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Melbourne Storm v Newcastle Knights
Monday 24 March, 7:00pm at AAMI Park

1. Billy Slater
2. Sisa Waqa
3. Will Chambers
4. Mahe Fonua
5. Young Tonumaipea
6. Ben Hampton
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Jesse Bromwich
9. Cameron Smith ©
10. Bryan Norrie
11. Kevin Proctor
12. Ryan Hoffman
13. Ryan Hinchcliffe

14. Kenny Bromwich
15. Tohu Harris
16. Jordan McLean
17. George Rose

Some revenge for last years exit at the hands of this weeks opponents will surely be on the minds of the team this week.

Unchanged line-up. We have been below our best the opening two weeks. Need to stop giving away penalties and putting ourselves on the back foot to start the game (although I thought we were judged harshly by the ladies in pink against the Sea Eagles).

The fact that Boyd and Mullen are out, we should be expected to win well... We will need to shut down Gagai, BJ and J Smith much better than we did last year.

A Monday night where the away team is missing key players...great, just great.

Think we've given away 20ish penalties the first two rounds of the season so our discipline needs to improve big time. Edge defence on both sides need to be on their games for us to win this one. Knights play the style of game that worries us but hopefully we can outclass them and get the win.

So Justin O'Neill has been named in the Sharks NSW Cup team this week.

In the team announcement video, Craig spoke about O'Neill coming back from injury a couple of weeks earlier than initially planned. He said they will monitor progress this week and then decide if he will play and if so, which team.

Whilst it is likely he will play for the Sharks (if at all), that last comment has me questioning the possibility of O'Neill being a late inclusion in the first grade team. If that eventuates, do you think it'd be a straight swap for Tonumaipea? Or Mahe? Or push Mahe to a wing? (hope not)

He is named at centre for the Sharks... I hope that isn't the plan for when he get's back into first grade Mahe's defence has been surprisingly decent and he has been playing some good footy at centre. Plus most of us appreciate that O'Neill is a great winger and mediocre centre.

Will be very interesting when O'Neill does slot back in, what the outside backs structure looks like.

Oneill to the wing in place of Young. Fonua needs to stay in the centres. Even with those ridiculous Stteve Matai corn rows I think he's found his spot.

Im not worried about O'Neill coming back into the centres, I think Mahe has done enough to hold that spot for the time being. One positive of O'Neill coming in for Young however is that it may allow us to switch Chambers back to right centre. I'm assuming the reason he has been playing left centre is so that Mahe and Young were on oppossite sides of the field

Chambers has looked out of place on the left. His defensive decisions have been ordinary. It gets complicated as shuffling one impacts all in some way.

Went to training today...looked like young and juzzy were switching positions the whole session but the final formation the positions they do before the end young was in the side so I don't think the team will change

sallymay wrote:Went to training today...looked like young and juzzy were switching positions the whole session but the final formation the positions they do before the end young was in the side so I don't think the team will change

Well hopefully that is a good sign for when Juz does return.

yourhero wrote:

sallymay wrote:Went to training today...looked like young and juzzy were switching positions the whole session but the final formation the positions they do before the end young was in the side so I don't think the team will change

Well hopefully that is a good sign for when Juz does return.

mahe needs to stay where he is at the moment so I hope so!

i agree, he looks more comfortable in the centres

I hate to say it but Young T will get found out in defence by the likes of Uate & Co. not looking forward to that

Young is a solid runner but defensively is slow to turn and not very agile. I can't see him as a winger in the long run. Possibly a back row option down the track.

The problem is that Fans, usually the younger ones want their Team to hit the ground running going full on looking good and winning comfortably, the reality is it's a bloody long physical season and the Coach's want to get to the business end of the season with as few injuries as possible and their Teams starting to hit top form for the run in. The problem with the NRL is Origin, while as a Fan its a bloody superb spectacle for the Coach's its a nightmare as key players can get injuries or lose some form at the wrong time. I wouldn't be too worried about Storms start inauspicious it may be and the wins that seem more by luck than good play, is a sign that the Team have found that will to get the win despite being under the pump, the future looks bright the future looks purple! but the play offs are still away down the road.

The team is 1 through 17 as named.