Melbourne Storm win 26-20 over North Queensland Cowboys
With both teams heavily impacted by Origin selections, the Melbourne Storm have escaped Townsville with a hard-fought win, while the Cowboys’ woes continue.
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The Melbourne Storm escaped Townsville with a hard-fought 26-20 win, holding out a determined Cowboys side in a match where both teams were heavily impacted by State of Origin selections.
The Storm threatened to blow the game open in the early stages, forcing the Cowboys to make 50 tackles in the first five minutes as errors, set restarts and penalties gave Melbourne a mountain of possession.
But North Queensland rolled with the punches and managed to respond every time, levelling the game twice in the first half before taking the lead after the break when Scott Drinkwater dived over beneath the posts.
Back-to-back tries from Storm fullback Nick Meaney in the second half – with a penalty goal thrown in for good measure – was enough to break the Cowboys’ spirit and deal them their ninth loss of 2025.
It’s back to the drawing board for Cowboys coach Todd Payten, who has seven days to turn his side’s fortunes around before hosting the Bulldogs next week.
Payten lamented the egregious errors his team continues to make week in, week out.
“It’s the type of errors. It’s uncontested clangers,” Payten said.
“We kicked one dead off a long kick, dropped one cold off a carry, not contesting the kick at the back, intercepts, stuff like that which is costly.
“So (it’s) deflating and puts you under pressure and makes you burn gas, tackling.”
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy said he was proud of his team’s effort in a game that could have gone either way.
“At times, we didn’t defend that well. They were really playing the ball quick and playing fast, so that made it really hard on us,” Bellamy said.
“But we backed up some good attack with some good defence at times, but probably not other times.
“It was a tight game. Could have went either way and we’re just sort of happy that we got away with it.”
MELBOURNE SHUFFLE
The Storm were forced into a raft of changes before kick-off, rolling out a near unrecognisable side with no Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Ryan Papenhuyzen among the long list of outs.
Even without the typical cast of superstars, Melbourne looked dangerous with Jahrome Hughes pulling the strings in attack.
Hughes took on almost all of the kicking duties but it was his passing game that impressed, throwing a pearler to Nick Meany for a game-levelling try in the second half.
DRINKY’S ROLLERCOASTER
As the only member of North Queensland’s spine playing in his regular position, Drinkwater shouldered more responsibility than just the captaincy.
The rocks-and-diamonds fullback had his fair share of both minerals, but his value in attack exceeded any defensive shortcomings.
Drinkwater set up both of the Cowboys’ first-half tries before giving his side their first lead 10 minutes after the break when he finished off an opportunity created by Jake Clifford.
But the fullback had a moment to forget that led to Melbourne’s second try when he inexcusably pulled out of taking a catch, allowing the ball to bounce and fall back into Melbourne’s hands.
It took no time for Nelson Asofa-Solomona to barge over the line from close range, leaving Drinkwater shaking his head at the mistake.
Drinkwater said it was ultimately a 10-minute patch of poor form that gave Melbourn the leg-up needed to take control.
“There was just a 10-minute period there, where we gave away two stripping penalties, (kicked the ball) out the full, another penalty, and (we) just gave them the ball too easily,” Drinkwater said.
“So that period there is what hurt us the most, and just gave them too many leg-ups and didn’t make them work to come at their own end, and they made us pay in the end.”
DOUBLE DEBUT
Both teams handed out NRL debuts, with North Queensland’s Temple Kalepo and Melbourne’s Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown making their first appearance at this level.
Storm winger Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown became just the sixth Victorian to represent the Storm in the NRL, while Kalepo made a good impact off the interchange when he came on to take over at dummy half.
Originally published as Melbourne Storm win 26-20 over North Queensland Cowboys
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