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I know I probably annoy some of you when I say every week in the NRL is a big week but you know what? I'm not gonna say it this week because it doesn't apply. It's not a big week..... It's an absolutely enormous week!! Our biggest of the Season so far without a doubt as we take on the Storm this Thursday night back at home thankfully. I've always disliked Melbourne but over the last few years, I've developed a genuine hatred for them and that hatred is only growing. Our rivalry with them is only growing too when you look at a lot of the stuff that's been said in the media in recent times. Sadly however, they seem to always have our measure and we have an extremely poor recored against them, the worst in the NRL. We most recently played them in Round 1 and couldn't come away with the result so let's hope we can do better this time.
No doubt it's going to be our biggest challenge of the Season so far. You look across their line up and it is packed, absolutely packed with rep talent or future rep talent. The fact that they may be missing Papenhuyzen again makes no difference either really as they are no less dangerous without them. I see the Storm as one of the team's to beat this year and one of the teams that will challenge for a Premiership alongside us hopefully. Significantly, I think the key this week is defence. It's been great for the most part this year but has started to look a little shakey since that Titans game a couple of weeks ago. Therefore, that's a huge area of focus for us this week. Melbourne are just so potent, constantly shifting the ball from right to left really quickly and with ease so our edge defence in particular needs to be on. But the Storm will beat you through the middle too so we need to be up for the battle in the middle too and we must hold our own. That means doig our best to slow dwn the ruck and we must wrap up the ball as that's what killed us in Round 1.
Even without the injuries we have, it'd be a bloody tough ask to beat the Storm. But now that we are missing five, yes, five key players in Latrell, Sauce, Cammy, Reyno and Cam, it's going to be an extremely tough ask. Going to be really interesting to see how we cover those losses and the boys that come in are going to have to step up, play the game of their life and do a job which I back them to do. We have good depth this year but this game will show us what our squad is really made of. As said, our defence needs to be on and our completion rate must improve, we cannot give the Storm an inch or they'll punish as as we saw in Round 1.
So, being realistic, with the guys we're missing, I'm not expecting a win this week. However, I'm not saying we're not capable of a win and I back the boys 100%!!!
Gigantic week! Keen for Thursday!!
No doubt it's going to be our biggest challenge of the Season so far. You look across their line up and it is packed, absolutely packed with rep talent or future rep talent. The fact that they may be missing Papenhuyzen again makes no difference either really as they are no less dangerous without them. I see the Storm as one of the team's to beat this year and one of the teams that will challenge for a Premiership alongside us hopefully. Significantly, I think the key this week is defence. It's been great for the most part this year but has started to look a little shakey since that Titans game a couple of weeks ago. Therefore, that's a huge area of focus for us this week. Melbourne are just so potent, constantly shifting the ball from right to left really quickly and with ease so our edge defence in particular needs to be on. But the Storm will beat you through the middle too so we need to be up for the battle in the middle too and we must hold our own. That means doig our best to slow dwn the ruck and we must wrap up the ball as that's what killed us in Round 1.
Even without the injuries we have, it'd be a bloody tough ask to beat the Storm. But now that we are missing five, yes, five key players in Latrell, Sauce, Cammy, Reyno and Cam, it's going to be an extremely tough ask. Going to be really interesting to see how we cover those losses and the boys that come in are going to have to step up, play the game of their life and do a job which I back them to do. We have good depth this year but this game will show us what our squad is really made of. As said, our defence needs to be on and our completion rate must improve, we cannot give the Storm an inch or they'll punish as as we saw in Round 1.
So, being realistic, with the guys we're missing, I'm not expecting a win this week. However, I'm not saying we're not capable of a win and I back the boys 100%!!!
Gigantic week! Keen for Thursday!!
