Round 23
Melbourne Storm 14 d. Parramatta Eels 10

2007 NRL Telstra Premiership Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: Aus_NZ > National > First Grade Competition: NRL Telstra Premiership

Storm contain slipery Eels
Sat August 18, 2007
Source: www.melbournestorm.com.au

The Melbourne Storm was once again forced to fight hard for a victory tonight, but maintained its composure to defeat Parramatta 14-10 in front of 11,549 fans at Olympic Park.

The Storm endured a rare scoreless half in the second stanza, but more than made for it with stinging, relentless defence when it mattered most. Its first-half haul of two converted tries and a penalty goal was enough to stave off a determined Eels outfit and further its march to the NRL minor premiership.

"I'd like to thank a few of people who gave it to us during the week," said Storm coach Craig Bellamy.

"I think that they made us bond a little tighter. Certainly we weren't at our best with the ball again tonight, there are a couple of things there that we're struggling to get right. But we were very tenacious and I was happy with the effort. We kept hanging in there with our defence.

"It's been a tough week for everyone but it's helped us bind tighter.

"It was a tough grinding game of footy.

"I'd like to give my guys a bit of a wrap. We played three games in eleven days. All those teams that we played against played a real physical game of footy and we had to play a physical brand of footy to compete with them.

"I thought that the players were tremendous. They really stuck in there. It was an important game for us."

The Storm was forced to reshuffle its squad this week with Matt King and Steve Turner sidelined after last week's bruising encounter with Brisbane.

"Kingy being out, it was a big loss for us. But Hoffman did a really good job," said Bellamy.

"One of Parramatta's strengths is their back five; they're so big and so strong. But for Hoffy to play so well out there was great."

Things were looking good for the Storm from the outset. Cameron Smith proved again that he needs only the faintest sniff of the try-line to give opposition coaches a headache. With the game only five minutes old, the Storm's captain barged over from dummy half after Dallas Johnson came close himself. Smith also brought his kicking boots along with his wily hooker's bag of tricks, his successful conversion the first of three, in a perfect kicking performance.

After this start, the game set into a pattern. More sets than not, the Storm would receive a penalty thanks to an over-eager Parramatta and receive an easy run downfield. The Storm's attack, though, was similarly over eager and could not finish any movements with the ball planted over Parramatta's line.

This would prove costly later in the half when against the run of play, the Eels regained possession 10 metres out, spread the ball from east to west and scored through Eric Grothe.

After the Eels narrowed the score, the Storm unleashed a weapon in the form of Michael Crocker, returning to top flight action just in time for the finals series. Throughout his time on the park, Crocker was a handful in attack and stinging in defence.

Heavy rain before the match provided slippery conditions and points were at a premium. When Nathan Hindmarsh clipped Ben Cross high, the Storm opted for an easy penalty kick instead of their customary approach of going for four points or more.

One of the more bizarre tries of the season got the crowd to their feet.

Sensing space on the outside, Cooper Cronk kicked for Matt Geyer; the winger reached the ball first, but was perilously close to the touchline and had Jarryd Hayne desperately trying to push him out. Geyer threw the ball back over his head, The Eels' Krisnan Inu caught it and was in turn pushed towards touch by Israel Folau. Millimetres before the sideline, Inu attempted to keep the ball in play and passed it blind. Billy Slater was there to pick up the crumbs, cross the try-line and ground the ball before Timana Tahu could knock him into touch.

Cameron Smith converted from touch and the Storm had a handy 10 point advantage going into the break.

The second-half was full of defensive pressure and close calls for both sides as handling further deteriorated.

The match came alive when Inu got one back for the Eels with 20 minutes to go. Receiving a Tim Smith bomb over Geyer's head and making amends for his earlier role in the Storm's second. The winger converted from the touchline and narrowed the gap to only four.

The Eels began to get the run of play and looked the more confident team. Melbourne, though, knows how to hold on for a win. Cooper Cronk stepped up by proving a try-saving tackle when Grothe looked for all money to have evened the scores.

Geyer then got one back on Inu when he bundled him into touch with the Eel sailing downfield desperate for another try.

