring tries or setting them up for teammates. There isn’t much he can’t do and he’ll be looking to leave the Red V with some fond memories, starting with a five star performance in Melbourne against Inglis.

During the week Inglis became the youngest player ever to be named the game’s best player in the coveted Rugby League Week players’ poll. In his past three club games he has scored eight tries, most of them spectacular, and probably scored nine Dally M votes as well. While Inglis has been accused of playing a good game one week and then going missing for a fortnight, he’s really started to put together best-on-ground performances on a regular basis. There’s no doubt he’s the most talented player in the NRL, but if he can produce what he’s capable of week-in week-out, there’s no doubt he will go down in history as one of the game’s greats. And let’s not forget, he is only 21.

HEAD-TO-HEAD NRL RESULTS
Total: Played: 20, Storm: 14, Dragons: 5, Draw: 1
At Olympic Park: Played: 7, Storm: 5, Dragons: 2

FOR AND AGAINST 2008
Points for: Storm: 364, Dragons: 339
Points against: Storm: 227, Dragons: 271
Tries for: Storm: 64, Dragons: 58
Points differential: Storm: +137, Dragons: 68

LAST ROUND MATCHES
Storm def. Wests Tigers 30-18 @ Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Sydney
Dragons def. by Raiders 19-12 @ WIN Stadium, Wollongong

LAST EIGHT CLASHES

YEAR	RESULT	VENUE
2008	Dragons def. Storm 36-12 @	ANZ Stadium
2007	Storm def. Dragons 28-6 @	Olympic Park
2007	Storm def. Dragons 26-10 @	Oki Jubilee Stadium
2006	Storm def. Dragons 24-10 @	ANZ Stadium
2006	Storm def. Dragons 34-24 @	Oki Jubilee Stadium
2006	Storm def. Dragons 24-10 @	Olympic Park
2005	Storm def. Dragons 24-16 @	Olympic Park
2005	Storm def. Dragons 46-12 @	WIN Stadium

 

THE STORM STORY SO FAR
WORLD CLUB CHALLENGE: STORM 4 (Try: Hoffman) def. by RHINOS 11 (Try: Donald; Goals: Sinfield 3; Field Goal: Sinfield) at Elland Road, Leeds
ROUND 1: STORM 32 (Tries: Slater 3, Johnson, Tagataese; Goals: C. Smith 5, Turner) def. WARRIORS 18 (Tries: Vatuvei 2, Ropati; Goals: Witt 3) at Telstra Dome, Melbourne
ROUND 2: STORM 16 (Tries: Aitken, White, Falou; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. by SHARKS 17 (Tries: Kearney, Gallen, Simmons; Goals: Covell 2; Field Goals: Kimmorley) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 3: Storm (Try: Slater; Goal: C. Smith) def. by ROOSTERS (Try: Kenny-Dowell; Goals: FitzGibbon 3) at Sydney Football Stadium
ROUND 4: STORM 28 (Tries: Quinn 3, Folau, Hoffman; Goals: Smith 4) def. BRONCOS 8 (Tries: Robinson, Stagg) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 5: STORM 26 (Tries: Slater 2, Inglis, Quinn, Hoffman; Goals: Smith 3) def. SEA EAGLES 4 (Try: Barney) at Olympic Park
ROUND 6: STORM 23 (Tries: Chambers, Turner, Slater, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 3; Field Goal: Cronk) def. RAIDERS 16 (Tries: Best, Plum, Purtell; Goals: Carney 2) at Canberra Stadium
ROUND 7: STORM 12 (Tries: Inglis, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. COWBOYS 10 (Tries: Williams 2; Goals: Thurston) at Dairy Farmer’s Stadium
ROUND 8: BYE
ROUND 9: STORM 18 (Tries: Folau 2, Quinn; Goals: C. Smith 3) def. KNIGHTS 4 (Try: Mullen) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 10: STORM 12 (Tries: Chambers, Manu; Goals: Smith, Turner) def. by DRAGONS 36 (Tries: Nightingale 2, B. Morris, J Morris, Lett, Soward; Goals: Soward 6) at ANZ Stadium
ROUND 11: STORM 15 (Tries: Chambers, J. Smith; Goals: C. Smith 2, Field Goals: Cronk) def. RABBITOHS 12 (Tries: Vagana 2; Goals: Luke) at Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
ROUND 12: STORM 46 (Tries: Geyer 2, C. Smith, Folau, Turner, J. Smith, Crocker, Cronk; Goals: C. Smith 7) def. BULLDOGS 0 at Olympic Park
ROUND 13: STORM 0 def. by TITANS 18 (Tries: Delaney, Meyers, Jeffrey; Goals: Rogers 3) at Skilled Park
ROUND 14: BYE
ROUND 15: STORM 48 (Tries: Inglis 3, Turner 2, J Smith, Slater, Geyer, Folau; Goals: C Smith 6) def. COWBOYS 20 (Tries: Henry, Williams, Webb, Cashmere; Goals: Thurston 2) at Olympic Park
ROUND 16: STORM 22 (Tries: Manu 2, Tomane, Cronk; Goals: Turner 2, Cronk) def. by EELS 24 (Tries: Tautai, Williams, Reddy, Inu; Goals: Burt 4) at Parramatta Stadium
ROUND 17: STORM 30 (Tries: Inglis 2, Slater, Manu, Quinn, Turner; Goals: Smith 3) def. RAIDERS 14 (Tries: Monaghan, Carney, Chalk; Goals: Carney) at Olympic Park
ROUND 18: STORM 30 (Tries: Inglis 3, Slater, Manu; Goals: C. Smith 5) def. TIGERS 18 (Tries: Tuiaki, Hodgson, Ryan; Goals: Hodgson 3) at Campbelltown Sports Stadium

