The Melbourne Storm continued to show their dominance this season after a 36-point win against the Brisbane Broncos.
MATCH DETAILS
The game didn’t start as Brisbane would’ve liked with the opening kick-off going out on the full. It gave Melbourne an immediate penalty, and a penalty goal followed in the fifth minute to give the Storm a 2-0 lead. It didn’t take much longer for the Storm to score their first try: Josh Addo-Carr scored in the ninth minute as the Storm looked to bounce back from last week’s loss. The Broncos were able to contest with the Storm for a 20-minute period, but that ended as Christian Welch scored in the 30th minute for a 12-point lead. The Storm had another try in them before half time as Kenny Bromwich crossed in the 34th minute as the Storm extended their lead to 18.
It only took the Storm two minutes into the second half to score through Jahrome Hughes. A penalty goal in the 48th minute extended the lead to 26-0 as they continued to show why they’re on top of the ladder. Bromwich scored his second for the night after a good set play down the left edge, putting the Storm ahead by 30 points with 20 minutes left. The next set it only took three tackles before Justin Olam made a break for a try to captain Cameron Smith, who also converted. Ryan Papenhuyzen added his name to the scoresheet as he finished off a play down the left edge as the Storm continued to pile on the points in the second half, now leading by 40. Kotoni Staggs broke the deadlock for the Broncos with 10 minutes to go, as he split through a few defenders on Melbourne’s left edge to make the score 40-4. This would be the only error in Melbourne’s clinical display, winning by 36 points.
FOUR POINTERS
Melbourne Storm’s Line-up Changes
Fifty-five minutes into the match Brodie Croft was taken from the field which saw the Storm change their spine: Jahrome Hughes moved into the halves and Ryan Papenhuyzen moved to fullback. It’ll be interesting to see if Craig Bellamy uses this to allow his side to play two different spine line-ups during finals time. Or is he looking to move Hughes into the halves for the remainder of the season to allow Papenhuyzen to play fullback?
Ryan Papenhuyzen Continues to Fire
Melbourne Storm rookie Ryan Papenhuyzen continues to perform exceptionally during his first season in first grade. In just 47 minutes tonight, the utility back ran for 208 metres including 2 line breaks, 5 tackle breaks and a try. He continues to be a threat late in the game when the opposition forwards are tiring.
Melbourne Storm Continue to Dominate
Melbourne are currently six points clear of the second-placed Canberra Raiders and have their hands firmly on the minor premiership. They continue to show just how clinical they are: the only team in the competition who have scored twice as many points as they’ve conceded. They lead the scoring with 503 points, whilst also leading the points against, with only 232 points conceded.
Brisbane’s Poor Performance
The Brisbane Broncos managed to compete with the Storm for the first 30 minutes of the game, despite making errors. However after the Christian Welch try the Storm piled on 40 points. The Broncos currently sit just 1 point outside the eight. Broncos fans will hope they don’t carry this form into next week against North Queensland in Townsville.
THE RESULT
Brisbane Broncos 4
Tries: Kotoni Staggs
Goals: Jamayne Isaako 0/1
Drop Goals: n/a
Melbourne Storm 40
Tries: Kenneath Bromwich (2), Josh Addo-Carr, Christian Welch, Jahrome Hughes, Cameron Smith, Ryan Papenhuyzen
Goals: Smith 6/9
Drop Goals: n/a
SQUADS
Brisbane Broncos: 1. Anthony Milford 2. Corey Oates 20. Xavier Coates 3. Kotoni Staggs 5. Jamayne Isaako 6. Darius Boyd 7. Jake Turpin 8. Matthew Lodge 9. Andrew McCullough 10. Payne Haas 11. David Fifita 4. Alex Glenn 13. Thomas Flegler. Interchange: 14. James Segeyaro 15. Joe Ofahengaue 16. Rhys Kennedy 17. Patrick Carrigan.
Melbourne Storm: 1. Jahrome Hughes 2. Suliasi Vunivalu 3. Will Chambers 4. Justin Olam 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Cameron Munster 7. Brodie Croft 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 11. Felise Kaufusi 12. Kenneath Bromwich 13. Dale Finucane. Interchange: 14. Brandon Smith 15. Christian Welch 16. Joe Stimson 17. Ryan Papenhuyzen.