In the final minutes of the match Jeremy Smith defended with enough sting to suggest that the game had just begun.

"It was pretty physical. Pretty similar to last week, actually," said Storm captain Cameron Smith.

"I've got to give a wrap to them, they were good all night. Very physical. They really stuck it into our forwards. We've been copping plenty of stick in the last couple of weeks. People saying we were in a slump.

"We talked about it last night. Just the boys. And we wanted to prove a couple of people wrong. We expected them to come out the way that they did and we're becoming accustomed to it now."

Things won't get any easier for the Storm next week when they face the Bulldogs at Telstra Stadium in another Friday night blockbuster.

Melbourne 14 (tries: C. Smith, Slater; Goals: C. Smith 3) def Parramatta 10 (Tries: Grothe, Inu; Goals: Inu)

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Melbourne Storm Round 23 v Eels Game Notes
Thu August 16, 2007
Source: www.melbournestorm.com.au

Melbourne Storm Round 23 v Eels Game Notes.

WHO: Melbourne Storm v Parramatta Eels
WHAT: Round 23 of the 2007 Telstra Premiership season
WHERE: Olympic Park, Melbourne
WHEN: Friday, August 17th
ON TV: Fox Sports 3 - 11:30pm, Channel 9 - Midnight (Melbourne)
CHECK IT OUT: Melbourne Storm's website with all the latest stats, profiles, updates, schedule and training times, alerts, news etc.... www.melbournestorm.com.au

IN BRIEF
Last Sunday's much anticipated grand final rematch against the Broncos at Olympic Park saw the Storm triumph 14-6.

The win maintained Melbourne's two point lead at the head of the 2007 Telstra NRL Premiership.

Matt King was a constant thorn in the side of the Broncos, and was voted by his teammates as the players'-player-of-the-week.

Parramatta suffered a heartbreaking 25-24 extra-time golden-point loss to the Cronulla Sharks last Saturday night, leaving them in third place on the ladder.

INS AND OUTS
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has named an 18-man squad for this Friday's clash against the Parramatta Eels.

After Sunday's 14-6 win over the Brisbane Broncos, Storm coach Craig Bellamy has made several changes to the line-up.

Matt King's wrist injury gives Anthony Quinn a chance in the centre, while Steve Turner's season-ending knee injury gives Will Chambers another chance in first-grade.

Michael Crocker also makes his long-awaited return to first-grade from the bench after playing last weekend for Storm feeder team Brisbane Norths.

FAST FACTS
* Melbourne has won 9 of its past 10 games
* Melbourne has beaten the Eels in 6 of their past 7 clashes
* Melbourne has only conceded 18 points in its last 4 games at home
* Melbourne has won 33 of their past 34 games when leading at half-time

DID YOU KNOW?
* It's been a hectic week on the baby-front at the Storm:
- Front-rower Ben Cross and his partner Krista had their first child, a baby girl, on Monday morning; they named her Talia.
- Matt Rua and his wife Fiona welcomed their first child, also a girl, into the world last Wednesday morning; they named her Tayla-Anne.

KEY MATCH-UP
New South Wales State-of-Origin teammates Ryan Hoffman and Nathan Hindmarsh will square off on Friday night at "The Graveyard".

Melbourne's Hoffman is the consummate professional. His preparation is second to none and he leaves no stone unturned in his quest to be the best player he possibly can. He is an athlete in every sense of the word, able to get through 80-minutes at full pace each and every week. This enables coach Craig Bellamy to use his interchange bench to greater
effect elsewhere. His great strengths are his ability to find holes in the opposition defensive line, and when he is tackled, his offload is as good as anyone's in the game.

Parramatta's Hindmarsh has been there and done that. The consistent NSW and Australian representative is the barometre by which the Eels are measured; when Hindmarsh plays well, the Eels generally win. Like Hoffman, Hindmarsh gets through a mountain of work and regularly tops the tackle count for the Eels. He's one of the Eels' leaders, and his
teammates will be looking to him for inspiration at what has become the most difficult place in the NRL to win, "The Graveyard".

