Round 15
Melbourne Storm 14 d. Wests Tigers 12

2009 NRL Telstra Premiership Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

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

Storm win cliffhanger at The Graveyard
Mon June 22, 2009
Source: www.melbournestorm.com.au

The Melbourne Storm have hung on to a two point lead in a cliffhanger to edge out the Tigers at the Graveyard 14-12 despite missing four of their Origin stars due to rep commitments.

The Tigers looked like they might snatch a win when replacement Storm centre Dane Nielsen was sent off with just three minutes to play, but the home side were deserved winners in the end.

Melbourne got off to a good start with the first 20 minutes played almost exclusively in the Tigers defensive half with line-breaks flowing thick and fast.

Brett White, in his 100th NRL game, and New Zealand international Sika Manu caused havoc in the forwards, while outside backs Joe Tomane and Will Chambers also proved difficult to stop.

The Tigers defended well from the goal line but couldn't keep the Storm out for long. Brett Finch found a gap close to the ruck and darted through. He was tackled on the line but offloaded to Cooper Cronk for the first try of the game.

Tomane took on the kicking duties in the absence of Cam Smith and converted the try.

Minutes later, the Tigers proved they don't always need their captain Robbie Farah to score tries when Benji Marshall is in the line-up.

Marshall stood well wide from a scrum and took the ball wider still to find Blake Ayshford who scored in the corner.

The Storm were getting through their sets and hitting the line hard but were finding it difficult to capitalise on their field position.

The Tigers had their opportunities as well but Cronk was on fire, creating play and even wrapping up giant Tigers winger Taniela Tuiaki to save a try.

With three minutes to go in the half, Tigers substitute Daine Laurie had the chance to score a try and all he had to do was catch the ball with the try-line begging from a Gareth Ellis pass.

To the crowd's enjoyment, the ball slipped through his fingers and went back up the other end.

The Storm was awarded a penalty and Tomane put them in front 8-6 just as the siren sounded.

The second half was just as tough and physical as the first.

Laurie was again in the thick of things for the wrong reasons, conceding a penalty for a late hit on Cronk.

The Storm are ranked 4th in the league for scoring tries from penalties and they didn't disappoint when Matt Cross pushed over for a try under the posts.

The Storm was looking good at 14-6 and the Tigers were becoming frustrated with some referees decisions.

The Storm had managed to keep the Tigers quiet, but all it took was one line-break to get them back in the game.

In the 68th minute, Ayshford did the damage with Tim Moltzen in support. Moltzen scored and the Tigers were back within two points with 10 minutes still to play.

The Storm had a chance to seal the win in the 73rd minute, but fans were made to sit on the edge of their seats a little longer when Anthony Quinn was denied a try after a lengthy video referral.

The task of protecting the two point lead was made even more difficult when Nielsen was sent off for a high tackle on Beau Ryan with three minutes to play.

A crucial rush in defence by Tomane put an end to the Tigers charge as a pass by Dene Halatau went well wide of the mark.

The major difference between the teams in a game with even possession was in the missed tackles, the Tigers having 28 to the Storm's 11.

Senior players Manu and Cronk were stand-out performers while James Maloney and Dane Nielsen held their own.

The Storm is on the road against the Raiders next Sunday and will be hoping for a similar result to the last time they played.

Storm 14 (Tries: Cronk, Cross; Goals: Tomane 3) def Wests Tigers 12 (Tries: Ayshford, Moltzen; Goals: Marshall 2)
Attendance: 10,417


Preview: Storm v Wests Tigers - NRL Round 15
Sun June 21, 2009
A large chunk of Melbourne's salary cap will be watching from the stands on this afternoon when the Storm confront Wests Tigers without Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Cameron Smith and Dallas Johnson.

It will be a difficult task for the Storm to maintain their perfect record against the Tigers at Olympic Park especially after the Tigers bounced back to form with a win over Parramatta last Monday night.

Tim Sheens' Tigers have had experienced a torrid run with injuries (Ellis, Collis, Lawrence, Galloway) and they will also be missing hooker Robbie Farah but they will be buoyed by their victory over the Eels along with their surprise win over the Storm earlier in the season.

Melbourne have run up huge scores in their last two games on home soil but halves Cooper Cronk and Brett Finch will need to be at their best to steer their team to victory here. They will be aided by the powerful front row of Jeff Lima and Adam Blair and former Origin rep Brett White, who will play from interchange in his 100th first grade appearance.

Look to the Storm to score a try as First Scoring Play but consider a Storm/Tigers or Tigers/Storm outcome in the Half/Full Double.

