Round 5 - Match Preview

Melbourne Storm v Newcastle Knights
Sunday April 2, 3pm
AAMI Park

Storm will be out to overturn recent history when they run out onto AAMI Park this Saturday afternoon.
The men in purple have fallen in three of their last four games against the Knights and Craig Bellamy is out to ensure the rut stops now.
His side will have no shortage of motivation as they look to make amends after suffering their first defeat of the season on Monday night at the hands of Cronulla.
Storm will be without Curtis Scott who suffered a fractured fibula in Round 4, with Ben Hampton named to take his place in the centres.
Marika Koroibete will also miss Saturday’s clash due to a one-week suspension for a tripping charge, meaning a new-look Storm left-edge will be out to face the Knights.
The Knights took a direct flight from New Zealand to Melbourne following their loss the Warriors on Monday and will spend this week training next door at Collingwood’s Holden Centre.
Despite naming a 17-man team, coach and former Storm coaching consultant Nathan Brown has brought 21 players with him to Melbourne, meaning there could be some late mail news coming out of their sheds before kick-off.

Be at AAMI Park when Storm host the Knights on Saturday 2 April from 3pm.

Key Matchups:

Cooper Cronk v Trent Hodkinson
Playmakers for their respective sides, little will happen on Saturday without one of these men having a say. Hodkinson is the new captain and star recruit desperate to change the fortunes of his side. The ever-reliable Cronk will look to control the game by foot, an area of the game where is currently ranked fourth in the competition for metres gained.

Cameron Munster v Dane Gagai
Munster was arguably best afield for Storm on Monday night and has enjoyed a stellar opening month of the season at fullback. Gagai leads the Knights in total runs and metres, averaging 7.4m with the football. Both players are X-factors and a standout performance from either of them could go a long way to deciding this one.

Milestones: Kenny Bromwich & Jordan McLean – 50 games

History: Played 34; Storm 19, Knights 15. Newcastle hold no fears of coming to Melbourne, having secured victory from two of their last three visits.

What we’ve said:

“After what happened on Monday night it is probably a little bit more about us this week and a couple of things we need to fix up pretty quickly” – Craig Bellamy

“It's awesome to be able to play 50 games for this club. Especially at home because I'll be able to have my family here, and it'll be extra special to play my 50th with Jesse as well” – Kenny Bromwich
 

What they’ve said:

“A number of players will undergo a fitness test on Friday morning and then we will have some idea of what our team will look like” – Nathan Brown

"Melbourne in Melbourne has been one of the toughest road trips, they are a side that don't generally give much away. It is a good opportunity for us to take on one of the better teams in the competition" – Nathan Brown
 

Match Officials: Referee – Henry Perenara; Assistant – Chris Sutton; Touch Judges – Brett Suttor & Dave Ryan; Review Officials – Ben Galea & Jason Robinson; Senior Review Official – Bernard Sutton.

Broadcast: TV – Fox Sports 1, Radio – ABC & Triple M, Online – NRL Digital Pass.

Squads: