NRL world stunned after absurd opening to Storm-Roosters prelim

With a Grand Final berth on the line, the opening minutes of the Storm Vs Roosters clash could not have been any more wild.

This was the opening couple of minutes. Photo: Fox Sports

The Melbourne Storm are the first team into the NRL Grand Final after completing a dominant 48-18 win over the Sydney Roosters in the preliminary final in Melbourne.

It was an impressive win for the Storm, who weathered an onslaught early after losing Nelson Asofa-Solomona to the sin bin just 19 seconds into the match.

In a highly-anticipated clash with a Grand Final berth on the line, it was always going to be an eventful start to the match.

But no one would have had this on the bingo card.

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With the first hit up of the game off the kick-off, the Roosters’ Lindsay Collins ran back, straight at Asofa-Solomona, with the Storm enforcer laying on the big hit over the top.

Unfortunately, he went a little too high, connecting with Collins’ chin and leaving the Roosters star dazed enough to play the ball the wrong direction.

“Oh yeah, that’s shoulder contact directly to the jaw,” Michael Ennis said on Fox League, adding it was still high even after Collins “lowered his body position”.

The commentators were scrambling for the ramications of the hit — all eyes will be on the Match Review Panel and a potential charge — as Collins was forced off the field.

Initially it was ruled Category 2, meaning he could go through a head injury assessment, but it was quickly upgraded to Category 1, meaning without an exemption, Collins would have been rubbed out of the Grand Final had the Roosters won.

In 2024, players who are ruled Category 1 have a mandatory 11-day stand-down policy.

Asofa-Solomona was sin binned after 19 seconds. Photo: Fox Sports

Collins played the ball the wrong way after the hit. Photo: Fox Sports

“10 minutes in the sin bin, 18 seconds into the game — a sensation,” Mat Thompson said on Channel 9.

Cameron Smith added it was “a big blow for the Storm”.

“It’s just so hard in the modern game now to get those tackles right,” Smith said.

“You’re trying to make an impact for your side as you go down on that first hit-up of a game.

“Prelim final, high stakes football, you just get it slightly wrong with your contact.”

The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio called the drama: “Incredible”.

However, other plans were divided, claiming Collins dropping his height played a bigger role in the incident, while others questioned how it was fair that Collins was wiped out but Asofa-Solomona was only sidelined for 10 minutes.

At half-time, Broncos great Corey Parker said: “I don’t know where he could go”.

Greg Alexander agreed, but conceded: “He hit him in the head.”

But the Panthers great added: “I think a whole lot of thought needs to go into the kickoff. It’s dangerous, but it’s as dangerous for the attackers as it is the defenders.”

After giving away another penalty for raking the ball almost immediately, the Roosters were right on the attack.

An attacking kick from Luke Keary for Angus Crichton ended in wild scenes however, as the second rower was taken down by Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes, who was ruled to have tripped the Roosters star.

“That’s almost professional foul stuff,” Andrew Voss screamed. “How does he not go to the bin if they’ve seen it as a try scoring play?”

As the Storm questioned the play, Voss said: “Melbourne, cop your medicine here because Crichton gets a play at that ball, doesn’t he?”

“Boy oh boy, we thought we had drama Manly-Roosters last week the first 23 seconds — hold my beer, Melbourne and Roosters.”

The replay was shown again, with Steve Roach saying: “That’s a professional foul, Hughes should have been sent to the sin bin there.”

Voss added: “I think it is in 27 rounds, and every single game of the competition.”

Jahrome Hughes should have been sin binned. Photo: Fox Sports

Now that was a sin bin. Photo: Fox Sports

On Nine, Paul Vautin said: “I agree with this. He played at the player, nowhere near the ball and he took him out.”

Rugby league freelance reporter Curtis Woodward posted: “Ref says ‘take-down’. That’s a trip on a player off-the-ball attempting to score a try.”

Another fan questioned: “Wait so Hughes has gone for a purposeful trip on the goal line but that’s not a professional foul? Can someone explain how????”

The Roosters kicked a penalty goal, before scoring through Daniel Tupou to take a 6-0 lead after eight minutes.

But the rest of the first half all went the minor premiers’ way as Ryan Papenhuyzen starred, scoring a try and setting one up for Jack Howarth.

A double from Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes made it a 22-6 lead at halftime.

An early penalty goal saw the Storm go up 24-6 before the Roosters hit back with two tries in two minutes to Terrell May and Nat Butcher.

But a controversial try interupted the momentum and saw the Storm break the Roosters’ resolve, running in three more late tries to blow out the scoreline.

It’s the tenth grand final in the Craig Bellamy era — although four of those were between 2006 and 2009, which saw the 2007 and 2009 titles stripped during the 2010 salary cap scandal.

Originally published as NRL world stunned after absurd opening to Storm-Roosters prelim