Round 18 - Storm vs Cowboys
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Storm Spirit
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That is an outstanding history...hopefully the boys understand history counts for nothing each time there is a new game. Another W will be very handy..
Remember this day, men, for it will be yours for all time
Starting to get really excited about where the season could be heading.
This is sort of an NBA term but I'll use it here. In terms of squad depth and reliable players, is this the deepest the team has ever been?
This is sort of an NBA term but I'll use it here. In terms of squad depth and reliable players, is this the deepest the team has ever been?
https://www.melbournestorm.com.au/news/ ... v-cowboys/
Match preview: Storm v Cowboys
NRL.com
Mon 7 Sep 2020
Melbourne's focus is turning from the minor premiership to wrapping up a top-two finish with their hopes of chasing down front-runners Penrith fading.
The Storm's finishing run of the Cowboys, Wests Tigers and Broncos shouldn't present too many difficulties but bridging a three-point gap to first seems unlikely given this week's derby with Parramatta is the one-loss Panthers' final significant regular-season obstacle.
North Queensland's reward for snapping a nine-game losing streak is back-to-back appointments with the top two teams in the competition.
The Cowboys' young playmakers Jake Clifford and Scott Drinkwater combined beautifully with veteran fullback Valentine Holmes to snatch a golden-point win over the Dragons but they face a challenge of a whole other magnitude against the Storm with Camerons Smith and Munster pulling the strings and Ryan Papenhuyzen providing the firepower from the back.
The rundown
Team news
Storm: Prop Christian Welch is suspended, while fellow front-rower Nelson Asofa-Solomona's best-case return from a calf injury was listed as this round. Tom Eisenhuth (calf) could also make a comeback.
Cowboys: Second-rower Coen Hess is available after completing a suspension and centre Murray Taulagi (knee) could return from a knee injury.
Key match-up
Cameron Munster v Scott Drinkwater: The Cowboys pivot will have to cut down his mistakes when he goes toe-to-toe with arguably the competition's best five-eighth. Drinkwater leads the NRL with 26 handling errors while Munster isn't even in the top 50. He also has 44 missed tackles and while he only just edges the Storm star (41) in that category his tackle efficiency of 74.5 per cent lags badly behind Munster's (86 per cent). So a clean game is imperative if he's to lead North Queensland to an upset victory.
Stat attack
Melbourne are winners of 10 in a row against North Queensland, not having lost to the Cowboys since finishing on the wrong end of a 32-12 scoreline in their 2015 preliminary final. The Storm trailed 16-12 at halftime but failed to trouble the scorers in the second half as the visitors pulled away en route to their maiden premiership. Cooper Cronk and Tohu Harris scored Melbourne's tries and Cam Smith kicked two from two while Gavin Cooper, Michael Morgan and Justin O'Neill registered doubles for the Cowboys and Johnathan Thurston kicked four from six.