HEAD-TO-HEAD
Total: Played: 17, Storm: 10, Eels: 7
At Olympic Park: Played: 7, Storm: 4, Eels: 3

FOR AND AGAINST 2007
Points for: Storm: 525, Eels: 489
Points against: Storm: 255, Eels: 431
Tries for: Storm: 96, Eels: 82
Points differential: Storm: +270, Eels: +58

LAST ROUND MATCHES
Storm: def. Broncos 14-6 @ Olympic Park, Melbourne
Eels: def. by Sharks 25-24 @ Parramatta Stadium, Sydney

LAST EIGHT CLASHES
2006 Storm def. Eels 12-6 @ Olympic Park
2006 Storm def. Eels 34-22 @ Parramatta Stadium
2005 Eels def. Storm 26-14 @ Olympic Park
2004 Storm def. Eels 22-16 @ Olympic Park
2004 Storm def. Eels 26-16 @ Parramatta Stadium
2003 Storm def. Eels 50-12 @ Olympic Park
2003 Storm def. Eels 12-10 @ Parramatta Stadium
2002 Eels def. Storm 22-20 @ Olympic Park

THE STORM STORY SO FAR
ROUND 1: Storm 18 (Tries: J. Smith, Hoffman, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 3) def. Wests Tigers 16 (Tries: Moodie, Harrison, Whatuira; Goals: Marshall 2) @ Olympic Park
ROUND 2: Storm 32 (Tries: White 2, Folau 2, Slater, Geyer; Goals: C. Smith 4) def. Raiders 16 (Tries: Carney, Graham, Best; Goals: Dobson 2) @ Canberra Stadium
ROUND 3: Storm 30 (Tries: Slater 2, Folau 2, Hoffman, King; Goals: C. Smith 3) def. Warriors 12 (Tries: Vatuvei, Rapira; Goals: Martin 2) @ Olympic Park
ROUND 4: Storm 22 (Tries: Folau 2, King, Quinn; Goals: C. Smith 3) def. Knights 12 (Tries: Simpson, Abraham; Goals: Gidley 2) @ Energy Australia Stadium
ROUND 5: Storm 24 (Tries: Turner 2, Quinn, Folau, King; Goals: C. Smith, Turner) def. Dragons 10 (Tries: Morris, Naiqama; Goal: Naiqama) @ Oki Jubilee Stadium
ROUND 6: Storm 30 (Tries: Cronk 2, C. Smith 2, Hoffman; Goals: C. Smith 5) def. Panthers 20 (Tries: Lewis, Pritchard, Jennings; Goals: Gordon 4) @ Olympic Park
ROUND 7: Storm 28 (Tries: Slater 2, Turner, Hoffman, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 4) def. Broncos 18 (Tries: Hannant, Stagg, Eastwood; Goals: Lockyer: 3) @ Suncorp Stadium
ROUND 8: Storm 12 (Tries: King, Johnson; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. by Tigers 30 (Tries: Lawrence 2, Galea, Farah; Goals: Collis 7) @ Bluetongue Stadium
ROUND 9: Storm 38 (Tries: Cronk 2, King 2, Hoffman, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 7) def. Bulldogs 14 (Tries: El Masri, Maitua, Millard; Goals: 1) @ Olympic Park
ROUND 10: Storm 26 (Tries: Hoffman, Folau, Slater, Lima, Chambers; Goals: Turner 3) def. Roosters 2 (Goal: Fitzgibbon) @ Olympic Park
ROUND 11: Storm 12 (Tries: Folau, King; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. by Sea Eagles 13 (Tries: Watmough, Hicks; Goals: Lyon 2; Field Goal: Orford) @ Brookvale Oval
ROUND 12: Storm 26 (Tries: Turner, King, Geyer, Inglis; Goals: C. Smith 5) def. Rabbitohs 10 (Tries: Widders, Hegarty; Goal; Merritt) @ Olympic Park
ROUND 13: Storm 4 (Try: J. Smith) def Warriors 2 (Goal: Martin) @ Mt Smart Stadium
ROUND 14: Storm 58 (Tries: King 2, Inglis 2, Geyer, J. Smith, Newton, Cronk, Tagataese, Turner; Goals: C. Smith 9) def. Cowboys 12 (Tries: Bowen 2, Williams) @ Dairy Farmers' Stadium
ROUND 15: Storm 24 (Tries: King, Newton, Turner, Hoffman, Geyer; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. Dragons 6 (Try: Scott; Goal: Soward) @ Olympic Park
ROUND 16: BYE
ROUND 17: Storm 12 (Tries: King, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. Rabbitohs 8 (Tries: Gordon, Merrit) @ Bluetongue Stadium
ROUND 18: Storm 44 (Tries: Slater 2, Quinn 2, Turner 2, Hoffman, King, Newton; Goals: C. Smith 3, Turner) def. Knights 0 @ Olympic Park
ROUND 19: Storm 34 (Tries: Inglis 2, Geyer, Folau, King, S. Turner; Goals: C. Smith 5) def. Raiders 6 (Try: G. Turner; Goals: Dobson) @ Olympic Park
ROUND 20: Storm 16 (Tries: Folau, Cronk, Aubusson; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. by Roosters 26 (Tries: Williams 2, Tupou, Harrison; Goals: FitzGibbon 4, Roberts) @ Aussie Stadium
ROUND 21: Storm 17 (Tries: King, Hoffman, Folau; Goals: Folau 2, Field Goal: Cronk) def. Sharks 16 (Tries: Perenara, Pomeroy; Goals: Covell 4) @ Toyota Park
ROUND 22: Storm 14 (Tries: Inglis, Folau, Geyer; Goals: C. Smith) def. Broncos 6 (Try: Emmett; Goals: Parker) @ Olympic Park

