Melbourne Storm - World Champs

[ME SO HORNBY!]

Clearly you didn't watch it.

It was an absolute sh*t fight. Leeds had the better of the early running - they went within a cm of scoring from their own kick-off. They could so so easily have chalked up a few more was luck on their side.

Then it resembled the Somme. The ruck was abysmal (which suited Melbourne to a tee). The only two "real" trys came from an intercept and a quick tap from a penalty. Both defences were set 99% of the time and 99% of the time neither side looked like scoring. Slater and Inglis were invisible. Smith was woeful. Same can be said for the key men for Leeds.

The game opened up a bit in the last 10, but, were it not for the quality of the packs and the aggression showed by both sets of big boys - it would not have been worth watching. Just like two years ago, and just like was predicted - they both nullified each other. The two best big game teams in the world at the moment.

Wasn't Smith man of the match?

 

[westie]

Wasn't Smith man of the match?

He also won Golden boot, captained numerous teams, and enduced an orgasm in the commentary box when one of his numerous kicks didn't actually go dead. If i'm going to award a halfback a MOM, he's gunna set up a try or kick well. Something.

 

[typicalfan]

Smith was playing at halfback most of the night, when he moved to hooker he was a class above. If Cooper Cronk plays then the game would have been a 20 + margin.

The Poms never seem to rate Smith, the thing is though if the Storm who are short of a gallop can beat the best team in the ESL who are into their season imagine if they played them after 5 rounds.

 

[typicalfan]

He also won Golden boot, captained numerous teams, and enduced an orgasm in the commentary box when one of his numerous kicks didn't actually go dead. If i'm going to award a halfback a MOM, he's gunna set up a try or kick well. Something.

And although those awards can sometimes be a popularity contest more than the quality of the player, Cameron Smith has well and truly earned his awards.

Not his fault that people who don't understand the game don't rate him.

 

[westie]

Leeds have been pumped all season and couldn't train due to snow. If Cooper Cronk plays, he gets stuck in the mud and pumped by the defence taking advantage of the slowest ever PTB, just like Finch, Smith, Burrow, McGuire and Sinfield (prior to injury). This game was never going to be anything other than a sh*t fight.

Hinchcliffe gave Melbourne far more go forward than Smith, just as usual. More quick darts in one game than Smith in his entire career.

 

[westie]

And although those awards can sometimes be a popularity contest more than the quality of the player, Cameron Smith has well and truly earned his awards.

Not his fault that people who don't understand the game don't rate him.

In my opinion, hooker is now the most crucial position on the field. Committing markers, scooting and setting up trys inside the 20 and rolling forwards over the ad line is their main role. Things Smith is just not as good at as other players. His main attributes are his commitment and bollocks - I don't see why this earns him such high praise though. It's like playing Alan Tongue as the Aussie captain. Just doesn't make sense.

 

[Noa]

The Storm were atrocious while Hinchcliffe was at hooker you gibberer

 

[ME SO HORNBY!]

Leeds have been pumped all season and couldn't train due to snow. If Cooper Cronk plays, he gets stuck in the mud and pumped by the defence taking advantage of the slowest ever PTB, just like Finch, Smith, Burrow, McGuire and Sinfield (prior to injury). This game was never going to be anything other than a sh*t fight.

Hinchcliffe gave Melbourne far more go forward than Smith, just as usual. More quick darts in one game than Smith in his entire career.

Comparing Hinchcliffe with Smith? You're kidding me right? I hate the Storm and I think Smith is a grub but even im not blind enough to realise that Hynchcliffe isn't fit to tie Cameron Smith's shoelaces when it comes to the hooker position.

 

[shear_joy9]

Wasn't Smith man of the match?

smith won them the game with his incredible goal kicking and a number of crucial penalties he earned catching markers offside

he was certainly woeful as halfback though

 

[typicalfan]

if quick darts are the recipe for the greatest number 9s Brad Drew would be number 1. Cronk playing would have given Smith the 9 for the whole game.

There isn't a hooker in the game that commits the markers as well as Smith does, it is part of what makes him so good. Smith has a good long kicking game, a very high percentage defender although he doesn't smash guys like Bedsy used too.

 

[simostorm]

lol.. westie.. you talk so much rubbish..

