Storm celebrate minor premiership with comfortable 24-16 win against Cowboys
Melbourne Storm will head into the finals with a clean bill of health after easing past the Cowboys with solid win to celebrate another minor premiership.
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Melbourne Storm went into Friday night’s dead-rubber chasing momentum to take into the finals series and walked out with JJ Giltinan Shield — awarded to the NRL minor premiers.
After dismantling Manly last week Storm could only muster a 24-16 win over an already eliminated North Queensland Cowboys at AAMI Park.
The result? Not so great according to Craig Bellamy, who deemed it a bit too listless for his liking.
“It probably wasn’t our best win of the season,” Bellamy said.
“I thought we probably looked a bit flat at stages.
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“We always talk about we want to be playing good footy and consistent footy each and every week, we probably didn’t do that for the 80 minutes tonight.
“I was hoping they’d play like they did last week, I thought they were clinical last week and our energy levels were really good and it wasn’t quite that tonight.”
Storm completed at 90 per cent, finishing 37 of 41 sets, despite 10 penalties and eight errors.
“It is a little bit hard I suppose,” Bellamy said of Melbourne’s mindset last night.
“We like to say that doesn’t come into our psyche and it didn’t but it’s in the back of your head I suppose.
“I thought some parts of the game we managed really well.”
But Bellamy last night praised prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s impact on the win.
“He’s probably got a little bit better the last month or six weeks,” Bellamy said.
“There’s not many guys that play that position that get 100 games up at 23 years old.
“I think he’s gone to another level this year, he comes to our meetings and training with an opinion these days as well so that shows me that he’s maturing… he’s been a really plus for us.”
Storm made the odd blunder, here and there, in front of a small but vocal crowd of 12,048, and who could blame the purple team wanting to go into the finals with a clean bill of health.
But if Storm, who will finish the season three games clear on top of the ladder, wanted to make a statement to the rest of the competition it needed to blast the Cowboys to Mad Monday and back.
Ryan Papenhuyzen starred again at fullback, amassing insane numbers while forwards Jesse Bromwich and Nelson Asofa-Solomona set the foundation in the middle of the field.
LISTEN! Matty Johns and Paul Kent are joined by Balmain champion Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach, talking up the big eighth place battle at Leichhardt Oval Sunday, look at some of Manly’s best ever hit men and the time Kenty got completely jammed by Mark Geyer.
Papenhuyzen is sure to be reminded of a decision to snub both Suliasi Vunivalu and Will Chambers screaming towards the try line in the first half but otherwise the new Storm ace did the job again.
Storm recruit Max King scored his first try in purple and in doing so should be rewarded with selection on the bench again next week.
NASTY SPELLS
Asofa-Solomona is hard to handle at the best of times, let alone when afforded a breather and second spell to savage fatigued opposition lines.
That is exactly what Bellamy has uncorked since Origin prop Christian Welch (ACL), a revelation off the bench, broke down mid-season.
Welch's injury, apart from complicating the rotation, exposed the Storm pack for a lack of size in the reserve ranks. Not to be outdone Bellamy has wound back the clock in the second half of the season and unleashed starting prop 'Big Nasty' Asofa-Solomona in short but devastating bursts.
It had the Cowboys reeling last night as the Kiwis international, with a taste for tries the past two outings, ate into opposition territory with intent.
Asofa-Solomona, who finished with 174 metres, needs no invitation to bust open games and if recent form is anything to go by Melbourne's metre eater could be in for a big September.
SMITH DENIED MOST WANTED TRY
NRL games' record holder Cameron Smith has achieved everything there is to achieve in rugby league but on Friday night the Storm skipper came within a whisker of arguably his most wanted record — Craig Bellamy's mark of 46 tries.
Smith crossed late in the second half to draw equal with 'Bellyache' only to have the four-pointer denied by the video referee, who spotted Jesse Bromwich holding back Cowboys back-rower Gavin Cooper.
While Bellamy's mark will stand for another week, at least, Smith did surpass his own season points tally of 201.
The skipper went into the match on 198 and finished with 206 after slotting three conversions and a penalty goal. The 36 year-old finished the game on the bench and will lead Storm into another finals series next week.
FIRST FINAL
Storm to host Souths in Melbourne next Saturday is the likely scenario, as long as Canberra defeats New Zealand, already eliminated, on Sunday.
Melbourne will welcome back Cameron Munster (shoulder) and rested pair Josh Addo-Carr and Brandon Smith for the qualifying final at AAMI Park with Brodie Croft, Sandor Earl and Harry Grant to miss out.
Storm has not lost in the first week of the finals since 2014 and another victory would see the minor premier host a preliminary final in Melbourne on AFL Grand Final eve.
Importantly, Storm got through Friday night unscathed despite a minor Kenny Bromwich scare. The second-rower came off in the second half with a Storm trainer after an accidental knee to the face but returned to the bench after going down the race for a short time.
MELBOURNE 24 (N Asofa-Solomona W Chambers S Earl M King tries C Smith 4 goals) bt NORTH QUEENSLAND 16 (G Cooper K Feldt M Taulagi tries K Feldt 2 goals) at AAMI Park. Referee: Henry Perenara, David Munro. Crowd: 12,085.
Originally published as Storm celebrate minor premiership with comfortable 24-16 win against Cowboys