Melbourne Storm v Canberra Raiders
Saturday 2 September, 7.30pm
AAMI Park
Head-to-Head: Storm 28, Raiders 11, Drawn 1
Last time we met: Round 20, 2017 – Melbourne 20 def Canberra Raiders 14 at GIO Stadium
TV: Fox Sports 502
Radio: 2GB & ABC Grandstand
Smith to equal Lockyer
Cameron Smith will play the 355th game of his career this Saturday, equaling Darren Lockyer for most games played in NRL history. It is yet another chapter to add in an already over-flowing list of accomplishments for the Storm skipper. It seems every week this season Smith has etched his name onto yet another record. This one is arguably the most significant of them all, adding further weight to the argument that he is could be the greatest player to ever step on to a rugby league field.
#ThanksCooper
Plenty of emotion will be felt around AAMI Park with Cooper Cronk to play his last Storm home game. The champion halfback will depart the Club at season’s end and Saturday night shapes as the last true chance for Melbourne to given a special thanks to Cronk for all he has given to this Club and this city. A ‘Cooper’s Crew’ will sitting behind the goals, all wearing purple t-shirts in a tribute to the legendary No.7. You can be part of ‘Cooper’s Crew’ for just an extra $10 by clicking here.
Storm v Raiders. ONLY footy in town. Saturday, Sept 2. Book now!
Silverware to be delivered
The J.J Giltinan Shield will be staying right here in Melbourne! NRL CEO Todd Greenberg will be making the trip down to present Craig Bellamy and his side with their second consecutive minor premiership. Storm wrapped up topped spot with three games still to play in the season and will be striving for their 20th win of 2017 when they take on the Raiders. The presentation will take place on the field after the game so Storm fans will be able to witness a special piece of history this Saturday night.
Raiders attack a danger
Canberra may rank 10th for defence but they sit third for most points scored this season at an average of 24 points per game. Like Storm, the Raiders also flexed their attacking muscle last week when they put 46 points on the Knights, lead by the hat-trick of Jordan Rapana. The Canberra winger has scored 20 tries this season, two behind competition leader Suliasi Vunivalu heading into the final game of the season. An unsung hero of the Raiders attack has been Nick Cotric, who has scored an impressive 16 tries in his debut season.
The only show in town
With the AFL taking the week off, Storm will take centre stage on Saturday night! A massive crowd is expected to fill AAMI Park to see Melbourne and Canberra go head-to-head. For a sports-mad city, there is only one place Melburnians can go this weekend to satisfy their sporting appetite. See you at AAMI Park!