Cam smith was great.. dont listen to this absolute tool of a person called westie.
It was dam wet and dam muddy.. i thought it was great to watch.. big forwards goin at each other.. it was dam good to watch..

Westie is used to seein his little Benji skip, hop and twirl all around the field..
wouldnt know a hard game of footy if it hit him in his vagina.

 

[typicalfan]

Leeds have been pumped all season and couldn't train due to snow. If Cooper Cronk plays, he gets stuck in the mud and pumped by the defence taking advantage of the slowest ever PTB, just like Finch, Smith, Burrow, McGuire and Sinfield (prior to injury). This game was never going to be anything other than a sh*t fight.

Hinchcliffe gave Melbourne far more go forward than Smith, just as usual. More quick darts in one game than Smith in his entire career.

Oh and if you have ever noticed, the game was a sh*tfight because that is the way the Storm like to play, you see it plenty of times in the NRL they control the game by making it a wrestling match and rely on their freak superstars to be good enough to produce plays that make the difference.

Leeds got off to a good start yes but the Storm wore them down just like they wear down teams in the NRL, just because it was that style of game, doesn't mean the Storm didn't have control. Storm struggled initially because Smith at 9 is so important to their tactics and Hinchcliffe is a nuffy plain and simple, wouldn't start for any NRL team and would struggle to make the 17 for most of them.

 

[westie]

Thanks genius. News flash, Storm and Leeds rely on their packs to nullify the other side.

Hinchcliffe got out of dummy half better in the dirty middle of the game than smith did in the last 10 when it opened up. He's always darted better than most including Smith and Buderus. f**k it was funny watching these two niff nuffs stretch the leg and plant the hell to pass from dummy half all the time. Commit the markers my arse. Both went out of fashion in the 90's yet somehow still get talked up as dragging markers in. Why anyone would think they're going to run when they're doing the splits is beyond me.

 

[typicalfan]

Eh the only challenger to Smith as premier hooker was Farah but after origin last year we saw how big a gap that really was.

Danny Buderus is one of the best runners as well used to be as hard to tackle as a front rower and hit like one too, fortunately both Buderus and Smith have more than just the ability to run from dummy half and actually have some ball playing ability.

And the Storm don't rely on their forward pack, they are a concerted 13 man effort, they fight for every metre whether it is Slater at the back or some nuffy forward.

 

[Johns Magic]

Thanks genius. News flash, Storm and Leeds rely on their packs to nullify the other side.

Hinchcliffe got out of dummy half better in the dirty middle of the game than smith did in the last 10 when it opened up. He's always darted better than most including Smith and Buderus. f**k it was funny watching these two niff nuffs stretch the leg and plant the hell to pass from dummy half all the time. Commit the markers my arse. Both went out of fashion in the 90's yet somehow still get talked up as dragging markers in. Why anyone would think they're going to run when they're doing the splits is beyond me.

Farah sucks

 

[Noa]

Playing dummy half is about providing good service to your forwards and backs first and foremost.

 

[typicalfan]

And Cameron Smith does that great, add to that he takes pressure off his halves because of his kicking game and how many times a game do you see him step out of dummy half and engage the markers before popping the ball to his forward and giving them an extra 2-3 metres.


I remember that tackle he did on Farah in origin when Farah went to kick out of dummy half and Smith crunched him from marker.

 

[Johns Magic]

I remember lots of Farah f**k-ups in Origin. Hero at club level, but overall a bit of a bitch.

Thankfully Ennis was there to man-up in game 3.

 

[Big Pete]

Farah was fine in game one, he was just upstaged by Craig Wing. That isn't the first time either, Wing always managed to upstage whoever the starting hooker was. He did it constantly through out Buderus' peak.

Following that match though...well lets just say I haven't seen a dummy half performance like that at Origin level in quite some time. Buderus certainly never played as bad as that.

Finch for mine was Man of the Match, with Blair close behind.

 

[Sea_Eagles_Rock]

I think that is sad effort from Leeds when you look at all the players the Storm had out. Why did they waste some many interchanges?

I seriously hope that level of holding down is not going to occur in the NRL this year. The game was slow and boring. If if it wasn't wet, it still would have been poor.

Good effort by the Storm considering they were away, playing in a bog and with so many players out. Especially no half back.