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

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.

NRL Power Rankings: After Round 21

The weekly wrap-up from the Grubber is here! The NRL Power Rankings - where the Grubber factors in NRL Results, NRL Scores, analyzes the NRL Ladder and add's a touch of spice each week - letting everyone know where their NRL Team really sits on the Ladder. (Beside your NRL Teams Rankings - the number (x) in brackets denotes last weeks Power Rankings position.

NRL Power Rankings for Round 21

1. (1) Melbourne: Seem to be in a temporary slump at the moment and the heavy toll of Origin may have begun to pay its price in respect of key players. That said, the Storm still have the firepower and the execution needed to win this competition. Cameron Smith and Steve Turner will be better for the rest. A good test of their credentials in coming weeks against other NRL powerhouses. Power score: 9/10, Number of times a winger has been rested previously in rugby league history: 0 (what do they even do anyway?).

2. (3) Parramatta: Attack was sublime against Canterbury and the Eels go forward was devastating. Despite their customary lapses they absorbed pressure when it was needed and their power backline came to the fore. Power score: 8.5/10, Number of Parramatta fans who will rush to buy grand final tickets a la 2005 as soon as they are released: 40,000.

3. (6) Canterbury: Short of launching a terrorist attack on Australian soil, it's hard to see what sin is possibly left for the Bulldogs. Despite their off-field troubles they look to be seriously improving on the field and provided they can nail enough victories to stay in the 8, the return of several superstars should prove timely - and concerning to their opposition. Power score 8/10, Number of Bulldogs players in current squad who have NOT been in trouble at some point in their career: 0.

4. (4) New Zealand: Showed flashes of attacking brilliance and were at their second-phase best against the resurgent Roosters. Get the feeling that if they can earn a home final and have their forward pack moving that they should build some momentum for a week three appearance in the play-offs. Power score: 8/10, Percentage of NRL fans that would be able to name the Warriors halves pairing: Probably less than 10%.

5. (2) Manly: Slayed their third consecutive hoodoo with an ugly victory over the Broncos in Brisbane. A poor first half however will have Des Hasler getting his side back to basics for the Friday night clash with Newcastle. Watmough is the form back rower in the NRL at this stage. Once ball control improves they may well be a force to be reckoned with. Power score: 8/10, Number of times Phil Gould praised the determination of the Broncos during Sunday's clash: 6,598.

6. (7) Roosters: Have somehow managed to turn one of the slowest forward packs in the league into a dynamic, running gang which more than matched the might of the Warriors. While only a remote chance of making the finals if they get can over the Tigers this Friday night then the really hard work is out of the way in respect of their run home. Power score: 7.5/10, Odds that Roosters front office will continue to drag out coaching saga in the interests of motivating their players: 2-1.

7. (10) St George-Illawarra: A real middle of the pack side at the moment who, on their day, can win just as easily as they can lose. Veteran players have managed to remember how to win and are leading from the front. Pose a threat in all of their remaining clashes despite looking out of the running for the 8. Power score: 7/10, Odds that Nathan Brown will secure the Roosters coaching post for 2008: 100-1, although I'm sure St George-Illawarra would swap if they could.

8. (12) Gold Coast: Showed up a lot of pundits with their impressive victory over the Tigers on the weekend. Again, it's hard to see them making the 8, or making a dent if they do, but they don't have enough quality backs; but might just have enough grunt in the pack to do the job. Power score: 7/10, Numbers of finals teams in a competition of 12 sides when Gold Coast made their only finals appearance in 1997: 7, now that's some good odds!.

9. (5) Wests Tigers: Running hot and cold right now and Friday night's match up with the Roosters will be a good test of their premiership credentials. Looking less like a top 4 contender and more like a fringe side lacking the concentration to challenge for extended periods. Power score: 6.5/10, Odds that Wests Tigers v Roosters clash would have attracted more than 12,000 had it been held 5 weeks ago: 50-1.

10. (13) North Queensland: Limped over the line against feisty Canberra side and are hanging around the top end of the competition based on former glories, and the Bowen/JT factor. Need to recover offensive execution and ruck area control if they are to threaten the competition leaders at the business end. Power score: 6.5/10, Anticipated crowd figure for North Queensland v Penrith clash on Monday night, at Penrith: 5,678.

11. (11) Canberra: Didn't have a great deal of luck against North Queensland and despite a solid effort at the back end of the game they lacked what it took to win at the death - a problem which has plagued them in the last couple of seasons. Get an opportunity to atone for their loss in 2 v 7 match-up in '06 finals when they take on Canterbury this Sunday. Power score: 6/10, Odds that anyone picked former Matt Elliott-coached side Canberra finishing above current Matt Elliott-coached side Penrith in 2007: 10,000-1.

12. (8) Brisbane: Lacked play making options when they had the ball in hand against Manly and never really looked like scoring in the first half. Without Berrigan (and not that he's a game breaker anyway), it's obvious that they will battle without a genuine six or seven. Power score: 5.5/10, Odds of Tonie Carroll ever playing 5/8 again: 600-1.

13. (14) Penrith: With another loss by the hapless Sharks, Penrith does have something to play for - avoiding that dreaded wooden spoon (Now that South Sydney have finally exited the race after many years of winning the spoon award). Penrith have flashes of brilliance, accompanied by periods of ineptitude. Power score: 5/10, Odds of New Idea running an article in '08 entitled Amanda (Flynn) Gower speaks: 'Our wonderful new life in France': 2-1.

14. (9) South Sydney: Demonstrated their lack of big match experience with loss to Penrith in crucial fixture. Need to improve attacking prowess if they are to make the finals. Defence still resolute, which is a positive in this competition. Power score: 5/10, Number of times sound clip of Russell Crowe professing his love to Dean Widders has been played in the last 7 days: 11,276.

15. (15) Cronulla: Surprised everyone with their competitive spirit in match-up with Melbourne and seem desperate to avoid breaking club record of 10 losses, set just last year under Stuart Raper. Season has been cruelled by injury and club officials will be praying for a swift and dignified end to 2007. Power score: 4/10, Number of times Ricky Stuart can get away with talking about how "proud he is of the boys" before it gets old: two, maybe three times.

16. (16) Newcastle: Nothing good to say other than that a win against Manly will make it all worthwhile and somehow salvage this train wreck of a season. Power score: 3.5/10, Ratio of Newcastle fans to Manly fans at Manly's Gosford "home game" this Friday night: 10 to 1.

Yours in league,
The Grubber.

NOTE: The Grubber will be taking a short break of 2 weeks as he ventures over to the UK; where several Super League clubs have asked for his consultation. Look out! The UK Super League won't know what hit them.

We look forward to getting the Grubber back on deck soon, and await his analysis of all the NRL Form and NRL Table in the weeks ahead

NOTE: NRL News will be introducing a very special guest for next weeks 'Power Rankings'

Luke Burt: Back In Training Video: