Round 23: Gold Coast v Melbourne preview
As Tennis star Venus Williams once said "In life, there is no such thing as impossible; It's always possible" and that will be the attitude of the Gold Coast Titans as they look to pull off the upset of the season up against the Melbourne Storm on Thursday night at Cbus Super Stadium.
The Titans were brought crashing back to Earth last weekend as they were beaten 36-6 by the South Sydney Rabbitohs last Saturday afternoon. The Titans came into the contest confident off a three-game winning streak but it was quick to show that their form was nothing compared to the Bunnies as they couldn't match them in any facet. Souths scored early and it was a downhill trip for the Titans from there and they could only manage one which came after the hour mark when they were already 30 points down.
Holding to a tenuous grip onto eighth spot, the Gold Coast Titans will be hoping to pull off the upset to help them appear for the first time in the finals since 2016. Victory against the Storm will hold the Titans in good stead but show that if they do make the finals then they won't just be making up the numbers.
The Titans have been forced into a number of changes, with most notably AJ Brimson ruled out due to a hairline fracture of the jaw with Jayden Campbell expected to fill the fullback role. Rookie Toby Sexton has been dropped to fit Jamal Fogarty. Other changes have seen Mitch Rein dropped to be replaced by Erin Clark whilst Moeaki Fotuaika has been ruled out with Sam McIntyre coming into the side.
The Melbourne Storm again showed why they are the team to beat as they took their 18th straight victory as they held off a passionate Canberra Raiders 26-16 last Thursday night on the Sunshine Coast. The Storm have been tested in the last few weeks but have shown their class as they have been able to hold onto their wins against sides around the top 8. Last weekend, the Storm conceded an early try but then quickly fought back lead 20-4 at the break and then ultimately holding off the Raiders 26-16.
Mathematically, the Melbourne Storm could still lose the Minor Premiership but it would be a major shock should either the Panthers or the Rabbitohs pass them to take first on the ladder.
After being heavily concussed last weekend, Jahrome Hughes has been rested through the concussion protocols with Nicho Hynes moving into the halfback role whilst Ryan Papenhyzen will regain his number 1 jersey. The Storm have also rested Dale Finucane, Brandon Smith and Justin Olam for the finals with Chris Lewis, Harry Grant and Marion Seve all coming into the side.
Last meeting: Round 13 2021 - Storm 20 Titans 14
Who to watch: Not many teams can bring a representative player from the bench into their starting line up but that is the luxury the Melbourne Storm have with Harry Grant and in particular Ryan Papenhuyzen. The Melbourne fullback hasn't started since Magic Round and will be looking to make an impact as he regains his number one jersey. The Storm haven't lost anything with Nicho Hynes taking over but it will be interesting to see how much of an impact Papenhuyzen will have at the back.
The Titans left Jamal Fogarty out of their side last weekend with coach Justin Holbrook unwilling to risk the balance of his side following their winning streak. Since the winning streak has gone, Justin Holbrook is now willing to change his side and the Titans skipper comes back into the side which would be a boost for the Gold Coast in their attempts to upset the Storm.
The favourite: The Melbourne Storm are unsurprisingly heavy favourites as they look for win 19 in a row.
My tip: It's hard to go past the Storm in this one, they may lose players like Jahrome Hughes, Dale Finucane and Brandon Smith this weekend but at the same point their replacements would be star players at any other club and they just have too much class for the Titans who need to find plenty to get close. Melbourne by 24.
