NRL Match Review: Brisbane Broncos 14 defeat Melbourne Storm 12
Scoreboard
Brisbane Broncos 14
Tries: L Maranta, J Reed, C Oates
Goals: J Kahu 1/3
Field Goals:
Melbourne Storm 12
Tries: B Green 2
Goals: C Smith 2/2
Field Goals:
Match Review
In one of the most unbelievable NRL games in recent memory, the Brisbane Broncos have grinded out a 14-12 victory against the Melbourne Storm. Despite being forced to make a record amount of line drop outs, the Broncos were incredible in defence, restricting the Storm to only two tries.
The Storm were calculating in attack, and showed great control to force a whopping 11 line drop outs, 4 more than the previous NRL record. However, the Melbourne side was missing the spark provided from star duo Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater, and as a result they looked directionless and struggled to find a way to cross the try line.
All credit must be given to the Broncos though, as their defensive effort was one of the most impressive in the modern era. Despite having only 42% of possession, the Broncos managed to keep Melbourne from scoring for 45 minutes.
Their efforts in defence were supported by some brilliant attack, as Jack Reed scored a try that will combat Brisbane’s previous try of the year contender against Canberra. The ball was kept alive despite numerous tackle attempts, and was passed through 11 hands before Reed eventually crossed in the left corner.
The Broncos finished the match with 383 tackles, with hooker Andrew McCullough notching up a fair percentage on his own, as he topped the tackle count with 68 tackles. Queensland star Matt Gillet was also superb in backing up from a good performance on Wednesday night, as he made 56 tackles and racked up 106 running metres.
The performance proved that the Storm have the potential to be a top four side, however they will struggle to put teams to the sword without Cronk and Slater. On the other hand, the Broncos pressed their claims as a legitimate premiership threat, and with the victory they are once again sitting on top of the NRL ladder.
