Round 22: Storm v Dragons preview
They crashed back down to earth last Sunday and it doesn't get any easier for a desperate Dragons side this week as they prepare to travel to Melbourne to face a red-hot Storm outfit.
The Dragons have done well to keep in touch with the top eighth for the majority of the season, although inconsistency has cast doubt over whether they would be able to make any real impact in the finals if they made it that far in the first place.
Based on last week's 46-10 defeat to Penrith, you would have to think it would be a swift exit from September football if the Dragons did qualify, and that loss will only make it harder to snag one of the final spots in the top eight given the hit they copped to their for-and-against in the process.
Fortunately for the Red V, the Dolphins also dropped their game against the Titans and so they remain very much in the hunt for a top-eight berth, although it is hard to see them getting any closer to that goal this weekend.
Instead, the Dragons could be on the wrong end of another lopsided scoreline against the runaway minor premiership favourites, Melbourne.
The Storm are in the midst of their longest win streak since early 2022, extending it to seven games last week with a comfortable win over the Eels.
Although it is funny that it could be described as comfortable given Craig Bellamy looked anything but that at stages of the game as the Storm cheaply coughed up possession and in general made the win a lot harder than it needed to be.
Still, a 32-14 victory maintained Melbourne's four-point gap on top of the table as Cameron Munster made a successful return from injury.
In team news, Munster is back in the starting side with Tyran Wishart moving to the interchange and Sua Faalogo named 18th man.
Tyrell Sloan, meanwhile, earns a reprieve after playing NSW Cup last week as he replaces Mat Feagai (head knock). Toby Couchman (suspension) is out, with brother Ryan coming onto the bench while Blake Lawrie is also a new name on the interchange while Ben Murdoch-Masila (foot) is sidelined.
Last meeting: Round 25 2023 - Dragons 28 Storm 38
Who to watch: The battle of the halfbacks is a particularly intriguing one given the position both find themselves in. For Jahrome Hughes, he is in the hunt for a Dally M Medal after playing a starring role in Melbourne's rise to the top of the ladder. Ryan Papenhuyzen and Munster have spent time on the sidelines while Harry Grant has also been in and out of the line-up during the Origin period. But the one constant in the spine all year has been Hughes, who continues to emerge as a genuine leader for the Storm and as one of the most polished halfbacks in the game. Already a noted runner of the football, Hughes' all-round skillset makes him a threat in a variety of different ways every time he touches the ball and eases the pressure on the likes of Papenhuyzen and Munster to contribute right away as they get back to match fitness.
On the other side of the field, Ben Hunt had an afternoon to forget against Penrith. The experienced halfback sent the ball out on the full three times, struggling to gauge the testing conditions at Wollongong and made five errors all up. A repeat of that sort of performance will mean another heavy defeat for the Dragons, who need their marquee playmaker to be at his best to be a chance of competing with the top teams in the competition. Unfortunately for Hunt, especially when the Dragons fall behind early in games, it can be a case of trying too much and only digging the team into a bigger hole and if the Storm jump ahead on Saturday afternoon it could be over quickly for the Red V.
FAVOURITE: The Storm are well-backed to continue their winning ways.
MY TIP: This one is pretty straight-forward. The Storm have consistently proven in recent weeks that even if they don't play up to their usual standards they are still capable of finding a way to blow teams off the park late in games. Although given the way Bellamy reacted to last week's win against Parramatta, expect Melbourne to be more ruthless from the jump this time around. The Dragons haven't won in Melbourne since 1999 - and never at AAMI Park - and expect that drought to drag on.
