Melbourne Storm team mates celebrate. Source: Tony Feder / Getty Images
MELBOURNE have blown sides away this season with their blistering attack.
| 2 Tries 4 | |
|---|---|
| Joseph Leilua 25' | Jordan McLean 40' |
| Akuila Uate 32' | Cameron Smith 48' |
| Billy Slater 62' | |
| Bryan Norrie 80' | |
| 0 Conversions3 | |
| Cameron Smith 49' | |
| Cameron Smith 63' | |
| Cameron Smith 80' | |
| 1 Penalties0 | |
| Kurt Gidley 55' | |
| 0 Field Goals1 | |
| Cooper Cronk 72' | |
Their win over Newcastle was all about their suffocating defence.
Caned in the penalties and under the pump for much of the contest, Melbourne showed their championship qualities to firstly subdue a relentless Knights side before putting them to the sword late in the game.
And it was their big three, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater, who proved the difference in the end.
Down 8-4 at halftime, Smith put his side in front for the first time in the game with a try after catching the Knights defence napping close to the line.
Then, after the Knights had levelled at 10-all via the boot of Kurt Gidley, Cronk and Slater combined for the try that proved to be the turning point.
A pin-point Cronk cross kick meant for Slater found its mark as it has so often done with the Storm fullback planting the ball down under the posts before Cronk added a field goal for a 17-10 lead with eight minutes left to take the game away from the home side.
Cronk's involvement in the money plays rubbed salt into the Knights wounds.
It was the Melbourne halfback who conceded the penalty that saw the Knights draw level at 10-all midway through the second half.
He took Newcastle fullback Darius Boyd out after he was following through a Jarrod Mullen chip kick after a scrum win.
Knights players were adamant Cronk should have gone to the sin-bin for his deliberate interference and there appeared to be some justification.
Newcastle five-eighth Jarrod Mullen was a central figure as the Knights led Melbourne 8-4 at halftime.
But the two point margin at the break was hardly indicative of the home side's dominance.
Despite going into the game without influencial forward Jeremy Smith, the Knights looked confident from the outset and for much of the opening 40 minutes, the Storm were on the back foot.
It was only outstanding defence from Melbourne which denied Newcastle on several occasions.
Winger Akuila Uate was narrowly denied a try early in the game and centre Dane Gagai went close after 11 minutes following a Mullen kick into the Storm in-goal.
Melbourne's moments were few and far between with Mullen coming up with a try-saver on Maurice Blair on one of the few occasions the Storm found themselves within striking distance.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 21st minute when the Knights found Melbourne short on their right edge on the back of two straight penalties.
Backrower Robbie Rochow did his part before centre Joey Leilua crossed out wide for a 4-0 lead.
It was 8-0 eight minutes from halftime when Mullen produced some outstanding vision and execution to gift his winger Uate a try.
Noticing the Storm defence compressed on the left edge, he kicked cross-field for Uate to catch it on the full and evade Billy Slater's desperate attempt to prevent the try.
But as Melbourne is renowned for doing, they found a way, albeit, controversially, to turn a opportunity into a try.
On the back of their first penalty of the half and after an apparent Cooper Cronk knock-on, interchange forward Jordan McLean forced his way over.
Cameron Smith's conversion from close range hit the upright leaving the score at 8-4.
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