PAPPY, SMITH ON RAMPAGE
MELBOURNE Storm’s power and precision blew the disjointed Sea Eagles off the park in Friday night’s Sunshine Coast qualifying final.
Brandon Smith starred before Ryan Papenhuyzen cut loose.
Melbourne raced to a 24-6 halftime lead in what was a huge warning shot to the rest of the premiership contenders.
The Storm also shortened into $2.40 premiership favouritism with the TAB.
Storm completely nullified Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic, who for once did not have an impact and was forced into desperation plays as the game slipped away.
Back-rower Josh Schuster was put on report for an innocuous lifting tackle on Jahrome Hughes in the second half, but that was the least of Manly’s worries. Their premiership hopes are now on the rocks.
Smith was a runaway in 18 minutes of mayhem before he failed a head injury assessment.
The stage was set for fullback Papenhuyzen to unleash, and he did exactly that with two scintillating tries either side of the break.
Trbojevic was hardly sighted in open play by the time Storm had shot to a 16-0 lead in as many minutes with tries to Isaac Lumelume, Kenny Bromwich and Christian Welch.
The Sea Eagles were on their knees when Papenhuyzen put the foot down.
Manly winger Jason Saab scored two tries from kicks to take his season tally to 25, but the Sea Eagles have plenty to fix before a sudden death semi-final against the winner of the Roosters-Titans clash.
Captain Daly Cherry-Evans had an off-night, but of more concern was the way Welch, Dale Finucane and Nelson Asofa-Solomona manhandled the Sea Eagles’ pack.
Storm is sitting pretty to defend its title and has a fortnight’s break to give winger Josh Addo-Carr time to recover from a hamstring complaint.
SLEIGHT OF HAND
SMITH’S opening salvo was as powerful as any he’s had this year.
He swooped on a loose ball early to send Lumelume away. His sleight-ofhand pass to put a barnstorming Welch over was one Cam Smith would have been proud. His cameo set the scene for what followed.
MUNSTER MILESTONE
IN Cameron Munster’s 150th NRL game for Storm, the talismanic fiveeighth showed no signs of the knee wound that led to him spending a night in hospital.
This was Munster at his most unselfish and as the ultimate team player. He had two try assists by halftime when the game was on the line and assumed the role of on-field general with aplomb.
TURBO CONTAINED
TRBOJEVIC did not make a line break and had just one tackle break.
The Storm defenders sliced him down around the boots and made sure when he got the ball he was surrounded.
Before the game Melbourne cocaptain Finucane said his side had detailed plans to stop Trbojevic. Those plans worked a treat.