 

2008 TRY SCORERS (STORM)
Slater 10, Inglis 10, Folau 8, Quinn 6, Turner 5, Manu 5, Chambers 3, J. Smith 3, Geyer 3, Hoffman 2, Cronk 2, Johnson, Tagataese, Aitken, White, C. Smith, Crocker, Tomane

 

2008 GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
C. Smith 47, Turner 4, J. Smith, Cronk

 

2008 FIELD GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
Cronk 2

 

2008 POINTSCORERS (STORM)
C Smith 98, Slater 40, Inglis 40, Folau 32, Quinn 24, Turner 20, Manu 20, J. Smith 14, Chambers 12, Geyer 12, Cronk 12, Hoffman 8, Johnson 4, Tagataese 4, Aitken 4, White 4, Crocker 4, Tomane 4

 

MELBOURNE STORM MEDIBANK PRIVATE INJURY UPDATE
Sam Tagataese (shoulder): 1 week
Aidan Guerra (ankle): 2 weeks
Danny Vaughan (knee): season
Ben MacDougall (knee): season
Dane Nielsen (shoulder): season
Will Chambers (knee): season

 

THE STORM AHEAD
Round 20: Sunday, July 27th v Warriors @ Mt Smart Stadium, 2.00pm (AEST)
Round 21: Friday, August 1st v Titans @ Olympic Park, 7.45pm
Round 22: Friday, August 8th v Sea Eagles @ Brookvale Oval, 7.45pm
Round 23: Friday, August 15th v Roosters @ Olympic Park, 7.35pm

 

TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP NRL LADDER

POSITION	CLUB	POINTS
1	Sea Eagles	28
2	Storm	26
3	Roosters	26
4	Sharks	26
5	Dragons	22
6	Titans	22
7	Broncos	21
8	Panthers	19
9	Knights	18
10	Eels	18
11	Raiders	18
12	Wests Tigers	18
13	Warriors	18
14	Rabbitohs	16
15	Bulldogs	14
16	Cowboys	10

 

SQUAD FOR MONDAY'S GAME

Starting team:
1. Billy Slater
2. Steve Turner
3. Matt Geyer
4. Israel Folau
5. Anthony Quinn
6. Greg Inglis
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Jeff Lima
9. Cam Smith
10. Brett White
11. Michael Crocker
12. Ryan Hoffman
13. Dallas Johnson

 

Interchange:
14. Jeremy Smith, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Sika Manu, 17. Antonio Kaufusi.

 

Coach: Craig Bellamy.