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Craig Bellamy has joked he didn’t go into Melbourne’s NRL clash with Brisbane thinking he’d sign to coach the winning team next season.
But with the Storm trumping the Broncos 32-16 in their Sunday clash at AAMI Park, it may have given him food for thought.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Melbourne Storm 32
Brisbane Broncos 16
The Melbourne Storm will look to get back to their best when they host the Brisbane Broncos in what should be a cracking Sunday afternoon encounter. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 4:10pm (AEST).
The Storm haven’t quite been at their best during the first half of the season. Craig Bellamy is unlikely to allow his team to continue rolling like they have been, but then, there is only so much a coach can do.
Still, they have won seven of their 12 games to sit in sixth spot on the ladder and are still unlikely to miss the finals, given the amount of talent in their squad.
Apart from not having Dale Finucane, Billy Slater or Curtis Scott, everything seems to be favouring them for this one. With Cameron Smith stepping down from Origin duties, he will be fresh, while Jahrome Hughes is one of the best up-and-coming halves in the competition.
Melbourne held on for victory against the Cowboys a fortnight ago and with Tim Glasby pushing for an Origin spot and both Jesse Bromwich and Nelson Asofa-Solomona in good form, their pack will be hard to stop.
They have a staggeringly good record against Brisbane as well, having won 30 of 43 matches.
If Melbourne have been away from their best, then the Broncos’ inconsistency has known no bounds.
It can be best highlighted by Darius Boyd, who was overlooked for Origin, but a rotating door in the halves, poor defence and a team drifting in and out of their games has left Brisbane clinging for life at the edge of the top eight.
A lot of how this match ends up will hinge on their forwards, with two figureheads, Andrew McCullough and Josh McGuire, backing up from Origin. With McCullough having the job of stopping Smith, Brisbane need him to play 80 minutes if they are a chance, but that seems unlikely off such little rest.
The Broncos don’t fall apart without their hooker, but they aren’t the same team without him.
Before their bye, Wayne Bennett’s side had won four of their last five, but that included victories over a yet-to-be-firing South Sydney, the Bulldogs, inconsistent Roosters, and Eels, so while they have played what was in front of them, improvement is needed for a win in the Victorian capital.
Prediction
It’s time for the Storm to turn things around after a bye and with nearly every factor pointing in their direction, this might get lopsided.
Storm by 20.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this match from 4:10pm (AEST) and don’t forget to get involved throughout by dropping a comment in the section below.