The Melbourne Storm have beaten the Dolphins 30-24 at Suncorp Stadium in a thrilling, end-to-end contest that cements them atop the NRL ladder.
Some rugby league matches are like boxing matches. This was like a tennis match, with hardly any football played between each side’s 20 metre zones.
Any time the Dolphins scored, Melbourne raced down the other end and replied almost immediately and vice versa. It was as entertaining as any top of the table clash we’ve seen this season.
Although the contest began on a sour note after Dolphins winger Jack Bostock left the field for an early HIA. Dragging Will Warbrick down in the third minute, Bostock’s head made heavy contact with the floor.
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His absence forced a reshuffle that could have significantly impacted Wayne Bennett’s side. Except it didn’t as they scored first in the ninth minute down their reshuffled edge.
Kenny Bromwich, shifted from prop to back row as a result of Bostock’s injury, burst onto an Isaiya Katoa pass, surged over the top of Jahrome Hughes and scored untouched.
From there the game ebbed and flowed, with neither side wrestling complete control of the contest’s momentum during its opening stages.
Three minutes after Bromwich crossed for the game’s opening try it was Melbourne and Ryan Papenhuyzen’s turn to fire a shot.
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The Storm looked to have made a mess of a set out of their own end. A wayward pass hit the deck and rolled a few metres beyond any Melbourne player. Tyran Wishart collected it and fired a quick ball out to Grant Anderson.
With half an opening ahead of him, Anderson charged at a backpedalling Dolphins defence, found an overlapping Jack Howarth streaking down the sideline. Haworth found Anderson, who found Papenhuyzen on his injury return.
But again, neither side found themselves in complete control of the contest. They traded set after set until Euan Aitken crossed in the corner after 22 minutes. Aitken’s try was the by-product of some wonderfully skilled Dolphins offloads, highlighting there is both glamour and grit in Wayne Bennett’s side.
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Six minutes later, Tyran Wishart scored, continuing the end-to-end theme of the contest.
One other constant theme of the night was Melbourne’s ability to attack the Dolphins left edge. Will Warbrick found himself surging down that edge before finding Wishart on the inside for a try.
Cameron Munster’s absence is massive for any side, and Melbourne are no doubt weaker without him, but Wishart’s recent form has shown how dangerous he can be for Melbourne. He will be a handful off the bench at the back end of the season.
But again, Trai Fuller scored two minutes later. How he doesn’t have a full-time first grade gig is one of rugby league’s greatest mysteries.
If the first half hour of the contest was defined by neither side’s inability to gain control of the contest, the remainder of the game was defined by Jahrome Hughes.
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As he did against the Warriors last week, Hughes imprinted himself more and more on the match as it progressed. The New Zealand international had the midas touch, and luck on his side as he steered his side around the park and created scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity.
In the 37th minute, the Melbourne No.7 chipped one in behind the Dolphins left edge defence. For all money the ball looked to be rolling over the sideline. Except it didn’t, sitting up perfectly for an onrushing Warbrick.
Warbrick found his halfback in support, who in turn brushed off Kodi Nikorima and dragged three Dolphins defenders over the line with him to score. It meant scores were level at the interval.
Not long after the break another Hughes kick found Warbrick, who had a much easier job to catch the ball and plant to give the Storm their first lead of the evening. Seven minutes later, Hughes’ disguised pass found Josh King, who strolled through a gaping gap to score.
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Hughes’ boot then found another flying winger for a try, only it wasn’t for Melbourne.
The Melbourne halfback chipped to his left edge and found a leaping Jamayne Isaako, who landed and streaked down the sideline to score. Finally luck was not on Hughes’ side.
After Isaako’s try, it was a rather barren closing 20 minutes in terms of points, though not action. Both sides threw everything at each other, only to be denied by a combination of resilient defence and sensational scrambling.
Only at the death did the contest liven up. Chasing a try to send the game to golden point, Trai Fuller found Isaako down the right wing, who looked certain to score, only for a wave of Melbourne defenders, including Papenhuyzen, to swarm him and hold him up over the line.
While this felt like a game neither side deserved to lose, in the end the Storm proved too good, with their halfback proving the difference, as has been the case for the last few weeks.
WHAT WE LEARNED
HUGHES STANDS UP ONCE AGAIN
He was the star of the show as Melbourne came from behind to beat the Warriors last week and again Jahrome Hughes was the Storm’s main man in a comeback.
Hughes scored a try in the 36th that was all his making when his chip kick miraculously sat up for an onrushing Will Warbrick to collect and find his halfback on the inside to ensure the scores were level at half-time.
It’s the kind of magic that simply defies belief, unless Jahrome Hughes executes it. When that happens, it’s just another day in the office.
On commentary, Fox League’s Greg Alexander said the halfback “got the kick absolutely perfect.”
