Round 4: Storm v Wests Tigers preview
Friday night sees the Wests Tigers travel south to meet the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park in what will be a desperate round four clash between two struggling teams.
Melbourne will be looking to snap out of their terrible season start. Dealt horrible injury blows and facing challenges at every turn, the once unbeatable Storm have lost two games on the trot.
From Craig Bellamy's perspective, it makes it much worse that those two losses were against Canterbury and the Gold Coast.
Playing in stifling conditions in Robina last Saturday, the Storm led the Titans into the halftime break. They couldn't hold back a strong Gold Coast comeback though, eventually going down 38-34 in a points scoring extravaganza. Their defence is something that will need extra work this week in training, especially with the unpredictable (albeit terrible) Wests Tigers attack that they'll be facing on Friday.
Cameron Munster is the big in for Melbourne, with him set to return to his number six jersey. A question mark hangs over Jahrome Hughes, as he attempts to have charges downgraded at the judiciary on Tuesday night. If successful, he will partner Munster in the halves, but Jonah Pezet is waiting in the wings if Hughes finds himself suspended.
The Wests Tigers are deservedly 0-3 to start their 2023 season. After so much pre-season hype, the Tigers have done a great job of reminding everyone of their true colours. Three straight losses, two of those in front of their home fans at the supposed fortress that is Leichhardt Oval, have meant that the Tigers have quickly slipped to wooden spoon favourites.
Last weekend in front of a sold out Belmore Sports Ground, a changed Tigers line-up failed to show any signs of life until late in the piece. Tim Sheens pulled David Nofoaluma, moved Staines to the wing, Doueihi to fullback, and Wakeham off the bench to partner Luke Brooks in the halves. The shuffle led to a handful of tries in quick succession - positive signs even if they still fell short of the win 26-22.
Doueihi will start from fullback, with Charlie Staines back onto the wing. Daine Laurie has taken a bench spot, but how Sheens uses him during the game remains to be seen. Wakeham gets his reward for a great stint last round, partnering Luke Brooks in the halves. Joe Ofahengaue and Jake Simpkin miss out.
Last meeting: Round 1 2022 - Wests Tigers 16 Storm 26
Who to watch: Cameron Munster will make his return for Melbourne this Friday following a nasty finger injury
suffered in round one. The Queensland Maroon is an important piece of the Storm spine, and his inclusion will hopefully cause a spark in his struggling team.
With over 150 NRL games to his name, he comes into the 2023 season as a Rugby League World Cup champion after lifting the trophy with the Kangaroos in the off-season.
John Bateman will line-up in the second row for his second game at the Wests Tigers. After taking his time acclimatising from English winter,
Bateman made his Tigers debut last weekend as a late inclusion in jersey twenty. The former Raiders star is back in the NRL following a stint in his home country at Wigan, and he'll want to leave his mark.
Favourite: With one team bound to break their string of losses, it's the Melbourne Storm who are strongly favoured to get their season back on track despite injury issues.
My tip: The Storm aren't used to losing, and I think they're a bit rattled down in Melbourne at the moment. Still, they should be able to see off the Tigers. Storm by 6.