2007 TRY SCORERS (STORM)
Folau 17, King 15, Turner 9, Hoffman 9, Slater 8, Cronk 6, Geyer 6, Inglis 6, Newton 4 (Newcastle 1), Quinn 4, J. Smith 3, White 2, C. Smith 2, Johnson, Chambers, Lima, Tagataese, Aubusson

2007 GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
C. Smith 63, Turner 5, Folau 2

2007 FIELD GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
Cronk

2007 POINTSCORERS (STORM)
C. Smith 134, Folau 72, King 60, Turner 46, Hoffman 36, Slater 32, Cronk 25, Geyer 24, Inglis 24, Newton 16 (Newcastle 4), Quinn 16, J. Smith 12, White 8, Johnson 4, Chambers 4, Lima 4, Tagataese 4, Aubusson 4

MELBOURNE STORM MEDIBANK PRIVATE INJURY UPDATE
Antonio Kaufusi: Season (Patella Tendon)
Danny Vaughan: Season (ACL)
Pale Ale: Season (Back)
Steve Turner: Season (Knee)
Matt King: 3 weeks (Wrist)

THE STORM AHEAD
Round 24: Friday, August 24th v Bulldogs @ Telstra Stadium, 7:30pm
Round 25: Sunday, September 2nd v Titans @ Olympic Park, 7:00pm

2007 TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP LADDER
1. Storm 38
2. Sea Eagles 36
3. Eels 26
4. Cowboys 26
5. Warriors 25
6. Bulldogs 24
7. Brisbane 22
8. Wests Tigers 22
9. Rabbitohs 22
10. Roosters 21
11. Titans 20
12. Sharks 18
13. Dragons 18
14. Raiders 18
15. Knights 18
16. Panthers 14

SQUAD FOR FRIDAY'S GAME:
Starting team:
1. Billy Slater
2. Matt Geyer
3. Anthony Quinn
4. Israel Folau
5. Will Chambers
6. Greg Inglis
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Ben Cross
9. Cam Smith (c)
10. Brett White
11. Clint Newton
12. Ryan Hoffman
13. Dallas Johnson
Interchange:
14. Jeremy Smith, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Garret Crossman, 17. Jeff Lima, 18. Michael Crocker.

Coach: Craig Bellamy.

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Tue August 14, 2007
• Bellamy names 18-man squad for Eels clash
  

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