MELBOURNE TOO GOOD AT HOME
FULL MATCH WRAP
COWBOYS coach Paul Green has unloaded on his struggling team, accusing players of believing their own hype.
Green could not hide his disappointment after the Cowboys were beaten 30- 14 by the Storm at AAMI Park to make it one win and two losses to start the season.
Asked in the post- match press conference how his team could stop their slump, Green replied: “Stop reading headlines for a start.”
“We weren’t anywhere near consistent enough in our effort,” he said.
“The last two weeks we’re getting beaten on effort areas, not on skill or talent. “It disappoints me. “We’re looking for an easy ride at the moment.”
The Cowboys’ much- vaunted forward pack will need to hit the reset button after they were outplayed for a second straight week following last week’s loss to the Broncos.
Lauded by most experts as arguably the best pack in the competition, North Queensland were unable to quell a giant Storm pack in the grand final rematch.
Melbourne’s forwards set up a seventh straight win against the Cowboys and won the offload count 14- 3 in a stop- start affair riddled with penalties.
The Storm directed most of their attack through the Cowboys’ middle, the visitors on the wrong end of a 28- 15 missed tackle count.
Not even a powerful display from Cowboys wrecking ball Coen Hess – who marked his return to the starting back row with two tries, six tackle breaks, three line breaks and 126m – could stop Storm bouncing back after last week’s shock upset to the Tigers.
The Cowboys have now started the season with one win from three matches, setting up a crunch home assign- ment against Penrith next Thursday. Cowboys fiveeighth Michael Morgan had an unhappy night in his return from a stomach injury, with his kicking game especially poor.
Both teams traded penalty goals early before Melbourne laid on the first four- pointer when a Billy Slater offload put back rower Joe Stimson over after 15 minutes.
After a couple of penalties their way, Hess celebrated his return to the starting back row by beating the tackles of Cameron Munster and Ryan Hoffman off a Johnathan Thurston short ball.
Six minutes before the break Morgan booted the ball out on the full to give Melbourne field position, and the Storm made them pay with a try to Christian Welch.
Another Storm penalty goal on halftime handed them an 18- 8 lead at the break.
Fourteen minutes into the second half Hess crossed for his second try, dragging three defenders over the line with brute strength to get the Cowboys back into the game.
The Storm nearly hit back immediately but Billy Slater’s no- look ball to Dale Finucane close to the line, when he perhaps should have taken on the defence himself, was dropped by the bench forward.
A fourth penalty goal for the night to Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith extended Storm’s advantage to 20- 14 with 14 minutes remaining.
A try to Storm and Queensland centre Will Chambers with seven minutes left sealed the deal for the hosts.