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The Tigers have topple the Storm for the second time in five weeks, victorious by a single point on Saturday afternoon.
Final score
Wests Tigers 11
Melbourne Storm 10
Will the Wests Tigers topple the Melbourne Storm for the second time in five weeks or will Melbourne stand up in Craig Bellamy’s 400th game as head coach of the club? Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting at 3pm AEDT.
Ivan Cleary’s West Tigers have been the competition’s early surprise packets alongside the New Zealand Warriors. Despite extensive recruiting in the off-season, few people were predicting instant success for Cleary’s outfit and were instead anticipating another lowly finish in the bottom four.
The joint-venture club’s 4-1 start to the season has been largely built upon their defence, with the Tigers conceding 11.25 points per game. However, it was Wests’ attack that was on display in last weekend’s 30-20 victory over Parramatta with the Tigers managing five tries and seven line-breaks.
Discipline was another significant reason for the win as Cleary’s men managed four errors and conceded only three penalties. They will need to display similar control this week if they are to overcome a determined Melbourne side.
The Storm will not be short of motivation as they look for their third victory of the year on Saturday afternoon. Melbourne have made a habit of stepping up to celebrate significant club and player milestones and will be aiming to do similar when mentor Bellamy coaches the side for the 400th time.
Billy Slater’s 300th game did not go so well earlier this year, however, with the Tigers spoiling the party after snatching a late 10-8 win in Melbourne. Regardless, the Storm will be eager to respond after last week’s disappointing defeat to Cronulla.
The 33 penalties conceded in the game were all the rage during the week. Several high-profile past players and journalists lamented how the whistleblowing destroyed the entertainment value of the contest.
However, what they failed to take into account was the Storm’s ‘un-Melbourne like’ completion rate of 64 per cent.
The 15 errors made by Bellamy’s side stifled their attack and will need to be addressed if they are to claim revenge against the Tigers this weekend.
The Storm have two forced changes to last week’s line-up with Will Chambers suspended for two weeks while Dale Finucane has been sidelined for a month with a fractured thumb.
Tip
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy would have been bitterly disappointed with his side’s effort last weekend and will want an immediate response.
The Tigers showed some vulnerability in defence late last weekend against Parramatta yet they still are playing with plenty of confidence.
The fact that this game will be played at the neutral venue of Mt Smart Stadium is a significant blow for the Tigers and is just enough to sway me towards the purple outfit.
Storm by four.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting at 3pm AEDT.
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