The Melbourne Storm have moved briefly at least to the top of the NRL table on Saturday night with a 16-point win over the Sydney Roosters.
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Final score
Storm 26
Roostes 10
Melbourne Storm have the chance to skip into top spot in the standings tonight, hosting the struggling Sydney Roosters at AAMI Park. Follow all the live highlights and action on The Roar from 7:30pm (AEST).
Even with a Cowboys win on Thursday night, the Storm are holding a six point buffer over third place, making the minor premiership a real two-horse race with the Sharks.
A win tonight will sneak them ahead on points difference, but the men from Cronulla could then snatch it right back against the last placed Knights.
The Roosters on the other hand have won just three games this year and find themselves languishing towards the bottom of the barrel despite being the defending three-time minor premiers.
The Roosters copped their biggest lost of the season against Melbourne just six weeks ago, letting in eight tries to zip on their way to a 46-0 defeat.
Team News
It’s quiet in team news for this one, with both sides going in unchanged from last week, although the Roosters have added Kane Evans as 18th man in an extended squad.
Jesse Bromwich will notch up his 150th game in the NRL, celebrating the feat in his sixth year with the Storm.
Prediction
Things aren’t looking good for the tricolours coming into this one, but a strong game against the Sharks last week has showed their potential on the park.
Another Storm win should be on the cards, but it won’t be a blowout like last time.
Melbourne to win by 16
Joe
Roar Rookie
Good win by the Storm tonight. The Roosters came to play and were unlucky to lose JWH or it would have probably been closer. They lacked the finish that the Storm have and the class of Smith and Cronk who steered the team to victory. The Storm defense was again massive and everyone is just putting in the tackles. Vunivalu shutting down the last try typified the defensive resolve of the team.
Connor Bennett
Editor
The Roar's NRL MVP votes: 3 - Cooper Cronk 2 - Jake Friend 1 - Cameron Munster
Connor Bennett
Editor
A huge effort from Jake Friend tonight who should be pointed out for making 72 TACKLES!! Just falling short of the record for a single game.
Connor Bennett
Editor
FULLTIME Melbourne move into top spot on the ladder, however briefly that may be with the Sharks playing last placed Knights tomorrow, and the Roosters horror season continues, losing their 15th game from 18 outings. A real grind in the second half, but the fatigue caught up to both sides towards the end, with gaps opening up all over the place and allowing a few tries in the final 15 minutes. Storm – 26 Roosters – 12
Connor Bennett
Editor
80' 26 seconds on the clock as Smith kicks off. Roosters spread it left straight away... and Kenny-Dowall is through!!! He's raked in but gets a miraculous ofload to Blake Ferguson who is flying through!! He should get there... but he's run down as well!! Neither side giving in right up to the final whistle. Storm – 26 Roosters – 12
Connor Bennett
Editor
79' Roosters inside the Storm 20 now. They're set up long and deep on the right. Pearce dummies a pair of runners before giving it off, it's Ferguson who takes on the line, drawing in two defenders before giving it off to Kenny-Dowall in space!! TRY ROOSTERS!! The New Zealander is in!! Pearce and Ferguson did all the work on the inside, but it's Kenny-Dowall who stepped back inside the sliding defence beautifully, turning the Storm cover defence and crashing over the line on the right wing. Storm – 26 Roosters – 12
Connor Bennett
Editor
78' A little scuffle in back play!! Nothing more than a group hug in the end. Sloppy passage of play in the end with a loose play the ball, wild off load and an eventual forward pass against the Storm. Storm – 26 Roosters – 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
77' Guerra is dragged down 40 metres out of the Storm line. Pearce lines his big men out on the left and links up with Cordner. Melbourne's sliding defence gets the job done before Pearce kicks through behind the line for Munster to fall on. Storm – 26 Roosters – 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
76' Sydney are looking lost now, just letting the Storm charge up field without too much hesitation. Storm – 26 Roosters – 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
75' Smith gets another one, and that's 100% for him tonight sinking his fifth kick of the evening. Surely it's game over for the Roosters now. Storm – 26 Roosters – 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
74' TRY STORM!! Tohu Harris crosses the chalk for his first try of the day!! It was a simple set play with a pair of decoy runners, but Cronk went short to the second decoy Harris, and the Roosters simply didn't see it coming, leaving Pearce to take the big man one on one just a couple of metres out. There's no stopping that. Storm - 24 Roosters - 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
73' Cam Smith wins a penalty against the marker for his side on halfway, and he'll take all the time in the world to kick for touch and walk down to play the ball. Inside the 20 now is Harris, Matt White and co charging hard towards the line. Storm - 20 Roosters - 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
72' Right up inside 10 metres now for Sydney!! Watson nearly goes through. Pearce calls it and throws the cutout to Kenny-Dowall who bats it through to Mitchell... and it's called a knock on. Mitchell over ran it and the ball went down, but it looked to have gone backwards. Anyway, that's the call made and the Roosters chances are slipping further and further away. Storm - 20 Roosters - 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
71' Mitchell Pearce goes up to the line, heading over halfway and nearly slicing through himself before offloading to Tupou. The ball goes down but the Roosters will get the feed after a Storm hand intervened. Storm - 20 Roosters - 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
70' Kenny-Dowall on the left edge, last tackle, gives it off to Mitchell who's had a quiet night. He runs out of space and forced to kick through but Munster takes another one without too much trouble. The little fullback has barely put a foot wrong tonight. Storm - 20 Roosters - 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
69' Roosters working out from in front of their own line now. They need to pull something out very soon if they want to stay in this contest. Storm - 20 Roosters - 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
68' Latrell Mitchell goes short on the kickoff, and he sends it very high as well but Vunivalu is onto it, flying high to take the mark... uh, I mean take the catch. Storm - 20 Roosters - 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
67' The conversion is good from Smith, who now has 4 from 4 tonight, taking the lead out to 14. Storm - 20 Roosters - 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
65' Smith inside ball to Munster... and he's through!! Breaks a pair of tackles and he's STILL GOING!! Nearly all the way from Munster before coming down a metre out, what a run that was. TRY STORM!! Cronk calls it out right and he floats across field before giving a peach of an inside ball to Proctor, and there was no stopping the big man who walked through a huge gap in the defence to cross the white line and get four points next to his name. Huge run from Munster set them up and had the defence scrambling, it was then a case of Cronk utilising it. Storm - 18 Roosters - 6
Connor Bennett
Editor
64' Little knock on from the Roosters in their own half, and the Storm will get another shot at the tryline. They've had a hard time trying to break through so far in the second stanza Storm - 14 Roosters - 6