Wests Tigers maintain their 100% start to the season
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. In Billy Slater’s 300th NRL game, the favourites were supposed to prevail and vanquish the upstarts from Sydney. But it was not to be.
Early in the piece Melbourne took the tap and go option when they could have got points on the board with penalties. I said they might live to regret it, and this proved to be the case.
The first 37 minutes of the game were scoreless, but the less fancied Tigers were giving as good as they got and playing some great defensive football. And then Esan Marsters scored a penalty, doing what Storm failed to do and taking his points. Two minutes later, he did it again and the visitors led 4-0 at half-time.
Quarter of an hour into the second half, Marsters got a third penalty and an upset was on the cards. But with 17 minutes to go, Ben Matulino was sin-binned and the home side took full advantage, which the Roosters had not been able to do in similar circumstances against the Tigers a week earlier.
A minute after Matulino was sent packing, Suliasi Vunivalu touched down to bring Storm back into the game. An awful missed conversion by Cameron Smith was to prove fatal, though he did then score two penalties to put Storm in front. It looked like Slater would get his fairytale win, but the Tigers had other ideas.
With three minutes to go Luke Brookes scored a try for the Tigers. Marsters missed the conversion, but it made no difference, Wests Tigers held on for a deserved win and the travelling supporters had another win to celebrate. The team that few fancied two weeks ago have got off to a brilliant start to the season, with two wins from two.
Full-time: Melbourne Storm 8-10 Wests Tigers
80 min: It’s all over and the Tigers are surpassing all expectations. What a game, what a night and what a team the Tigers are proving to be with two upset wins to start their season with a serious kickstart.
78 min: Esan Martsers misses the conversion, but the Tigers are leading 10-8 in the final moments of this compelling game.
TRY! Tigers back in front!
77 min: Luke Brookes scores for the Tigers! The travelling supporters are ecstatic.
76 min: More pressure on Vunivalu, with an ugly bounce to deal with. Three minutes for the Tigers to salvage this game.
75 min: Suliasi Vunivalu fluffs the ball on the line. The Tigers are not giving up by any stretch and are giving it their all as the clock winds down to 80 minutes.
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74 min: Forward pass from Billy Slater means no try to Melbourne. That would have ended the contest if it had been allowed. But the Tigers are still alive.
73 min: Big Sam Kasiano is off for a HIA and does not look too happy about it. Better be safe than sorry though, I reckon.
Goal! Melbourne Storm 8-6 Wests Tigers
71 min: Smith scores again from a penalty. The Storm have done what the Roosters failed to do last week – take advantage of the Tigers being down to 12 men. This game has turned around since Matulino was sent to the sin bin, and the Storm have the lead for the first time in this game.
Goal! Melbourne Storm 6-6 Wests Tigers
68 min: No mistake this time from Smith. They finally give up on the tap and go and take their penalty points. All square with just over 10 minutes to go.
65 min: And Cameron Smith misses the chance to level the game. That was a shockingly bad kick.
TRY! Melbourne Storm 4-6 Wests Tigers
64 min: Suliasi Vunivalu touches down. Storm are back in the game, taking full advantage of having an extra man.
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Tigers down to 12 men for the second week running
63 min: Ben Matulino is off.
61 min: Reader Bob Mills has been in touch by email: “Absolutely correct about St Patrick. But can we limit the stout puns - it’s too hot up here in the northern rivers to even think about it.”
Believe it or not Bob, that pun was not intended! Might have been subconsciously though. I did spot it after I posted it.
60 min: Marshall kicks to touch again, slowing the game down with his side ahead, showing a cool head and great professionalism. What a player he is. What an asset to the Tigers.
59 min: Slater to Josh Addo-Carr, but he can’t hold it and the home side fluff their lines again. It’s looking like one of those nights for the Storm.
Goal! Storm 0-6 Tigers
56 min: That man Esan Marsters scores again. I said earlier the Storm might regret not taking their penalty chances and that’s how it’s playing out.
55 min: More sustained pressure from the Tigers and they have another penalty.
53: Kevin Naiqama is off HIA after a heavy tackle. Elijah Taylor is on for him.
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52 min: The Storm just cannot get any momentum going. Wests are playing like actual tigers. Literally. (OK, not literally.)
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48 min: By the way, do not refer to this day as Paddy’s day. It’s St Patrick’s day, thank you.
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47 min: This is real attritional play by the Tigers. They are defending well, attacking stoutly and taking their points when they can. And it’s working.
45 min: Storm’s management do not look happy at how this fame is going. I don’t blame them.
42 min: Nice kick from Cameron Munster for the Storm. His name intrigues me as that is the province of Ireland I’m from. Munster. Not Cameron.
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Peep! The second half is under way.
41 min: Billy Slater’s 300th NRL game has been a bit quiet so far. He will desperately want to mark the occasion with a win though.
The second half is almost upon us and for the second week running, Wests Tigers are defying the odds.
Goal! Storm 0-4 Tigers
40 min: That man Masters scores another penalty, this one after the siren. What a strong finish to the half from the Tigers. I’ll be back presently. In the meantime I have some AFLW to take care of.
