NRL 2022, round 1: Melbourne Storm defeat Wests Tigers, Brandon Smith, Christian Welch, George Jennings injuries
Craig Bellamy says Melbourne are ‘close to scraping the bottom of the barrel’ and need reinforcements quickly after injuries to three key contributors on Saturday night.
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Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy confirmed unwanted St George Illawarra backrower Tariq Sims is on his radar as the Storm search for replacements for their thinning playing stocks.
Reeling from season-ending injuries to skipper Christian Welch and winger George Jennings in the first round win over Wests Tigers - on top of Brandon Smith’s broken hand from the same game.
Melbourne is badly in need of back-up troops.
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NSW representative Sims, on the outer at the Dragons, was recently spotted by News Corp at Storm headquarters in a meeting with Bellamy and general manager Frank Ponissi.
Talks between player and club are expected to ramp up in coming days as the full extent of
Melbourne’s injury crisis is confirmed.
Sims won’t be offered a new deal at the Dragons for 2023 and is not in coach Anthony Griffin’s current plans for this season.
“Not at the moment, no,” Bellamy said when asked about whether Sims was on his way to Melbourne.
“But we’ll have a bit of interest in a few players the way we’ve lost players. We’re not scraping the bottom of the barrel, but we’re getting towards it.
“We’ll have to pull two or three players into the squad ... we’re going to have to find some extra players from somewhere.”
The Storm do get Cameron Munster, Jesse Bromwich and Harry Grant back for the round two clash with South Sydney at AAMI Park, but are still without the suspended Tui Kamikamica.
Bellamy used untried duo Alec MacDonald and Tyran Wishart, along with rookie forward Trent Loiero, in the gutsy comeback win over the Tigers – all three playing major roles despite their lack of experience.
Given the players missing and the injuries suffered during the game, Bellamy labelled it the bravest performance in his time at the club.
“To be quite honest, I can’t remember an effort as brave as it and I am really, really proud of
them,” he said.
Watch: McGuire, Bellamy split on ’really ugly’ tackle
Concerned Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire will place his trust in the NRL match review committee to act on dangerous cannonball tackles after his second-rower Luciano Leilua was hurt following during the 26-16 loss to Melbourne on Saturday night.
Storm interchange forward Trent Loiero was placed on report for his low hit on Leilua during the first half, which left the Tigers backrower hobbling and in obvious discomfort.
He played out the game but was not 100 per cent.
“He definitely got him,” Maguire said.
“It’s something we never, ever practice but it’s something the game needs to watch.
“It’s pretty dangerous and it’s a bad tackle if it’s done on someone.
“You could see Luc was hobbling around for a while, but I will let the game sort that one out.
“I’m sure they will deal with that.”
Fox League’s Michael Ennis shared McGuire’s concern, slamming the tackle on air.
“We need to get those tackles out of the game, they’re just really, really ugly,” Ennis said.
But Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy felt Luciano was still moving in the tackle and Loiero was within his rights to complete the tackle.
He’s not expecting the MRC to take any action.
The Tigers started the game as rank outsiders but pushed Melbourne for much of the journey, leading until the hour mark before Storm put the foot down on the back of some Jahrome Hughes magic.
Maguire was pleased with his side’s first half and overall commitment to the cause, but disappointed with the final outcome.
“There’s no excuse for the second half…we will wear that one,” he said.
“We played some good passages of football but it’s about being able to do that for an 80-minute period.
“If the boys get that right, we will be very strong.”
New recruits Jackson Hastings and Tyrone Peachey had strong first outings, while English centre Oliver Gildart had some reasonable touches.
Maguire called for patience as the Tigers attempt to build new combinations, especially the untried Hastings-Luke Brooks halves pairing.
He said: “We are a different team at the moment.
“We’ve got different combinations coming together and there’s a lot of things that are going on with how we’re playing and our style.
“I think the more time they (Hastings and Brooks) spend together, they’re going to be really strong.”
Bellamy lauds brave Storm as injuries take their toll
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy called Saturday night’s come-from-behind 26-16 win over Wests Tigers the bravest performance in his time at the club as the Storm come to grips with losing skipper Christian Welch for the season.
Welch ruptured his achilles in the dying minutes of the game and faces his third long-term
rehabilitation after previously suffering two ACL injuries.
The Storm also lost winger George Jennings to a season-ending knee injury, while influential hooker Brandon Smith left the game with a broken hand after just three minutes and will be missing for several weeks.
Despite all the injury setbacks and fielding a side minus Cameron Munster, Jesse Bromwich and Harry Grant, Melbourne powered home after trailing the Tigers most of the night.
“To be quite honest, I can’t remember an effort as brave as it and I am really, really proud of them,” Bellamy said.
“You have a look at the stats in the first half and we should have been 20 down.
“It’s really disappointing for George and certainly Christian. He’s had a few tough times now and doesn’t deserve that.
“But we’ll back him all the way to get back.
Horrible George update 😞suspected ACL
— Melbourne Storm (@storm) March 12, 2022
“We should be so happy and jumping out of our skins, but we feel so down for the two guys that have those serious injuries.”
