The New Zealand Warriors have beaten the Melbourne Storm 12-6 at Kardinia Park in a clunky affair that blew away many of the cobwebs from both squads.
It was a two-tries-to-one win for the Warriors in the end, and they were by far the better side throughout the match.
Defensively they were solid and the Storm attack struggled to find ways to break down their defence; whether it was through the centre or on the fringes.
Bunty Afoa was superb for the Warriors, taking the ball forward relentlessly and Lachlan Burr, Patrick Herbert and Chanel Harris-Tavita all played strongly in what looks to be a deep Warriors squad with plenty of personnel to cover injuries or suspension.
Melbourne were clunky to say the least. With no Cameron Smith to guide the team to the right spots on the field, the home side did look a little lost.
Marion Seve was excellent in the centres, Sandor Earl had a few good moments at the back and Christian Welch was impressive up front.
Sadly, the Storm were mostly awful in attack, particularly when it came to ball control in the red zone. Time after time the men in purple put the ball down in good attacking positions and despite levelling the match at 6-6, they never looked dangerous enough to consistently threaten the Warriors defence.
The shining light for the Storm was the performance of fullback Scott Drinkwater. It was a stellar game from the 21 year-old from Penrith, as he sniffed around the edges of the ruck and was the most influential player on the field across both sides.
Drinkwater’s speed and support play are impressive yet his ability to read the game and pop up in the right spot at the right time appears to be his greatest asset.
Many questions have already been asked of a Melbourne Storm side without Billy Slater at the back. Realistically, he will never be replaced, however Drinkwater showed enough tonight to suggest that with some development the Storm may have another superstar number one on their hands.
While the trial may have been a little underwhelming in terms of a contest, there was much to learn for both teams.
Stephen Kearney will be well and truly convinced that he has the depth in his squad to make a real charge towards a premiership in 2019.
Craig Bellamy will have, once again, seen the importance of his captain and talisman to the fortunes of the Storm. Brodie Croft, Brandon Smith and Harry Grant were less than impressive in directing the Storm’s attacking plays.
The one man who did stand out was Drinkwater, a man with potentially the biggest shoes in the NRL to fill.
If tonight’s effort was a precursor to what is to come for the Storm custodian, the fans in purple might have a new hero in the very near future.
Bazza
Roar Rookie
I've heard there will be a couple of surprise position changes coming out of the Storm this season, but they're being very tight lipped about it. Some expect them to drop down the ladder but, like Brisbane, you can never write them off.
Bazza
Roar Rookie
Hi Stuart, Pretty sure it was nrl.com and I think the story title was something like Warriors Arm Wrestle Storm. I'm not suggesting there's a anything questionable about your article, quite the opposite, since you give us all a fair account of the pros and cons of both teams. After having read your article, and keeping in mind your impressions of Scott Drinkwater's performance, I was rather surprised by the other author's opinion on his performance. It also mentions one or two others you've noted in your piece. Anyway, thanks for your articles, I'm sure everyone here enjoys them as much as I do.
0oB
Guest
Calling CHT (or any of the halves for the Warriors) 'solid' last night was a bit of a stretch, I thought. CHT flashed a little, as did Perham (in less time), and Keighran looked ok... his kicking game looks likely to get him a look into the team if nothing else, particularly if the Luke rumours come to fruition (at that point Kata is the kicker - Kata is not a good kicker - or CHT, who is also not a good kicker). Roache's cameo or Herbert were probably the most impressive spine performances for the Warriors. The young pack was more impressive. Refs didn't start their season well with that Storm try... here's hoping it's not a tone-setter and we don't see much of that this year. Storm looked atrocious aside from a couple of flashes from guys competing for NRL minutes (Dirnkwater, Smith, Papenhuyzen, Welch) and the aerial takes from Vunivalu & Seve. NAS was awful dirty in that first half... in a trial, mate? Really? The standard was to be expected, really, in the first trial with so many top players out. The Warriors weren't much better, same reason.
Joe
Roar Rookie
Nope, disagree about Drinkwater. I thought he was ok but not great. In fact I thought Ryan Papenhuyzen did more with his limited minutes at fullback including an excellent break off a big 3 type move. What this trial did show me is that Brodie Croft is not the answer at 7 and I think Billy Walters really put his hand up at 6 and I would really consider him for starting 7. He had better game management, line breaks and most importantly made his tackles. At this stage also I think Jahrome Hughes will be the number 1 as neither of the two (Ryan or Scott) did enough in my opinion to remove him. Compare this games to the performances Hughes put together in the few games he started last year at 1 and its obvious his performance is way above these two. I also had an interest in how Cooper Johns would go as their was a bit of press on him impressing in the off season but I think he has a ways to go. Great defender though and puts his body on the line which is always a big plus in Bellamy's book.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Where was it? I would love to read it!
Bazza
Roar Rookie
Interesting! Just read a story on another site about this game. Two totally different reports. Is it more opinion than factual? I'm not saying that's you Stuart, but I'll watch the video now to see for myself. Thanks for the updates last night.