Round 16 - Storm vs Sea Eagles

[Bullucked]

Don't give a flying you know what, keep the injured out until fully recovered. Hynes and Johns in the halves and Jacks at hooker (if he's fit) and everyone train as such ALL WEEK. Rest of the team, apart from Kenny, remains much the same.

[sallymay]

Riders of the Storm I was also going to mention Trent Loiero. Other than those listed I think that is it in terms of forwards. In the past we may have been able to request a salary cap exemption to bring in a prop from Sunshine Coast Falcons or Easts Tigers, but that can't happen this year.

Unfortunately I think NAS may receive 3 weeks and Albie at least two weeks, so it won't be just for next week and none of the injured forwards (other than Kenny) are due back soon.

Given Hughes was named in 21 this week, that he would be a fair chance to play next week.

Just so everyone knows the NRL has scrapped the whole applying for excemptions to play as a development player this year ....if your a development player and in the bubble already you can play...it’s only this year though

So for us that includes
Daniel Atkinson
Kelma Tulilagi
Dean ireama
Judda
And Trent

So they could play if Bellamy picked them

[sallymay]

Top 2 is almost irrelevant given there is no guarantee we will even get to have a final on the Sunny Coast. There is talk that the NRL want to host all finals in Sydney. For us, that would mean risking injury to finish 1st or 2nd, for the exact same outcome as finishing 3rd or 4th.

Either way, rest our key players until they are fully fit. If that means they are not available for a couple more weeks and we drop another couple of games - so be it. The Premiership is the only goal.

Heard today we can host our finals in QLD but just has to be Suncorp...which is fine better then flying for it

[Utha]

Manly coming off a 40 point hammering from Souffs.

Don't know if that is a good or a bad thing.

[Pole]

A bad thing IMO, they'll be under the pump to improve on that performance.

[Mattpoet]

Yep Hasler will thrive on the backs to the wall mentality he can create off that.

[Pole]

But, on the other hand they're finals hopes are all but gone, so that may work in our favour.

[RobbieRoss]

So how confident would you be if Manly had won last night by 40 ?

I would much rather be playing Manly than Souths .

Of course, if Tommy Turbo plays it is a whole different ball game !

[yourhero]

https://www.melbournestorm.com.au/news/ ... ki-harper/

Storm v Sea Eagles: Bad break to trigger Smith swap; Centre shot for Miski, Harper
NRL.com
Mon 24 Aug 2020

The Storm will be looking to bounce back from just their third defeat of 2020 and keep themselves in the hunt for a top-two finish against a punch-drunk Sea Eagles side.

The absence of key playmakers finally told for Melbourne who failed to score a point in going down 14-0 Parramatta in the round 15 opener, a loss that allowed the Eels to draw level with them on 24 points and grab second place on for-and-against.

Melbourne have three home games in their final five games of the regular season and play only one more top-eight opponent so as long as their big guns return on schedule they will fancy their chances of a top-two finish.

Manly have won their past two visits to AAMI Park but it's hard to see them recovering from that 56-16 flogging at the hands of South Sydney to make it three away victories in a row over the Storm at Melbourne's Sunshine Coast home away from home.

The Rundown

Team news
Storm: Brandon Smith's broken jaw adds to an overflowing casualty ward. Captain Cameron Smith (shoulder) is reportedly a chance to replace him at hooker in what would be a much-needed boost. Halfback Jahrome Hughes (groin) was touch-and-go last week and is expected to return. Cooper Johns could retain his place in the halves with Ryley Jacks in doubt after hurting his hip. Prop Jesse Bromwich will return from suspension, but brother Kenny is in doubt with a calf issue. Five-eighth Cameron Munster isn't expected back for another week.

Sea Eagles: Centre Moses Suli's season-ending foot injury opens the door for the likes of Abbas Miski or Morgan Harper to come into the team. Second-rower Joel Thompson is expected to return after missing a week with a tongue injury.

Key match-up
Nelson Asofa-Solomona v Taniela Paseka: The showdown between these two huge units should shake the grandstand. The Storm prop is a towering 200cm tall and weighs in at 115kg while his less-experienced Sea Eagles counterpart concedes 3cm in height but outweighs Asofa-Solomona by 5kg. The Melbourne man has been damaging with the ball in hand, punching out 47 tackle busts to Paseka's 17 and 17 offloads to 11 in just three extra games.

Stat Attack
Melbourne rank third for points scored (374) and second for points conceded (182) while the Sea Eagles rank above only the three Queensland sides in coughing up points (343) and have scored more points (253) than just four other teams.

[yourhero]

Team list Tuesday. Will obviously be very interesting to see the line-up names this week.

The expectation is that Cam will be named and play, but just with some of the language being used, I'm not sure he will be right and we may see Booth get a run... At the start of the year I didn't ever fathom that we would be entertaining the liklihood of our fourth string hooker getting a starting run!

[Insomniac]

The absence of key playmakers finally told for Melbourne who failed to score a point in going down 14-0 Parramatta in the round 15 opener, a loss that allowed the Eels to draw level with them on 24 points and grab second place on for-and-against.

Typical nonsense reporting by the NRL - they can't even get their own stats right... we're still second and the Eels are third on the ladder with an inferior for-and-against (136 to our 192)

[Mattpoet]

Oh yes, you can ask my wife, at least 3 times a game I will complain loudly about something similar.

[Scooter]

Official Storm squad
1 Ryan Papenhuyzen
2 Marion Seve
3 Brenko Lee
4 Justin Olam
5 Josh Addo-Carr
6 Cameron Munster
7 Jahrome Hughes
8 Jesse Bromwich
9 Cameron Smith
10 Christian Welch
11 Felise Kaufusi
12 Tom Eisenhuth
13 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
14 Nicho Hynes
15 Tino Faasuamaleaui
16 Sandor Earl
17 Darryn Schonig
18 Ryley Jacks
19 Chris Lewis
20 Albert Vete
21 Isaac Lumelume

Munster, Hughes, J Bromwich and C Smith all back. Have a feeling Munster might be like Hughes last week, a withdrawal.

Seve on the wing, hopefully it will be better than his last stint on the wing. Good to see Isaac Lumelume in the 21.

[blazza18]

Surely we don't go with both Seve and Sandor.

[Mattpoet]

Love to see Lumelume get a crack