Six weeks out from the start of the finals series, we’ll get a sneak peek of September when the Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panthers square off in a pre-finals blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
It isn’t hard to see why these two have been the most consistent teams of the season, with the Storm riding a 15-match winning streak dating back to Round 3 and the Panthers continuing to go about their business, even with halfback and co-captain Nathan Cleary sidelined.
Last week, both sides were given serious tests of their premiership credentials by lowly-ranked Queensland sides, with the mountain men overcoming a brave Brisbane Broncos side at Suncorp Stadium while the Storm survived a major scare against the Cowboys in Townsville.
For the second time this season the mountain men were held on a leash by the Broncos in Brisbane. After winning their Round 6 encounter by just 20-12 a hundred days earlier, they were held try-less in the first half, though Dylan Edwards potted a two-point field goal just before halftime.
Three quick-fire tries got them out to an 18-0 lead, but the Broncos would peg back two of their own as they threatened to send the match into golden point.
But coach Ivan Cleary wouldn’t have been impressed with his side’s performance, especially after they missed a whopping 66 tackles as the Broncos pushed for a huge upset, which could’ve seen them skip clear of the Bulldogs in the race to avoid the wooden spoon.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
He also fumed after losing his other co-captain, Isaah Yeo, to a high tackle from Tom Flegler for which the Bronco was sin-binned when many argued he should have been sent off.
On the other hand, the Storm appeared headed for an easy night in the office against the Cowboys when Dogs-bound winger Josh Addo-Carr scored after just three minutes, followed by Justin Olam scoring not long after to give them a 10-0 lead.
However, they quickly fell behind 12-10 early in the second half as the Cowboys pushed for an upset win, and after the Storm reclaimed the lead 20-12 the northerners would not throw in the towel just yet, pegging it back to 20-16 with less than five minutes remaining.
The Storm would hold on in the end to claim their 13th straight win over the Cowboys, dating back to the 2015 preliminary final, and their 26th straight win in Queensland, dating back to mid-2017.
The club’s dominant record in the sunshine state, where they were based in the second half of last season, and for most of this season, should give them the edge as they attempt to reverse their Round 3 loss to the Panthers.
When the two clubs met four months ago, it was the mountain men who won 12-10 but only after Viliame Kikau put a try-saving tackle on Justin Olam right at the death, giving his side a 3-0 start to the season while sentencing the Storm to a 1-2 record.
Since then, the Panthers have dropped two matches – in consecutive weeks against the Wests Tigers and Sharks in Rounds 13 and 14 respectively – to drop to second on the ladder ahead of Saturday night’s heavyweight clash at Suncorp Stadium.
Meantime, the Storm have adapted to life without Cameron Smith well – something the Roosters and Broncos struggled to do when their respective club legends, Brad Fittler and Darren Lockyer, retired at the end of the 2004 and 2011 seasons.
Following the 2004 season, the Chooks didn’t win another finals match until 2010, before which they crashed to a wooden spoon in 2009, but they would ultimately become the most successful side of the 2010s decade, winning titles in 2013, 2018 and 2019.
Meanwhile, despite consistently reaching the finals in the years following Lockyer’s retirement, the Broncos could not find the right ingredients to win a premiership, though they did reach the decider in 2015, which they lost to the Cowboys in heartbreaking fashion.
The current-day Storm side, which also lost Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater to the Roosters and retirement in 2017 and 2018 respectively, will be shooting for a club-record 16th consecutive win on Saturday night.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Standing in the way are the Penrith Panthers, who have won three of their last five matches against the Storm dating back to the final round of the 2018 season.
The mountain men will be without Isaah Yeo, who was concussed from the aforementioned tackle from Tom Flegler in the opening minutes, as well as suspended hooker Apisai Koroisau, James Fisher-Harris (who has returned to Sydney for family reasons) and Nathan Cleary.
Premiership-winning Sharks hooker Michael Ennis has recently questioned the club’s direction in attack, while the 66 tackles they missed against the Broncos was the most by any side this season, quite surprising for a side that is second on the ladder.
Given the personnel that the Panthers are without, it is no surprise that the Storm will start favourites as they look to extend their winning streak and continue their march to consecutive premierships, something the club has never achieved.
It is possible that this may not be the only time these teams meet at Suncorp Stadium this year. The chance that the ground could host the NRL grand final is very high as the current COVID-19 crisis in New South Wales is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Joey
Guest
Looks like the ice pack in Reynolds chronic hamstring may not have been enough. Any chance you can offer me 20/1 Dragons to win into Panthers with the 29.5 start ?
Joey
Guest
No worries, I’ll pin 100 to your 29.5 start. You seem to tip against any top team playing Penrith and you’ve lost every time. If your tip is any guide, Panthers are in with a great chance.
Joe
Roar Rookie
Looks like To'o is out as well. This is going to be a massive test for the Panthers depth.
Dionysus
Guest
I agree Joe, that was a pretty astute move securing TPJ for the end of the season. He should certainly be motivated to play well for the Panthers but I wonder how long it will take him to fit into their structures ? Pity if we don't get to see him play this weekend though.
Walter Black
Guest
Home is always home no matter where you live and I am sure the boys will love to get back to it.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Number 1 is a huge disincentive. Sunny Coast or Melbourne? I think last year proved the players preference.
Avatar
Roar Guru
just a heads up - Tevita Pangai Jr won't play this weekend.
Joe
Roar Rookie
This will be the match to see the value TPJ brings to the Panthers. I really think he will be a roaring success. He can match it with any forward in the League and will likely be put out there and aimed at the likes of B.Smith or NAS to shut them down and dominate. His has shown he can dominate with his games against JWH and Taumalolo and a possible premiership before going to the Dogs is a very big motivator.
Walter Black
Guest
Somehow, 3. got out of place.
Walter Black
Guest
I tend to agree, with other psychological advantages going the Storm's way 1. Victoria lifting restrictions mean that Storm players could be returning home sooner rather than later 2. Panthers adjustment to bubble life likely to hit them worse than Storm If the Storm get up early and Panthers heads go down, it might not be that close. 3. Bellamy re-signing announcement
Dirk Diggler
Roar Rookie
I feel this is a psychological more than a physical battle-Penrith will be deserved underdogs due to the players missing but if they can somehow overcome a Storm outfit almost at full strength this will give them belief that they can win the GF without some of their big guns if injuries hit. Storm on the other hand will want to make a statement but you just get the feeling they need to win big in order to win the psychological battle. A close game is almost a loss
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
Well balanced summary Avatar. I sense the Storm will continue to be totally relentless as they have been with almost all their opposition since round 4 with multiple scores of +40’s. +50’s and +60’s. The Panthers have 4 VERY key omissions Cleary, Yeo, JFH and Api and this will cost them dearly especially since they have not shown that “next man up” mentality during the Origin period when they did have their key players out. Losing to the Tigers and Sharks along some other close calls goes to show that they cant compete without their full strength squad. This week, Penrith have no general(s) to lead the side, will be disadvantaged playing in Queensland (a place Storm call home), and the Storm will seek revenge for their round 3, 10-12 loss. Storm will not have any mercy and I predict +30 points score line.
Nat
Roar Guru
It's hard to get a guage on how these two will face up come finals time. Last week became a dog fight for both but with the W registered they really just become stern tests for the B squads. Melbourne rested 3 origin (4 inc Grant) stars and the Panthers had 2 out. Losing Yeo was unfortunate but they have to learn to play when they lose someone to injury. Of the two it's the Panthers who may have had their confidence dented by their losses. I reckon Melbourne will make a statement this weekend but it won't be against the same team they'll meet in the finals.