Round 6: Storm v Sharks preview
Match of the Round billing as the Sharks circle in-form Storm
It's the match of the round between two in-form teams, the Melbourne Storm and the Cronulla Sharks at AAMI Park. Both sides have been impressive to start the season, with the two sides only losing one match in tight situations. This one promises to be the toughest challenge of the reborn Sharks season thus far. Cronulla will have to defy a poor head to head record at AAMI Park, winning only 2 of the 12 clashes at the venue since it opened in 2010.
Melbourne won convincingly in Wagga Wagga over a poor Canberra side 30-14 last weekend with the usual suspects of Papenhuyzen, Munster and Hughes combining making things look incredibly easy for the Storm. Cronulla poached two of Melbourne's best last season in Nicho Hynes and Dale Finucane, so expect a bit of a welcoming committee for those two in this one from the Melbourne forwards. Melbourne's middle defence has improved considerably from where they were two weeks ago after that heartbreaking loss to Parramatta. However, Cronulla's pack has been slowly building a solid reputation and will be looking to add Melbourne to the list of big scalps that they've claimed this season. Look for Nelson Asofa-Solomona and underrated middle forward Josh King to put pressure on the Sharks forwards from the outset. As far as the team news is concerned, Melbourne have opted for just one change on the bench with Tyran Wishart returning from a three week layoff to replace Alec McDonald on the bench in an otherwise settled 17.
Cronulla on the other hand has been the most improved side in the competition to start the season. Under new coach Craig Fitzgibbon, Cronulla has won their last four games on the trot and are looking like a team that could compete for a top 4 spot. Their spine had many question marks at the beginning of the season, but the three fullback combination of Kennedy, Moylan and Hynes has worked a treat early on. The only knock I have on Nicho Hynes' game thus far is his decision making with the footy, he seems to run the ball to the line and dummy 90% of the time making it easy for the defence to read the situation. With a Melbourne defence that knows his game so well, expect Hynes to have some surprise moments that stun the Storm. One area of concern, however, would be the poor completion rate and silly penalties Cronulla gave away against the Tigers last week. Even though they came away with the two competition points with relative ease, you can't complete at 66% and lose the penalty count against the top teams like Melbourne who are notorious for punishing sides off errors and ill-discipline. Craig Fitzgibbon will no doubt use these stats as a significant point of emphasis this weekend. As far as team selection is concerned, Aidan Tolman returns on the bench after his battle with COVID with Royce Hunt shifting back to the reserves.
Last meeting: Round 25 2021 - Sharks 16 Storm 28
Who to watch: Much of Melbourne's attack has been created through the tactical genius of Jahrome Hughes. Hughes was given the keys to the Melbourne attack towards the end of 2019 and hasn't looked back since. Fresh off a new contract extension, Hughes is in career-best form aiming for the New Zealand number 7 spot for the mid-season test against Tonga. Hughes' running game is well documented, but it's his kicking game that has been the dominant feature at Melbourne. Look for Hughes to continue his solid start to 2022.
Cronulla's unsung hero for the last three seasons is determined fullback Will Kennedy. Kennedy has been an impressive player for the Sharks over the last three seasons playing regular first-grade footy and his form so far in 2022 backs this up. The Sharks custodian has averaged 117m a game this season scoring three tries and breaking the line on 8 occasions. Kennedy has a tough positional match-up against Melbourne's in-form full-back Ryan Papenhuyzen. However, if Kennedy can muster a good performance and set up the Sharks sets with solid kick returns, Cronulla is a good chance of sniffing the upset here.
The favourite: Melbourne is the favourite with the bookies for this one and considering the head to head record at AAMI Park, it's not a surprise.
My tip: In a game where not much separates the teams on the competition table, everything is pointing to a close encounter. If Cronulla can cut out the ill-discipline that slipped into their game against the Tigers, they'll have every chance of causing an upset with the work of Nicho Hynes proving the difference. There were some defensive issues for the Storm that have been notable this season, particularly down Melbourne's left which could see Talakai and Mulitalo continue their impressive form thus far this season. Cronulla has been impressive and I'm going to go the upset in this one. Cronulla by 4.