Best chances for First Tryscorer are Will Chambers, Steve Turner or Joseph Tomane for the Storm or Taniela Tuiaki, Beau Ryan or Tim Moltzen for Wests Tigers.

With thanks to Melbourne Storm's compression apparel partner Under Armour, all children 15-years-of-age and under will receive FREE general admission entry at the gate.

ROUND SIX: Wests Tigers 16 (Tries: Lawrence 2, Moltzen; Goals: Marshall 2) def Storm 6 (Try: Hoffman; Goals Smith) at Leichhardt Oval.

Sunday June 21, 2009
Melbourne Storm vs Wests Tigers at Olympic Park, Melbourne (VIC)

Melbourne Storm
1. Steve Turner, 2. Anthony Quinn, 3. Will Chambers, 4. Dane Nielsen, 5. Joseph Tomane, 6. Brett Finch, 7. Cooper Cronk [c], 8. Jeff Lima, 9. Ryan Hinchcliffe, 10. Adam Blair, 11. Sika Manu, 12. Ryan Hoffman, 13. Aiden Tolman. Subs: 14. James Maloney, 15. Matt Cross, 16. Scott Anderson, 17. Brett White, 18. Wairangi Koopu, 19. Ryan Tandy.

Wests Tigers
1. Tim Moltzen, 2. Taniela Tuiaki, 3. Rhys Hanbury, 4. Dene Halatau, 5. Beau Ryan, 6. Blake Ayshford, 7. Benji Marshall [c], 8. Bryce Gibbs, 9. John Morris, 10. John Skandalis, 11. Todd Payten, 12. Chris Heighington, 13. Corey Payne. Subs: 14. Daine Laurie, 15. Willie Mataka, 16. Alan Shirnack, 17. Danny Galea.

Date: Sun June 21 2009, 2:00PM AEST GMT+10 [Sun June 21 2009, 4:00AM GMT]
Referees: Ashley Klein, Steve Lyons

Predictions:
Matthew O'Neill: Storm by 4
Dennis Righetti: Storm by 6

OVERALL:
Total Games: 17
Melbourne Storm wins: 11. [Pts: 460]
Wests Tigers wins: 6. [Pts: 336]
Draws: 0

Biggest wins:
Melbourne Storm: 64 pts: 2001 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 18 - [View] Thu Jul 5: Storm 64 d. Tigers 0 [Crowd: 10683]
Wests Tigers: 30 pts: 2001 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 5 - [View] Sun Mar 18: Tigers 40 d. Storm 10 [Crowd: 11206]

Biggest Crowd: 2007 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 8 - [View] Sat: Wests Tigers 30 d. Melbourne Storm 12 [Crowd: 19111]

Last 50 games against each other form line (most recent matches at end of line):
Melbourne Storm: WWLWWLWWLWWLWWLWL
Wests Tigers: LLWLLWLLWLLWLLWLW

Last 10 games:
2009 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 6 - [View] Mon: Wests Tigers 16 d. Melbourne Storm 6 [Crowd: 12646]
2008 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 18 - [View] Mon: Wests Tigers 18 l. Melbourne Storm 30 [Crowd: 16653]
2007 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 8 - [View] Sat: Wests Tigers 30 d. Melbourne Storm 12 [Crowd: 19111]
2007 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 1 - [View] Fri: Melbourne Storm 18 d. Wests Tigers 16 [Crowd: 13535]
2006 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 22 - [View] Sat: Storm 46 d. Tigers 4 [Crowd: 12481]
2006 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 4 - [View] Sun: Tigers 30 d. Storm 28 [Crowd: 17803]
2005 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 25 - [View] Sat: Storm 34 d. Tigers 22 [Crowd: 10050]
2005 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 13 - [View] Sun: Tigers 14 l. Storm 30 [Crowd: 17127]
2004 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 19 - [View] Sat Jul 17: Tigers 32 d. Storm 18 [Crowd: 5648]
2004 NRL Telstra Premiership - Round 13 - [View] Sat Jun 5: Storm 30 d. Tigers 24 [Crowd: 8524]

NRL: Storm v Wests Tigers Scores & Stats
NYC: Storm v Wests Tigers Scores & Stats
Storm v Wests Tigers Thread
TAB Sportsbet
RleagueBetting.com

Fri June 19, 2009
• Storm's FREE kids entry and promotion for Wests game
  
Fri June 19, 2009
• Storm's Brett White to bring up his century
  

Advanced Search