Storm may lie ahead for leaders, says centre

DON’T mention the ‘F’ word around Melbourne NRL centre Will Chambers.

Not finals, but being raging favourites to win the premiership, with bookmakers giving them the shortest price for a team at this point in the season in almost a decade.

At $2.21, Melbourne’s 2008 campaign was the last time any side was shorter, then paying $2 with four rounds to play.

Ahead of Saturday’s top-ofthe-table clash with the Sydney Roosters at AAMI Park, Chambers bristled when asked about the Storm’s odds.

“What’s that mean - it doesn’t mean much does it? Are the bookies right all the time? That’s crazy,” he said.

“It’s a tight competition and anyone can beat anyone and you’ve seen that throughout the year, so to worry about something like that is crazy; we’ve just got to worry about playing the Roosters this weekend.”

While Melbourne cruised past North Queensland last round, the Roosters allowed Manly to score 32 unanswered points to fall 36-18.

Chambers wasn’t reading too much into that lapse.

“They had a bit of a slip up on the weekend but they’re a fair footy side,” he said.

“They will come here with a point to prove and they beat us over in Adelaide so it’s going to be another tough task.”

The 29-year-old has been key to Melbourne’s lethal backline, with wingers Suliasi Vunivalu and Josh Addo-Carr the form finishers in the competition. Partnering Vunivalu on the left edge, Chambers said he was in awe of the young Fijian’s athleticism.