NRL preliminary final: Storm vs Roosters
Posted:
2024-09-27 08:32:15
Original link:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-27/nrl-live-melbourne-storm-sydney-roosters-preliminary-final/104399024
The Melbourne Storm have bounced back from a sin-binning in the opening seconds of their clash with the Sydney Roosters to return to the NRL grand final with a thumping 48-18 win at AAMI Park.
Superstar halfback Jahrome Hughes made one last statement before Dally M Medal night on Wednesday with a hat-trick of tries, while Ryan Papenhuyzen and Cameron Munster also nabbed doubles.
The Storm do have some concerns heading into their fifth grand final since 2012, with Hughes hobbling with a neck and back problem, and versatile centre Nick Meaney leaving the game early with an apparent knee complaint.
But perhaps the biggest cloud is hanging over hulking prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona, who was sent for 10 minutes in the bin after a high shot in the opening tackle of the match, which knocked Roosters prop Lindsay Collins out of the game with a concussion.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona knocked out Lindsay Collins with the first tackle of the game. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)
Asofa-Solomona will anxiously await the match review committee's charges on Saturday morning before the second preliminary final between the Penrith Panthers and Cronulla Sharks.
Melbourne has played both Penrith and Cronulla in grand finals in the past decade, beating the Panthers 26-20 in 2020, and losing 14-12 to the Sharks in 2016.
Both teams were sent a message by this year's minor premiers, who beat Cronulla 37-10 in the first week of the finals.
Despite the horror start and conceding a penalty goal and a try in Asofa-Solomona's absence, the Storm never looked back after getting back to 13 men, running in four straight tries.
Hughes and Papenhuyzen toyed with the defensive channel between Angus Crichton and Luke Keary to the tune of three first-half tries, while the other came from a superb heads-up play by Xavier Coates.
The Storm winger made sure to get a toe on his tryline as he caught a Sandon Smith bomb, taking off for the 20m tap. He found Papenhuyzen, who burst through the retreating defence before offloading to rookie Jack Howarth, who skipped out of Dom Young's tackle to score his first finals try.
Leading 22-6 at half-time, the Storm weathered back-to-back tries by the Roosters just after the break as the Tricolours got back within a converted try with just over half an hour remaining.
But Hughes scored his third after a missed knock-on by Alec Macdonald, and Papenhuyzen got his second off some Harry Grant dummy-half brilliance to give the Storm breathing room before Munster got in on the act with two tries in the final 10 minutes to blow the scoreline out.
"Obviously we didn't get off to a great start but we still showed resilience," Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy told ABC Sport.
"Then our lead at half-time, the way they came back I thought they were coming over the top of us and I was just trying to stem the tide.
"To look at the scoreboard in the end after what happened in the game was fairly surprising."
It marked the end of an era for the Roosters, who bid farewell to Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (Super League), Luke Keary (Super League), Joey Manu (rugby union), Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i (rugby union) and Sitili Tupouniua (Canterbury Bulldogs).
Look back at the action in the live blog below and check out all the stats in our ScoreCentre.
Good night and good luck
Well that will do us for tonight. Thanks for your company!
Our blog crew will be back for the AFL grand final tomorrow from 2:30pm AEST, before the second NRL preliminary final as the Panthers and Sharks face off for the last spot in the grand final from 7:50pm AEST.
Please join us then because it's shaping up to be a great day of footy.
'You'd hate to see him miss a big game': Craig Bellamy facing nervous wait on NAS
Craig Bellamy says that was one of the strangest finals games he's ever been a part of, but one thing that was a constant was the brilliance of Jahrome Hughes.
"He's always come up with the game that we need from him ... he's very versatile. And he's been doing that all year."
Bellamy says he doesn't think Nelson Asofa-Solomona should have been sin-binned, but he can only hope and pray on that front.
"You'd hate to see him miss a big game. To me, I didn't think it was a sin-bin. Penalty I thought was fair enough.
"At the end of the day, I can't control that. I didn't think there was a whole heap in it."
Trent Robinson and James Tedesco bid farewell to departing clubmates
Trent Robinson is emotional as the team bids farewell to Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Luke Keary, Joey Manu, Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i and Sitili Tupouniua.
"Those guys have had big impact on the history of our club," coach Trent Robinson says.
"It hasn't really sunk in that I won't play with them again," captain James Tedesco says.
Robinson obviously thinks Nelson Asofa-Solomona should have been sent off for his high shot on Lindsay Collins, even though he technically hasn't answered the question about it.
"It's tough when you see an important player for us [get knocked out of the game]. He's a very good player and he wasn't able to take any part in the game. So obviously that has an impact."
Robinson pays tribute to the Storm's spine of Grant, Hughes, Munster and Papenhuyzen.
"They've been humming all year. They ask a lot of questions, constantly. It's why you end up with 48 points against, when guys like that are doing their job really well."
Concerns for Melbourne
We know Nelson Asofa-Solomona has a nervous wait for a charge for his high shot in the opening seconds of the match, but there are two other big worries for the Storm.
One is centre Nick Meaney, who left the game with about five minutes left as he was troubled by cramps and a knee complaint.
