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A sloppy Melbourne have done enough to secure the points against an injury-riddled Gold Coast in a bruising opener to Brisbane’s NRL double header.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Melbourne Storm 28
Gold Coast Titans 14
Melbourne Storm will look to reaffirm premiership credentials against the new-look Gold Coast Titans. Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of the match, starting at 5:30pm AEST.
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy will be hoping for a more polished performance from his side as they look to bounce back from last week’s 34-14 loss to the Dragons.
Bellamy lamented his team’s ill-discipline as the main reason for the defeat with the Storm completing just 65 per cent of their sets and conceding five more penalties than their opposition.
In their last meeting with the Titans at Suncorp Stadium the Storm fell to a 38-36 defeat and on that night last year’s Premiers finished with a 61 per cent completion rate.
If Melbourne hold onto the ball they will win – it is pretty simple. In team news, centre Curtis Scott returns from an ankle injury in place of Justin Olam.
Meanwhile, the reasons for the Gold Coast’s shaky recent form are more related to underperforming personnel and coach Garth Brennan has attempted to address that issue in preparation for this Saturday’s game.
New recruit Bryce Cartwright’s form has been a popular topic of discussion in the media this week with many, including Brennan, questioning whether he has the toughness to perform at a consistent level.
As a result, rookie AJ Brimson has been named for his first-grade debut in place of Cartwright, who reverts back to the bench.
In other changes, centres Konrad Hurrell and Brendan Elliott are both out, replaced by the returning Dale Copley (hamstring) and Brenko Lee.
Jai Arrow (ribs) is also out with Jarrod Wallace moving to lock, Ryan James moving back to the front row and Will Matthews (concussion) returning in the second row.
Tip
With so many changes, it is difficult to see how the Titans will overcome a four-game losing streak against a Storm side determined to prove themselves as competition heavyweights.
Storm by 20.
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