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The Roar

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Everything old is Storm again, Bulldogs' lucky win and 1986 again with the Tigers

23rd March, 2018
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Billy Slater. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Expert
23rd March, 2018
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The Melbourne Storm put the cleaners through the Cowboys on Thursday night and once again look somewhere near the benchmark early in 2018.

It is broken record stuff, irrespective of big threes, salary caps and News Limited; subjects that have plagued the club throughout its history.

The simple reality is that Craig Bellamy is something of a genius and the young men who play for him are committed, sacrificial and determined. There are a couple of old blokes doing okay as well.

As soon as opposition fans acknowledge that fact and begin to mimic Storm’s structures rather than disparage the most successful club we have seen since the Bulldogs and Eels of the eighties, the more chance they themselves will have of becoming premiership contenders.

Despite a struggle in the first forty, the blunt reality was that the Storm accelerated when required and as soon as they grasped the tactical methods the visitors brought to the contest, they skipped clear in the second half.

Most are convinced, yet for the doubters, it is high time to admit that until Mr Bellamy finds greener pastures or loses his mojo for coaching, the Melbourne Storm will be there or thereabouts in the near future.

At risk of taking a negative tone, heaven help Canterbury and Penrith. After two weeks of comebacks where the Panthers displayed their youthful athleticism, the match up with the Bulldogs presented a juicy contest where both teams had the opportunity to make something of a statement.

For Penrith, winning after trailing in each and every encounter would have said a great deal about their resilience and fortitude. On the other side of the ledger, the Bulldogs needed a result to ensure that their faithful had something to believe in after weak defensive efforts over the opening two rounds.

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In the end it was a point’s victory to the Dogs after the better of the decisions and luck went their way throughout much of the first half. Time after time Canterbury were piggy-backed from defence and the Panthers found themselves under pressure.

Eventually the penalties and possession levelled out and the visitors had chances to take control late in the second half. The major concern for Penrith will be the difficulty they found in crossing the defensive line of a team that had leaked considerable points over the first two weeks of the NRL competition.

The Panthers possess far more attacking class than the Bulldogs and were able to show it at times, yet without improved ball control and direction in attack, they will struggle to beat the heavyweights based on their Friday night effort.

Waqa Blake

The Tigers are the most entertaining thing that has happened to the NRL for quite some time despite the fact that they seem almost incapable of scoring points.

The journey back to 1986 has been enjoyable and the 6-7 score-line with a minute remaining against the Broncos appeared to have killed off their brilliant start to the season, until Luke Brooks kicked truly and levelled things up at 7-7.

Golden point was as thrilling and gripping as it could possibly be and the first half ended with the scores still tied at seven.

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The match was eventually decided in the second period by the most extraordinary and ridiculous decision in the history of golden point, with the Tigers’ markers pinged for offside play as the Broncos set up for the game-winning field goal.

Jordan Kahu Brisbane Broncos NRL Rugby League 2017 tall

Never before, have markers been onside in the depths of golden point competition, yet for some bizarre reason, the officials felt that the most ignored rule in the history of the NRL should be enforced at that precise moment to lift the Broncos to victory and shatter the dreams of the Tigers.

Quite frankly, 7-7 was a fair result.

The penalty and subsequent kick, saw the Broncos home in a game in which they failed to score a try and I struggled to accept the result.

The controversial decision ensured an invigorating victory for Wayne Bennett’s team yet did little justice to the effort that both sides launched into the contest.

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