Smith reeled out a tackle on Joe Ofahengaue in the first set of the match, his left arm hanging limply by his side.
He disappeared up the tunnel after just three minutes while Welch went the same route just before fulltime, escorted off by two trainers after snapping his achilles.
Smith will have scans on Sunday to determine the full extent of his injury and is expected to be out for anywhere between three to six weeks.
The Storm do have Grant returning from suspension next week but Smith’s absence is a major blow.
The visitors were behind for most of the night before a Jahrome Hughes-inspired comeback killed off the plucky Tigers.
Hughes scored one try and made the break for Xavier Coates, on his 21st birthday, to put his side in front for the first time with a try 13 minutes from time.
A late Reimis Smith four-pointer sealed the game.
TIGERS BARE THEIR CLAWS
Michael Maguire headed into the 2022 season as the bookies’; favourite to be first coach sacked, but he’s not going anywhere – for now.
The Tigers were committed and courageous despite ultimately falling just short of continuing a first-round full of upsets.
The home side entered the game as rank outsiders but were Melbourne’s equal until the Storm put the foot down in the last 20 minutes.
First half tries to wingers Ken Maumalo and David Nofoaluma helped the Tigers to a 10-4 halftime lead, earning a standing ovation from their hard-to-please fans.
They were back on their feet just three minutes after the break following Maumalo’s second try, the big No.5 soaring over the top of Smith to pull in a crossfield kick from Luke Brooks.
He thought he had a third via the same source, only to be held up over the line by some desperate Melbourne defence with the scores locked at 16-all.
The Storm then took full control of the match, overcoming a long injury list to continue their
amazing two-decade run of first round victories.
“The second half we made it hard for ourselves. I liked the first half but you’ve got to do it for an 80-minute period,” Maguire said.
ENGLISH RECRUIT HASN’T RUN INTO ‘MANIAC’ MADGE ... YET
-Fatima Kdouh
After seeing the Wests Tigers documentary and hearing stories from Wigan teammates, Oliver Gildart came to Australia expecting new coach Michael Maguire to be ‘some maniac’.
The documentary, which lifted the veil on the inner workings at the Tigers, was released only two months after Gildart had agreed to join the club on a two-year deal from English side Wigan.
Fellow recruit and five-eighth Jackson Hastings, who was returning home from the Super League in England, convinced Gildart to watch the series to prepare for what life would be like at Concord.
“I watched it because Jackson let me know about it, he’d seen it first,” Gildart said.
“He told me to sit down and watch it. It was great for me, an eye opener into how Madge (Maguire) works, how the club works.”
As well as seeing it first hand, Gildart got an earful from his teammates at Wigan. Maguire coached Wigan to a title in 2010 during his two seasons at the club.
But after a full pre-season under Maguire at Concord, Gildart has seen an unexpected, more mellow, side to his new coach.
“I was younger so I didn’t get him (at Wigan). But a lot of the older boys were having a joke with me before I came out saying, ‘good luck with Madge, he can lose his temper pretty bad’,” Gildart said.
“So I came over expecting Madge to be some maniac, but he has been really good with me personally.
“I have not seen that side of him yet, hopefully I won’t ever have to.”
Gildart will receive a baptism of fire to the NRL against Melbourne, the side that has been a benchmark in the competition for over a decade.
The last time the two sides faced each other, Craig Bellamy’s men ran in 12 tries against a hapless Tigers outfit that was thumped 66-16 in round 15 last year.
“It’s a nice easy way into it,” Gildart said with a laugh.
“I wouldn’t like it any (other) way, to get thrown in the deep end and to have a crack. I’m excited, these are the lads I have watched and looked up too. Now I’m out there with them.”
Gildart’s opposite number will be powerful Storm centre Reimis Smith.
Standing at 181 centimetres and weighing 86 kilograms, Gildart, by his own admission, isn’t the ‘biggest lad’ for an outside back.
The 25-year old gives away 15 centimetres in height and 11 kilograms on the scale to Smith.
“I’ve watched him play in the last few years. I always keep a close eye on my opponents. I’ve come up against big lads all my career, it’s not stopped me so far, it just means a harder night. But I’ll take that as a challenge. “
But what Gildart might lack in size, the centre makes up for in speed and agility.
“I’m not the biggest of lads, most lads I’m coming up against me are a lot bigger than me. But I like to think I’m skilful and have a bit of speed so … my game might suit the game here. They are trying to speed things up more and more now. That’s how I like to play my style of footy,” Gildart said.
While English forwards have made successful moves to Australia, the careers of outside backs, like Sam Tomkins, Zak Hardaker, Joe Burgess and Ryan Hall did not flourish in the NRL.
But Gildart, who comes to the Tigers as a two-time premiership winner with Wigan, believes he can break the curse.
“It’s true, a lot of lads have come over here and not done very well or gone home early. But I’m my own person. I’ve come here to play. I want to hold down a starting spot and have a good successful career here,” he said.
Gildart will form a new left edge for the Tigers with Ken Maumalo on the wing.
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