The contest between Melbourne and Canterbury’s two halves combinations will prove crucial to the outcome of Sunday’s Elimination Final.
Melbourne’s Cooper Cronk and Ben Roberts will come up against the lethal New South Wales Origin pairing of Josh Reynolds and Trent Hodkinson.
Cronk and Roberts have settled in as Melbourne’s consistent halves combination throughout the second half of 2014 and have gelled at the right time of the season, helping drive Melbourne towards a finals finish. Roberts’s turn of speed, quick step and strong ball running ability has complimented Cronk’s vision, control and precise kicking game throughout the year.
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With Reynolds and Hodkinson playing together at club and State representative levels regularly, the pair have forged a combative and ruthless combination which is central to Des Hasler’s game plan.
As both sides face the reality of a sudden death Elimination Final on Sunday, the key to continuing beyond week one of the finals series will lie with each playmaking pair and how much influence they can exert on the contest.
In Round 18, the Bulldogs defeated Storm 6-4 in a tight and low scoring affair. See the full recap of that contest here.
Storm Combination:
Cooper Cronk
Played: 18
Tries: 5
Goals:
Tackles: 283
Run Metres: 714
Ben Roberts
Played: 17
Tries: 2
Goals: 3
Tackles: 300
Run Metres: 814
Bulldogs Combination:
Trent Hodkinson
Played: 21
Tries: 4
Goals: 62
Tackles: 336
Run Metres: 1001
Josh Reynolds
Played: 15
Tries: 2
Goals:
Tackles: 279
Run Metres: 1213
The views expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not reflect the views of Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club.
