Cameron Smith hands Melbourne a 9-8 win over the Roosters in Adelaide
CAMERON Smith got the last laugh over Cooper Cronk as the veteran hooker’s last-minute drop goal handed Melbourne Storm a one-point victory over the Roosters at Adelaide Oval.
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MELBOURNE Storm has raised the Adelaide Oval rivalry with Sydney Roosters to another level with a cracking one-point win before more than 17,000 people in a bite-the-nails finish.
After a match that had been dominated by defence in the first half a late-match flurry of scoring turned a the match from dour to delightful.
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Storm captain Cameron Smith seemed to have secured the win with less than one minute to play with a field goal from 40m.
But the Roosters weren’t done. A short kick off gave them one final chance.
Ryan Hoffman though charged down former Storm champion Cooper Cronk’s attempt at a reply and Melbourne were home. The Adelaide Oval record between the clubs is now one win apiece.
It marked the second time Hoffman charged down a Cronk field-goal attempt — the veteran second rower came up big when it counted for the Victorians.
It had taken until Sydney’s Victor Radley was sin-binned for Storm to break a clunky 2-2 deadlock with a try from Nelson Asofa-Solomona, the biggest man on the field.
He had a mixed night with a few mistakes, but he burst through the front door to not only score the first try but also change the complexion of the game.
Smith converted to make it a six-point game
Matt Ikuvalu, playing just his second NRL game, countered with the Roosters’ first try three minute later and when Latrell Mitchell converted the scores were locked up again.
And so, after a dour first half, the game was alive.
The Roosters defence has developed into one of the stingiest in the competition and Storm, which owned much of the ball in the opening passages, became increasingly frustrated in neither finding nor being able to create any gap.
This defensive resolve is what has helped the Roosters continue to win while only gradually playing themselves into top form over their past four matches.
Blake Ferguson and Luke Keary were among those whose desperation warded off two of Melbourne’s best chances early on.
It was as though Sydney was comfortable defending the line in the knowledge they have one of the best red zone defences in the competition.
The Roosters needed less time with the ball to hit the scoreboard with Latrell Mitchell putting the first two points on the scoreboard with a cooly slotted penalty goal.
Smith countered with a goal for Storm as the first half was one for the purists: fierce and relentless but with defence firmly on top as no tries were recorded.
The subplot of the match — how Cronk would fare against the side for which he had played four premierships and won two Dally M Medals — was still subdued by the halftime break and then smothered by Hoffman.
“It’s a bit weird,” Cronk said as he walked down to the changerooms. “I’m just trying to play hard and tackle hard.”
The defensive mindset had also led to an unusually high first-half 15 penalties — many of them off-side because of the sticky defences.
MELBOURNE 9 (N Asofa-Solomona try C Smith 2 goals C Smith field goal) bt SYDNEY ROOSTERS 8 (M Ikuvalu try L Mitchell 2 goals) at Adelaide Oval. Referee: Gavin Badger, Grant Atkins. Crowd: 17,728