Alexander went on to label Hughes as Melbourne’s “best player this year without a doubt, their most consistent and their best.”
After half-time he continued to prove Alexander right as he had a hand in both of Melbourne’s second half tries, and even the Dolphins only four pointer of the second 40.
Right after the interval, Hughes chipped perfectly for Warbrick to score in the corner and gift Melbourne their first lead of the night. Seven minutes later he slipped Josh King into a gaping hole in the middle of the Dolphins defence for the Storm’s final try.
Following his kick to Warbrick, Alexander once again took the chance to compliment Hughes’ performance.
“Jahrome Hughes again on the money,” he said.
“Very consistent. His (Hughes’) pass and kick selection over the last few weeks has been spot on.”
Alexander’s praise of the Melbourne No.7 continued after the full-time whistle.
“He just brings something to the table every time he plays. What he’s done for the Melbourne Storm, not only this week but last week. Tonight he was brilliant. Everything he touches turns to… I’m not going to say gold, but it’s very (close),” he said post-game.
“Whether it’s his passing, kicking, his decision making, Jahrome Hughes has been in scintillating form and tonight was no different. Again he proves what the Storm need to get the two points.”
Speaking on Fox League’s post-game coverage, Wests Tigers hooker Api Koroisau said Hughes “was in everything” throughout the Storm’s win.
While Cameron Munster is a massive out for Craig Bellamy’s side, the Storm coach is fortunate his halfback is hitting career best form and not only directing his team around the park, but consistently impacting the scoreboard.
THE PAPENHUYZEN PLAY THAT SHOULD FILL BELLAMY WITH CONFIDENCE
It would be entirely understandable if there were cobwebs for Ryan Papenhuyzen to dust off on his return from an ankle injury.
Fitness hasn’t been Papenhuyzen’s friend in recent years, with a string of horrific injuries hindering the Storm fullback.
Not that he showed any signs of mental scarring, scoring in the eleventh minute after an electric Storm break down the sideline.
However, there is one play in particular that should fill Craig Bellamy, Storm fans and Papenhuyzen with the confidence that the Melbourne star is on track to return to his damaging best.
In the 56th minute, Jamayne Isaako leapt from his in-goal, collected a Jahrome Hughes crossfield kick and raced away to score. On any other occasion, Isaako would’ve strolled over for his try.
Not on this night. Ryan Papenhuyzen raced from the otherside of the field, chased down the flying Dolphins winger and brought him down, only for momentum to carry the former Bronco over the line.
Despite not preventing the try, Papenhuyzen’s commitment to chasing Isaako down caught the praise of Fox League’s James Graham in the post-game analysis.
“It’s Papenhuyzen’s first game back and he’s got the effort to do that. That’s difficult when you’re seasoned and match-fit and he gains ground on Isaako. For a guy that’s just returned, you can’t do that unless you’re working incredibly hard in your rehab,” Graham said.
“If you’ve got a lower limb injury, your fitness can go away but there’s things you can do to maintain that and get yourself ready to attack the first game of football you play.”
“It was a magnificent play, despite not coming up with the desired outcome and result, I love that from Papenhuyzen.”
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HOW DID TPJ FARE ON HIGHLY ANTICIPATED RETURN
When Tevita Pangai Junior made the decision to defect from the NRL to boxing last year many expected him to return to rugby league eventually.
His return might’ve come sooner rather than later after Wayne Bennett offered the former Bulldog a lifeline.
So, how did Pangai Junior fare on his return? In the words of his coach Wayne Bennett: “He was very good.”
Five minutes after being injected into the game from the bench, Pangai Junior was placed on report for a late shot on Christian Welch. Later in the game, he put a heavy, but legal, shot on Trent Loeiro, which would’ve galvanised his side if Pangai Junior hadn’t been a few metres.
Speaking post game, James Graham said the Pangai Junior hit on Loeiro was “what you look for sometimes, your bench forwards to come on, make an impact (and) be physically imposing.”
“Now every single forward in the NRL when they come up against the Dolphins, they’re going to want to know where Tevita Pangai Junior is.”
“It’s his first game back in a long time so you can expect middle forwards to be wanting to know exactly where Tevita Pangai Junior is because there’s nothing worse than being blindsided out of the corner of your eye by someone, especially Tevita Pangai Junior.”
Former Melbourne halfback Cooper Cronk admitted he was “surprised” by Pangai Junior’s performance.
“I expected fatigue to come in… he played for longer than I thought and he had an impact. He had offloads. He did a decent job,” Cronk said.
Pangai Junior finished the game with nine runs for 69 metres with two offloads and 13 tackles – with one miss. He may not be back to his best, but there was more good than bad in his return to first grade.
While TPJ didn’t set the world alight on his return he laid a foundation for a solid back half of the year that could provide the Dolphins with a great point of difference come the season’s back half.
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