The Melbourne Storm have proven too professional for a much improved Canterbury Bulldogs side tonight posting a 36-18 win at Optus Stadium, Perth.
The Bulldogs made an early statement when a short ball by new recruit Kieran Foran saw Raymond Faitala-Mariner stroll over for a simple four-pointer in the 3rd minute.
However, it did not take long for the reigning Premiers to respond, with a strong run and offload by Nelson Asofa-Solomona seeing Ryley Jacks cross over in the 6th minute.
Canterbury appeared to be rejuvenized in attack under new coach Dean Pay, yet they soon found themselves trailing on the scoreboard after Curtis Scott cleaned up a failed attempt at catch by Marcelo Montoya to dive over out wide in the 15th minute.
Just as the Storm appeared to be getting back on track, a wayward pass from try scorer Scott was fumbled and the Bulldogs were presented with an immediate chance to hit back.
Foran was once again at the centre of the Canterbury attack, this time sending Josh Morris over off a well-executed cut-out pass. However, a lapse in concentration in the 29th minute saw Cameron Munster outpace Bulldogs second-rower Josh Jackson and find a sprinting Josh Addo-Carr in support to give Melbourne an 18-12 lead.
Despite improved direction in attack, the Bulldogs suddenly found themselves trailing 24-12 at the break after Munster’s speed once again got the best of Canterbury’s tiring forward pack. This time, the Melbourne fullback dodged an attempted tackle by Greg Eastwood to send Kenny Bromwich crashing over on the stroke of half time.
While in a commanding position by half time, Craig Bellamy’s side were still producing uncharacteristic errors and a mistake by returning veteran Ryan Hoffman saw Canterbury gain a full set close to Melbourne’s line.
A subsequent blunder by Addo-Carr off a Foran bomb saw Matt Frawley pounce and reduce his team’s deficit to six.
Canterbury continued to look slick in attack, with quick hands from Foran and Jackson creating an overlap on the right edge in the 61st minute. However, Moses Mbye could not hang onto the ball and Addo-Carr stole it off him and streaked away to extend his outfit’s lead to 12 once more.
The result was later sealed in the 73rd minute after a floating pass from Munster was taken by Vunivalu, who barged past an attempt at tackle by Brett Morris to score out wide.
Despite significant improvement in attack, the Bulldogs ultimately fell to a 36-18 defeat to a Storm side who were superior in capitalising on the chances that they were given.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Who are the hardest working big men in the NRL?
1. Manu is not No.1 at Roosters Everyone knows Joey Manu is a really good fullback. He’s probably in the top five in the…
Cameron Ciraldo must wonder what to say to his players at times like this. Against the best teams in the league, Canterbury have performed…
Viliame Kikau could well be the most overrated player in the NRL based on the stats he has produced thus far in 2024.
1. Sea Eagles see no evil The Manly Sea Eagles are a loveable bunch, which is why they famously don’t have to carry banners…
Sometimes in rugby league, it seems like everything that can go wrong will. That was the Roosters in the first half: they trailing the…
