ANALYSIS: Melbourne never beat themselves and Souths never beat them at all - but where was Latrell for an hour?

Melbourne’s ability to delve deep shows no sign of abating. On a tough assignment away at South Sydney, against a Bunnies side that seemed to be finding form, they produced yet another backs-against-the-wall performance, the like of which they have been putting in for over a decade. 

18-10 was the final scoreline, but it wasn’t an 18-10 game. On another night, against another team, Souths might have scored 30. But this Melbourne – Souths never beat Melbourne. 32 of the 38 times they have met, the Storm have won.

They enjoyed two thirds of the territory and 40 tackles inside the 20m zone compared to just 18 from the Storm. They had more metres and more line breaks, more ball and more territory. And yet – they leave with nothing.

This was a performance of ultimate efficiency from Melbourne. They turned their first position into points, then their second two. They burgled one from range early in the second half. And then they tackled for their lives.

Harry Grant was at his scheming best to steal metres where he could and Josh King not only grabbed a try but put in a mammoth effort in the middle, turning in 50 tackles without a break.

“There were some desperate times in the second half,” said Craig Bellamy. “33 tackles inside our 20 and sometimes you don’t get that in the whole game. We were really brave tonight. That’s our best defensive game for the season without a doubt. 

“I’m happy to get away with that result. It’s been while since we’ve seen a defensive effort for 80 minutes like that tonight, I thought they were tremendous.”

Souths’ attack, usually so potent, had no answer. They came close on occasion, and might have won it late more than once.

Alex Johnston almost had it, but ended up blocked by Nick Meaney, copping a head clash in the process that will see him out of next week’s Good Friday meeting with the Bulldogs under the 11-day concussion policy.

Jason Demetriou will rue the miss here. They did enough to win, but didn’t score the points. That is all on Melbourne, and how they turned up, because they always do.

“We just didn’t come with the intensity that we have over the last few weeks,” he told the post-match press conference.

“I could feel it pre-game that we weren’t where we needed to be. We were just waiting for something to happen.

“We lacked that little steel that we’ve had these last few weeks. It was missing in the first half particularly. Their three tries came from long distance when we’ve turned the ball over inside their ten. We’re making life too hard for ourselves.”

The Storm never beat themselves

In Jason Demetriou’s pre-match press conference, he mentioned how hard this one was going to be. “They won’t beat themselves” was a major theme, as it has been for all the Craig Bellamy era. 

This was a classic example of it. With the ball, Melbourne barely made an error all night, got to their kicks and transferred pressure back onto Souths.   

In defence, they produced linespeed that unsettled the Bunnies’ shift plays and, when the line breaks came, scrambled superbly. 

Nick Meaney and Tui Kamikamica threw their bodies on the line to deny tries that they had no right to stop. With the game on the line, Harry Grant produced another.

There was a period where six of seven sets were on their line, but the Melbourne line did not bend. 

“It’s what we’ve prided ourselves on at the Storm, at least since I’ve been there and probably before,” said Bellamy.

“We want to be a good defensive side first and foremost. This year we haven’t been that.

“We made improvements last week in our first half against the Tigers and tonight there was a lot of desperate efforts out there.”

Mitchell and Munster’s strange night out

Latrell’s first half consisted of a few extravagant passes, two drop outs and a conversion. He made just three carries and that was pretty much it. 

Cameron Munster wasn’t much different. He had also been ineffectual, but the five eighth burst into life in the second half with a line break that should have been a try and then a support run that was.

It’s inevitable to compare the two given their outsized personalities. Certainly, Munster was the man who sparked his side into life when they needed it, whereas Latrell barely got going until past the hour mark.

It’s been the quietest of quiet starts for the Bunnies’ main man. He’s still to score a try or make a line break, and it is now three weeks in a row since he produced anything like his usual standard.

Granted, it’s hard to maintain that level all the time, and Souths have faced tough opposition, but this is now a trend rather than a few off nights. 

There’s a wider tactical point here. Last year, when Mitchell was missing through injury, Souths played too close to the defensive line and, consequently, made plenty of errors.

That was in full effect again tonight, with Latrell largely absent as a running threat, Melbourne were able to get up and jam the backline, negating the lethal shifts that produce so many of the Bunnies’ best moments.

He did eventually arrive, sending Campbell Graham in for a try, but it was too little too late.

“The back end of the first half he started getting himself in the game a lot more, but across the board we were off the pace,” said Demetriou.

“When we all started getting on the pace and playing as we know we can, the scoreboard pressure got the better of us. 

“He probably needs to find his way into the game a bit earlier, but it’s not about our attack, it’s about our defence.”

Tom Burgess

When Mitchell finally kicked into life, he did it on the back of Tom Burgess. The prop punched out 25 minutes to start – it was 6-6 when he left – and returned in the 52nd minute with the score 18-6 to Melbourne.

His second stint was as dominant as they come. He won ruck and ruck, finding his front amid multiple tacklers. Damien Cook came into the game, darting from behind the play the balls that Burgess was able to win.

So much of what Souths do is about playing to points, in which they set one of Burgess or Keaon Koloamatangi on a lead line, drawing defenders to a set location, and then use that to put on their moves. The try that Mitchell laid on for Graham was a perfect example of it.

Tale of two rookie wingers

Souths and Melbourne can boast two of the best flyers in the NRL in Alex Johnston and Xavier Coates, who average close to a try a game between them.

But it wasn’t the PNG pair who were the centre of attention tonight. Will Warbrick and Izaac Thompson, who have a grand total of 12 first grade appearances collectively, dominated the wide play with a series of superb carries and defensive intent.

Indeed, they greatly overshadowed their more illustrious counterparts: Warbrick swatted AJ aside for a first half try, while Coates managed to commit the cardinal sin of catching a failed short dropout before it had gone ten metres.

Warbrick was dimmed in the second half by a clear injury issue – he was on the pickle juice for cramp with more than 20 minutes to go – but Thompson kept on thanklessly coming. They badly lacked backline metres last year, but seem to have found their solution.

He might have won it too, but for Grant’s tackle. His moment passed when Warbrick took his, albeit abetted by the poor tackling of Johnson.