[2021] PF Storm v Panthers - Game Day Thread

Game Day Information

:rugby_football: Match Melbourne Storm v Penrith Panthers
:stadium: Venue Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane QLD
:clock10: Time Saturday 25th September 2021 4:50pm
:tickets: Tickets Tickets via NRL.com
:sun_behind_rain_cloud: Weather :sun_behind_small_cloud: Partly Cloudy 26Ā°C (<1% Chance of Rain :cloud_with_rain:)
:tv: Broadcast :tv: Channel Nine HD (FTA) [LIVE]
:tv: Fox League (Channel 502) [LIVE]
:desktop_computer: NRL Live Pass [LIVE]
:kayo: Kayo Sports [LIVE]
:radio: ABC Sydney 702AM [LIVE]
:radio: 2GB Sydney 873AM [LIVE]
:radio: MMM Sydney 104.9FM [LIVE]

:rugby_football: Telstra Premiership | Full Time

Penrith Panthers 10 Tries Stephen Crichton, Brian Toā€™o.
Goals Nathan Cleary (1/2)
Melbourne Storm 6 Tries Ryan Papenhuyzen.
Goals Ryan Papenhuyzen (1/1)

Postgame Media

MATCH REPORT

PRESS CONFERENCE

HIGHLIGHTS

FULL MATCH REPLAY

PANTHER PRIDE MOTM VOTING

Team

Penrith Panthers Melbourne Storm
TEAM TEAM
Dylan Edwards 1 Fullback 1 Ryan Papenhuyzen
Stephen Crichton 2 Wing 2 George Jennings
Paul Momirovski 3 Centre 3 Reimis Smith
Matt Burton 4 Centre 4 Justin Olam
:small_red_triangle:Brian Toā€™o 21 Wing 5 Josh Addo-Carr
Jarome Luai 6 Five-Eighth 6 Cameron Munster
Nathan Cleary Ā© 7 Halfback 7 Jahrome Hughes
:small_red_triangle:Tevita Pangai Junior 16 Forward 8 Jesse Bromwich Ā©
Apisai Koroisau 9 Hooker 9 Brandon Smith
James Fisher-Harris 10 Forward 10 Christian Welch
Viliame Kikau 11 Second Row 11 Felise Kaufusi
Kurt Capewell 12 Second Row 12 Kenneath Bromwich
Isaah Yeo Ā© 13 Lock 13 Dale Finucane
INTERCHANGE INTERCHANGE
Tyrone May 14 Interchange 14 Harry Grant
Scott Sorensen 15 Interchange 15 Tui Kamikamica
Liam Martin 17 Interchange 16 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
:small_red_triangle:Spencer Leniu 19 Interchange 17 Nicholas Hynes
RESERVE RESERVE
:small_red_triangle_down:Brent Naden 5 Reserve 18 Aaron Pene
:injured::small_red_triangle_down:Moses Leota 8 Reserve 19 Tom Eisenhuth
:small_red_triangle_down:Izack Tago 18 Reserve 20 Chris Lewis
:small_red_triangle_down:Jā€™maine Hopgood 20 Reserve 21 Isaac Lumelume
COACH COACH
Ivan Ceary HC Coach HC Craig Bellamy
Cameron Ciraldo AC Coach AC Stephen Kearney
Andrew Webster AC Coach AC Marc Brentnall

Match Officials

Telstra Premiership
Referee Gerard Sutton
Sideline Official Todd Smith
Dave Munro
Video Referee Ashley Klein

Referee Success Rate

Referee Active Since 2021 Overall Pen. For Pen. Against Ratio
Gerard Sutton 2009 (3/4) 75% (22/40) 55% 155 156.5 0.99

I guess one thing we will have going for us is that we wonā€™t have the pressure of the ā€˜favouritesā€™ tag on us. Many Commentators, critics and NRL fans have already put the line thorough us, saying we are done.

I disagree. The last two weeks has been a real trial by fire. Both Souths and Parramatta threw everything at us, and we have still managed to stay in the fight. I am under no delusion thoughā€¦ Melbourne will turn the heat right up on us this weekend. But I feel we are in a better position to bring the fight with those two matches under our belt.

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With the Storm having the week off, I think we will want a minimum 7 point buffer going into the last 20 minutes. Our defence is good, but Iā€™m expecting the Storm to come home strong & any less than that could see the fatigue factor be our Achilles heel.

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One thing is that we sure will be battle hardened.

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Back in the days of 5 team finals Jack Gibson reckoned it was a disadvantage to have that first week off.

