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It’s the match of the round from the nation’s capital this Monday night as the red hot Canberra Raiders host the table- topping Melbourne Storm. Join The Roar from 7pm AEST for live scores and coverage.
The Raiders can’t win for winning, it seems. They beat the Cowboys, but that was because of Origin absences. They ploughed the Bunnies by 50, but that was because Souths are a basket case. They emphatically stopped Cronulla’s 15-match unbeaten run at Shark Park, but that was because Cronulla were on five days rest and Mick Ennis wasn’t playing.
There have been a lot of excuses given for the teams the Raiders have beaten this year, to the point you’d think that their place in the top four is not viewed entirely seriously.
This week there is no sterner test of champion credentials – the Melbourne Storm. A ‘benchmark team’ pretty much since their arrival in the NRL in 1998, they are drilled, disciplined and they live to play in games like this.
The Storm find ways to win and are the masters of protecting a lead. They are not bothered by the aesthetics of it all – as long as they are ahead when the final siren sounds, that’s all that matters. They have a forward pack that can grind with the best of them and they have one of the most exciting attacking triple threats seen for a long time in Suliasi Vunivalu, Cameron Munster and Marika Korobeite. Melbourne are a team of future immortals and young developing talent that makes other sides (and supporters) drool with envy.
While all eyes will be on the Cameron Smith v Josh Hodgson matchup at hooker, for me the most important match up on the ground is the contest between halfbacks Aidan Sezer and Cooper Cronk.
Cronk’s placement and nous by foot are the standard for halfbacks. If there is space to be found, he’ll find it and you can guarantee the Storm’s outside flyers will be taking to the sky early and often.
Sezer can’t afford to waste one possession. He only has nine try assists, half as many as Cronk and he’ll need to be more actively involved with Blake Austin banged up. It’s likely Ricky Stuart will use Hodgson in the halves at stages during the game as well.
The real danger for Melbourne is not on the field but in their heads – they are so far and away set in the top two, it might not matter if they drop a game here or there. Cronulla were caught out by St George in a huge upset and the Bunnies almost pipped the Storm in Melbourne last week, a good indicator that both sides are well and truly waiting on September.
The Raiders are fighting for a top four spot with the Bulldogs, Cowboys and Brisbane and will be desperate for the win to all but seal the double chance. Win this one, and the doubters will be running out of excuses.
We have a brilliant match-up on paper – the NRL’s best attack against the NRL’s best defence, a Raiders team that’s 8-2 at GIO Stadium against a Storm team who are 9-2 away from AAMI Park. It’s a mouth-watering prospect between two teams that are on fire approaching the finals. Let’s hope it lives up to the expectation.
Prediction:
I can’t see a score blowout, but a defensive grind which will suit the Storm just fine. The Raiders will have some work to do to breach the Purple wall, but I think they can do it… Just.
Raiders by 2.
Will the Storm stare down another contender, or can the Raiders show they belong in the top four? Join us from 7:00pm AEST to find out!