Goal! Storm 0-2 Tigers
38 min: Esan Marsters scores from a penalty. No way were they going to do anything other than take their points.
37 min: Matt Eisenhuth is playing very well for the Tigers. But still no score.
36 min: Nine to four is the penalty count, so far. Storm having had the nine.
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35 min: Thompson grounds the ball sufficiently to prevent the Storm from scoring a try. Boos around AAMI park, but it was the right decision. The Tigers will be happy to get to half-time without conceding.
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33 min: The home crowd loudly boos Benji Marshall for wasting time with a penalty. Like he cares.
31 min: The clock is ticking towards half-time and both sides are desperate to get on the scoreboard.
30 min: If this was round ball football I’d describe it as real end to end stuff. But it’s not, so I’ll just say each side is getting a chance to attack, often due to errors by the other.
27 min: Marshall finds touch, taking the pressure off. Another scrum ensues.
26 min: Kenny Bromwich is on the field, playing his 100th NRL game. Long way to go before he catches Billy Slater, but congratulations to him.
23 min: We are more than halfway through the first half and still no score. Storm might now be rueing not taking easy points when they had the chance.
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19 min: Benji Marshall kicks into the end and puts Storm under pressure.
18 min: Yet another scrum. Far more than you usually see.
17 min: Bit of biff between Brooks and Billy. I love alliteration.
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16 min: Knock-on by Croft. He might have done better there, but it’s only his 7th game in the NRL. He’ll learn.
14 min: Great defence from Thompson saves a dangerous situation for the Tigers. This game is all about sharp defence so far.
11 min: Curtis Scott came close in the corner, held off by strong defence from the Tigers. That breaks what has been a relentless, but fruitless, few minutes by the Storm.
9 min: Another Storm penalty, and again they’d rather go for a try than take what would have been a relatively easy goal. They don’t get a try.
8 min: Storm got a penalty but chose not to go for an easy two points. They may regret that later.
6 min: Confusion among Melbourne’s back three could have let Tigers in, but they dodged a bullet and live to fight another day.
4 min: Good defending by the Storm stops the Tigers from sneaking in for a try.
3 min: Thompson is making headway as the Tigers make good use of having the ball.
1 min: A bright start from Storm. They do not want to be party poopers on Slater’s special day.
Peep!
We are under way in Melbourne.
Slater runs through the banner with his kids Tyler and Jake. Tyler got a bit stuck, so Billy went back for him, natch.
The Tigers are on the pitch. It’s almost game time. We are all waiting for Billy Slater. And here he is, to thunderous applause.
Tigers line-up
Wests Tigers
19. David Nofoaluma
2. Corey Thompson
3. Esan Marsters
4. Kevin Naiqama
5. Malakai Watene-Zelezniak
6. Benji Marshall
7. Luke Brooks
8. Russell Packer (capt.)
9. Pita Godinet
10. Ben Matulino
11. Chris Lawrence
12. Robbie Rochow
13. Elijah Taylor
Interchange:
14. Matt McIlwrick
15. Alex Twal
17. Matt Eisenhuth
18. Josh Aloiai
Storm line-up
Melbourne Storm
1. Billy Slater
2. Suliasi Vunivalu
3. Will Chambers
4. Curtis Scott
5. Josh Addo-Carr
6. Cameron Munster
7. Brodie Croft
8. Jesse Bromwich
9. Cameron Smith ©
10. Nelson Asofa Solomona
19. Joe Stimson
12. Ryan Hoffman
13. Dale Finucane
14. Tim Glasby
15. Kenny Bromwich
16. Christian Welch
17. Sam Kasiano
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Penrith have just beaten Souths 18-14. That’s two wins in a row for the Panthers, two losses in a row for the Rabbitohs.
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Storm trounced the Bulldogs 36-18 in the opening round last weekend, leaving them third on the ladder after the Dragons and Warriors, who also had comprehensive wins. That lends them to being firm favourites at home tonight, but as the Tigers showed last weekend in their unexpected win over the Roosters, sometimes the favourite comes second.
Tonight’s game will be Billy Slater’s 300th NRL appearance. This is a very big deal. Hopefully he will not let the occasion hinder his usual game. On previous form, we do not have to worry about that. He is surely one of the greatest players the NRL has ever seen.
Today, as I’m sure you are all aware, is St Patrick’s day. And nothing makes me so proud of my countrymen as this picture of Ronald Reagan and a suspiciously tall leprechaun in the 1980s. (For those of you too young to remember, Reagan was the Donald Trump of the 80s.) Scroll down a bit for the Reagan and leprechaun picture.
Preamble
Good evening league fans and welcome to the Melbourne Storm versus Wests Tigers live blog. While you’re waiting for me to write another scintillating post, remind yourself of the rugby league genius that is former Queensland premier Peter Beattie, aka the man who doesn’t know if the Cronulla team is called the Hawks, Seagulls or Sharks. This might make no odds if Beattie was merely an ex-politician subjected to a gotcha moment, but he is the ARL commission chairman, for heaven’s sake.
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