Round 6: Storm v Bulldogs preview
Olivia gives her thoughts on the upcoming battle between the Melbourne Storm and the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs were the last team to beat the Storm at AAMI Park, but can they do it again?
After an unconvincing 34-32 win over an undermanned Broncos side, the Melbourne Storm had their 12th straight victory at home and are looking for their 13th. Even with their preferred spine starting altogether for the first time in 627 days, they still lacked cohesion. So, will 13 be lucky for the Storm or will the under(Bull)dogs strike down the Storm once again?
A slippery start to Friday's night footy at Accor Stadium saw the Bulldogs fly out of the blocks and just barely retain that energy to win 30-26 over the Roosters. After leading 26-0 at half time, the 12-man Roosters side fought back and only allowed one more Matt Burton try in the second half. The multitude of injuries hurt the Bulldogs in the last 40 minutes, but they did well to keep fighting until the end.
The injury toll from the last match sees Stephen Crichton shift to fullback to replace Blake Taaffe who is out due to concussion protocols, so Jacob Kiraz takes Crichton's spot at centre. Josh Addo-Carr returns from his concussion back onto the wing. Kurt Mann broke his hand last game, so Jaeman Salmon moves to No.13 and Josh Curran moves off the bench into the second row. Warming the benches on a cold Melbourne night will be Poasa Faamausili and NRL debutant Bailey Hayward.
The Storm are fortunate to only make one change to last week's team, with Tepai Moeroa joining the bench in place of Jack Howarth, who goes to the reserves. Joe Chan returns from a hand injury and is listed as 18th man.
Last meeting: Round 2 2023 - Storm 12 Bulldogs 26
Who to watch: In his second year at the Storm, Eli Katoa is still impressing fans. With a double under his belt and a tackle efficiency of 94%, Katoa was named Melbourne's man of the match. His performance was near perfect, and he will be looking at copying that to once again stun Storm fans and the Bulldogs at home.
In his first game back from suspension, Jahrome Hughes caught the Broncos off-guard with his ball-running, amassing a staggering 106 run metres, the most out of any halfback in the round. His 14 kicks for 290 metres were pinpoint and gave the Storm multiple try opportunities. Looking towards this week, with the exclusion of Blake Taafe for the Bulldogs, Hughes' kicking game should once again shock the opposition and allow for Coates or Warbrick to pounce on a well-placed high ball.
Scoring a hattrick, two line breaks and overall 22 points, Matt Burton's performance shone through the rain. Boasting strong numbers in both attack and defence, Burton helped his team in all aspects of the game. To beat the Storm, Burton will need to strengthen his display to ensure that his defence is tight so that any second-half efforts like the Roosters' are shut down.
A player who was relatively quiet in the second half was 2nd rower Viliame Kikau. After a big first 40 minutes, which included a fend on Manu and a try assist for one of Burton's tries, Kikau felt absent for the rest of the match. With a 74% tackle efficiency, his inconsistency is partially to blame for the Roosters comeback. This week, Kikau will want to be present the whole match, in order to stop the Storm at home.
Favourite: The Storm are tipped to have their 13th straight win at home.
My tip: It's been hard to predict how the Bulldogs will play this season, but I'll be watching this match at the pub in my finest Storm attire hoping I don't look like a loser. Storm by 16.