The other is halfback Jahrome Hughes, who was hobbling around after the game.
Craig Bellamy said the presumptive Dally M medallist was struggling with a neck/shoulder/back problem.
It looked he copped a knock when scoring his second try just before half-time, so it's a good sign that he made it through about 37 more minutes before having to come off, but still a concern.
'Relief' the overwhelming feeling for Storm coach Craig Bellamy
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy says he's surprised the score ended up as lopsided as it did.
"It's relief to be quite honest," he says when asked about his feelings on ABC Sport.
"Obviously we didn't get off to a great start but we still showed resilience.
"Then our lead at half-time, the way they came back I thought they were coming over the top of us and I was just trying to stem the tide.
"To look at the scoreboard in the end after what happened in the end was fairly surprising."
A grand final perhaps wasn't predicted for Melbourne this year, but Bellamy says it's a testament to the performance of his players.
"I wasn't convinced we'd go this far this year, but we have. The players have done a hell of a job for us."
The end of an era for the Sydney Roosters
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As Jared Waerea-Hargreaves receives a guard of honour walking off the field, here's the list of Sydney Roosters who just played their last game for this club …
- Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (Super League)
- Luke Keary (Super League)
- Joey Manu (Rugby union)
- Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i (Rugby union)
- Sitili Tupouniua (Canterbury)
That's premiership pedigree and a lot of elite talent walking out the door for this team.
An emotional and disappointing end of an era.
Ryan Papenhuyzen grateful to be back in the grand final
The Melbourne Storm fullback has been through hell and back since winning the Clive Churchill Medal in 2020 and now he's back in the grand final.
He pays tribute to the Melbourne medical staff for getting him back fit enough to play tonight and play well enough to nab an important double.
"Just really grateful. Just a really special feeling. We've got a really special team here."
The Melbourne Storm are your first NRL grand finalists!
The Storm make a massive statement with this 48-18 win over the Sydney Roosters.
It could be easy to think it was all one-way traffic, but the game started about as badly as possible for the Storm, with Nelson Asofa-Solomona being sin-binned in the first tackle of the game.
The Roosters struck first, but the moment the Storm were back to a full complement, they took hold of the game and shook the hell out of it.
Up 22-6 at half-time, the Storm then weathered back-to-back tries by the Roosters, who got back within a converted try with half an hour left, but the hosts just refused to be rattled and powered home.
Cameron Munster adds an exclamation mark to end this game with his second try
Tyran Wishart pots the conversion and that's it.
77' Jahrome Hughes leaves the field early
It looks like just an early rest, but he's gone straight up the tunnel.
The Storm halfback did pull up a little lame after powering over for his second try just before half-time, so it may be more than an early mark.
Cameron Munster goes in and the Storm will return to the grand final!
Harry Grant fires that wide ball out from dummy half behind two block runners and that puts Cameron Munster into space around the middle.
He isolates Victor Radley, who battles admirably to hang on to the hips of the Storm five-eighth with his busted left wing.
71' Another Roosters trick shot doesn't come off
Eli Katoa breaks up a play under the posts and forces the scrum.
The Roosters attempt a flashy play to the right, but Joey Manu's no-look pass is in no man's land between Sandon Smith and Dom Young, and Smith knocks on.
68' The Roosters pressuring the Storm tryline
Will Warbrick knocks on in an aerial contest with Daniel Tupou. The Roosters pack a scrum 10 metres out.
Watch for Joey Manu to bob up on both sides of the field here.
Ryan Papenhuyzen goes in again and the Storm have some breathing room
The Storm get a quick play-the-ball after Cameron Munster turns the ball back inside through the middle for Jack Howarth.
Harry Grant schemes and schemes and eventually gets the marker over-committing before flicking the ball back in for his fullback to crash onto the ball and dive over.
63' Roosters getting adventurous
The Storm rush up on the kicker on the last and the Roosters read it, spinning the ball out to Angus Crichton and James Tedesco, but the desperate offload goes to ground and the Storm regather and go right back on the attack.
60' Victor Radley isn't human
The Roosters enforcer is playing with a broken shoulder blade, but is still sticking his tackles.
As evidence of how busted he his, he found himself accidentally at dummy half and could barely pass left to right.
Unbelievable toughness.
55' There was a blatant knock-on in the lead-up to the try
The replays to that Hughes try show Alec Macdonald clearly knocked the ball on in the contest with Crichton. Not only should it have been a knock-on, but probably a penalty for offside.
Huge miss by the bunker.
JAHROME HUGHES HAS A HAT-TRICK!!
The script flips again as the Storm regather and get a fresh set off Jahrome Hughes's kick.
Eli Katoa and Josh King send defenders scattering, King gets a quick play-the-ball and Harry Grant finds his halfback, who burrows over, once again through the tackle of Angus Crichton.
52' The Roosters are peppering, but the Storm survive this time
James Tedesco is doing the damage through the middle with Connor Watson, marching their team up the field.
The kick goes across field and Joey Manu comes down with it, but Jack Howarth knocks the ball loose at the last second. Just a metre out from the tryline.