Wow, wow, wow!! That was absoulutely incredible!! Honestly, that was amazing and I am so friggin pumped right now holy shit! I'd even go as far to say that that is one of our best games since 2014, it was that good. The boys were going okay in that first half but it was just okay, nothing more. We were dropping a fair bit of ball and a heck of a lot of 50/50 calls were going against us. But then the second half was just amazing, I really can't put it into words. The power, the passion, the class, it was just all there. We completely outclassed one of the best teams in the comp, one of our fellow title contenders and smashed them into submission. I'm so friggin pumped.
Attack took a huge step forward tonight and it fired once again. Looked a little slow early on with backline shifts but the boys really warmed into it and we were absoulutely humming in attack for most of this game to score some lovely tries against the best defence in the league no less. Not too happy with our completion rate in the first half though and although we did fix it, it's a big area to work on. The most pleasing thing about the attack tonight though was the way we went through the middle. The Storm tried their best to slow the ruck but we were just unrelenting through that channel. The hunger and passion I saw from our forwards tonight when running the ball was outstanding, the Burgess boys in paticular. We just ran straight over top of them and that is amazing when you look at their forward pack.
In the first half, I was so disappointed with the defence as we were missing a lot of tackles and conceded two really really soft tries to Finucane and Curtis Scott. The boys didn't seem to be putting their body on the line. However, like the attack, they really warmed into it and it was the polar opposit in the second half. Unrelenting, aggressive, strong, passionate defence that was just outstanding. This is what won us the game as we just belted them in defence and smashed them into submission. Melbourne just couldn't make ground and we were all over the top of them. Again, this is amazing when you consider how they've been playing lately.
Johnston: Pretty good. Had limited opportunities in attack but when he did get one, he took it with both hands and provided some great lead up work in a few of our tries as well as scoring one himself. Apart from that one spilt ball, he was very safe at the back and it was a solid performance.
Graham: Where do I even start? What a magnificent night for Campbell, an amazing performance. Such a strong running game coming out of trouble that really helped to get us on the front foot, especially that 60 meter run he had, what a play that was! His defence though was the best part. he just seems to have such a great awareness of the situation and he times when to jam in or stay out to perfection. He had about four occasions tonight where they had an overlap but he jammed in and shut it down which was awesome. Then there was those two tackles on Addo-Carr to take him into touch. One of our best tonight Cammy.
Doueihi: Was pretty good all game. A decent workrate and some solid runs, a great play to score that game changing try too. I'm just so gutted for him if he has done his ACL. Obviously, we hope for the best but it is looking like it'll be an ACL which is such a shame, he's had a great year. Still hope for the best though.
Gagai: Was good. Obviously not as amazing as last week but still had a very good game. Great running game with a high involvement and although he came up with a few poor reads early on, his defence turned out to be really good and he ended up getting some good shots in and did a great job in assisting Graham with some strong tackles as well as the kick chase.
Hunt: Stepped up in a big way and impressed me tonight. He was really good with taking hit ups and these were all very strong runs that yeilded quick play-the-balls. A nice finish for his try too.
Walker: it wasn't his most outstanding game where he really troubled the dfence with his running but it was another area of his game which was great. His catch and pass in the lead up to most of our tries down that left edge was beautiful and it gave the guys a lot of time. He looked a bit dodgy in defence early on but sorted it out and ended up having a good game in this department too.
Reynolds: A very solid game. Apart from the one kick that was caught in-goal, his kicking game was pretty decent. Wasn't quite striking the ball well enough for those towering torpedos but none the less, his kicks were still placed nicely and applied a lot of pressure on Melbourne's back three. I also liked his running game. Although he didn't actually get tackled much, I noticed that he was digging into the line a lot more like he has for most of this year. Reyno wasn't really doing this the last two weeks but it returned tonight and it showed in our attack.
T.Burgess: Outstanding, a wrecking ball performance and right from the kick off he was on song. Jus such strong, aggressive running with a high work rate and boy did he lay a good platform tonight. He monstered the Melbourne forwards and ran well over 100m which was so good to watch.
Cook: Wow, what a game from Cookie. He did come up with the wrong pass once or twice but apart from that, he was amazing. Layed on a try assist for Sam and his passing was crisp which got the boys rolling. But gee wiz, how good was his running game?!! So many really nice runs that gained so much momentum and constantly questioned the Storm's defence. I thought he picked the perfect times to run. And oh man, what about his try?!!! That was unbelieveable!
G.Burgess: A barnstorming game and he absoulutely wrecked the Melbourne pack alongside his brothers. Just such hard running and he had those big legs of his pumping all night. Like Tom, ran over 100m and the fact that he was rarely actually put on his back allowed for a quick play-the-ball. I actually think this was one of George's best games of the season.
Sutton: Was good but did seem a little quieter tonight. I think he may have picked up a wee niggle injury as he looked a bit ginger for most of the game but he still played alright. Some nice runs off Cody cutting back in on the angle and he provided some crucila plays for tries down that left edge.
Crichton: Wasn't a breakout game from Gus but gee, he was still good. really busy all game in both attack and defence and was running some really nice lines of Reyno which threatened to open them up a few times. He certainly benefitted from reyno taking the ball to the line more.
S.Burgess: What a performance. Did drop a few balls early on but like the whole team, the effort he showed and the passion and hunger on display from him had me so pumped up. Sam was at his inspirational best again as he was almost everywhere. So many great, gritty runs and some tough tackles. Was so gret to see him finally get a try this year too and it was well deserved, it ened up being a game changer. Another top performance from Sam.
Burns: Not a lot to say but he did come on and do a good job once Doueihi came off. Had a few solid runs and looked determined.
Murray: Was really good. First tackle of his first stint he comes on and makes an impact straight away which set the tone for his game. He was just hammering the Storm all night with his defence which was outstanding. Pretty solid running gme too.
Clark: Came on and did his job but he did seem to get dominated in a lot of the runs he had tbh.
Tatola: Not really much to say since he came on so late and had to come off again. Still, it was interesting that Seibs left it later before injecting him.
But yea, I'm absoulutely over the moon with that one as all Souths fans should be!! An amazing performance for a rare win over the Storm in a top of the table clash at this time of year, I'm never gonna forget this one!!
Yes, it was an amazing game from us but it's important we stay grounded. This will be a real confidence booster though and the boys will be stoked!! I certainly am!!
We have now announced ourselves as premiership favourites and while I know the boys won't be looking that far ahead, it's up to us to keep it going.