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Well the Raiders sure showed us that in ā€˜90

not there yet but close to getting the ticket to the main dance and fittingly Storm stand in our way of appearing in our consecutive GF.
Doubt we will have either Kikau or Kenny for the game and Nathan was touting May yesterday for the Kenny spot and IMO, would be a bad move
We have enough ball players in the squad, we need big boppers to maintain the intensity and to hold at worst and roll over at best the Storm forwards.
This game could be a classic.
I firmly believe the winner of the comp comes from this game.
But we need to focus on THIS game, not what can beā€¦we need to focus on getting this job done.

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Iā€™m a little excited about this game, bit weird but I am confident.

I think the week off pre finals and the week off last week will play in our favor. Their big names have essentially played once in 4 weeks. Look at how JFH came back, Cleary, Luai etc - If we go at them like we did Saturday night, they will struggle the last 15.

The demon in me says it will be decided by the ref and the game will be a runaway for who ever gets the ref calls. If they ref the ruck ala the Roosters v Manly game, we will win by 40ā€¦if not and Storm get away with standard Storm tactics, I fear the result.

3 Likes

Canā€™t argue with a confident man, Kev.

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:mega: Team Lists and Match Officials have been updated.

gees i hope we donā€™t play May, Storm will be rubbing their hands together with him in our side as he is a defensive liability and has been shown to be on too many occasions

Our defence will have to be front and centre again this week and i donā€™t believe we can carry May, we need all 13 on the field to be on their game.

I would go with Tago who looks like he has ability and could cover a few positions

If Too does make it to play i would keep Naden on the bench as the utility player

Storm will do what they always do, try to blow a side away early and ā€œcruiseā€ homeā€¦we need to be ready from the kick off and its not like us but if we could put 12 on them early, we just might see Storm panic.

Should be a classic.

3 Likes

I really donā€™t understand the anti TMay lobby. Yes, he wasnā€™t NC when called on to play at 7, but as #14 he does the utility job for us & acts as cover if Api was to go down during the game.
He filled in at FB in the 2nd half vs $torm when Dylan was injured & did a serviceable job, without us having to totally restructure the lineup on the run.
He makes his tackles in the middle & his missed tackle ratio is low. He can throw a pass.
He is the best option for the bench utility role

mrwalker I am one of the lobbiests lol

I look at TMay similar to Mbye (only a 1st grader at the tigers) who plays where ever told/needed, fills a void but will never win you a game or have an impactā€¦BUT he is capable of losing you a game with an average game. In my own opinion, he has too many average games, luckily our group have been capable of overcoming his deficiencies. This game however is not a regular season contest, itā€™s our 2021 season on the line. I personally would bring Spencer in and have Api play 80 with Luai having 2 x 5 minute dummy half stints each half to give Api a breatherā€¦if he needs it !

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100% Kevin. Heā€™s a worry and coming back from injury?

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I guess we will have to disagree. I find it hard to be critical of a player who has done a job for us over the past 2 seasons, and I think he gets a bad rap over the failure to be NC in those games when NC was out. Very few teams have anyone who could what NC does week to week, including their well paid specialist halves.
I recall some of the players who have worn our jersey & just how bad they were & I am truly thankful that we have someone better than them.
And the comparison to Mbye if flawed. Mbye was signed as a marquee player, a specialist fullback/centre who has proven such a flop that they have had to play him as a utility to try and get some of their moneys worth.
Anyway, I expect that TMay will play in #14 and I will be supporting him to have a good game & for us to win!

Me to 100% mrwalker - but doesnā€™t change my opinion. I hope he has a blinder off the bench, we will need it.

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his purported utility play devalues his performances. Not easy to play a different position week in / week out. Having said that heā€™s only just come back from injury hasnā€™t he, So now we have to hope heā€™s fit enough to fill those possible roles, not ideal.
.

Agree Puss, we are worried about ToĆ³ but no one is mentioning the impact if our bench utility goes down 5 minutes in with a recurring knee injury, surely cannot be 100%.

One thing I try and take to heart is, I donā€™t think IC is a ā€œpreferential treatmentā€ kind of coach, yes NC was calling for him to be picked, but IC would do what is best for the team in his mindā€¦hereā€™s hoping.

He obviously has the goods on the training paddockā€¦but so did Luke Walsh :rofl:

On Luke Walsh, I do wonder how things may have been different with a better coach (dare I say including Barrett as assistant).

I wonder no such thing about Sammet however lol

1 Like