A stagnant attack told the story of Storm’s 22-8 defeat at the hands of the Raiders last night.
Melbourne had 54% of possession but could muster only the one try on the way to their heaviest defeat of the season.
It was also Melbourne’s lowest score of the season since Round 4.
“We weren’t crisp enough with the footy tonight inside their 20,” Cameron Smith said.
“They scrambled really well and their line speed was good so it is always more difficult to score when your playing against teams who are defending like that.
“I don’t think we helped our edges all that well with our execution in the middle.
“It is a big part of the game now, to give our outside men one-on-one opportunities but tonight whenever the ball got out to Munster or our centres they were very outnumbered.”
Be at AAMI Park when we take on the Broncos, Friday 26 August, 7:30pm.
The Raiders brought 80 minutes of defensive intensity on Monday night that ultimately proved the difference.
After seeing his side’s six-game winning streak come to an end, Craig Bellamy was well aware of the hard work ahead for his side.
“They defended really well there without a doubt but our timing was off and our passing wasn’t up to scratch,” he said.
“When they defended well and we were quite on our game it made it hard.
“We’ve plateaued in the last couple of weeks so we need to find a way to get better. The Raiders are a team that has lifted their execution and all round game.”
