Challenged by coach Craig Bellamy after the 20-18 round eight road loss to Cronulla, Melbourne responded as Melbourne does, snapping out of their recent malaise by thumping the Eels.
Their record stands at 7-2 after nine rounds but Bellamy won't be satisfied until he believes his team truly deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the Roosters and Rabbitohs as the standout title contenders.
The Tigers conjured the most devastating opening period seen by any team this season against the Panthers, setting up a 30-4 triumph with five of their six tries scored in the first 17 minutes.
Bellamy will be reminding his players this week about their 2018 record against the Tigers - a 10-8 loss in round two followed by a 11-10 loss in round five.
Match: Storm v Wests Tigers
Round 10 -
home Team
Storm
2nd Position
away Team
Wests Tigers
7th Position
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
The Rundown
Team news
Storm: Joe Stimson replaced Sandor Earl on the bench in a late change, with Billy Walters also dropping out. Injuries to Jahrome Hughes and Curtis Scott opened the door for Ryan Papenhuyzen to start at fullback and Marion Seve to return to first grade. Patrick Kaufusi and Tino Faasuamaleaui dropped out of the extended squad 24 hours before kick-off.
Wests Tigers: The Tigers are 1-17. Josh Aloiai returns after missing the Magic Round win over Penrith with concussion. Oliver Clark is the man to drop off the bench to make way for Aloiai. Clark and Luke Garner were trimmed from the reserves on Wednesday, with Paul Momirovski and Elijah Taylor dropping out on game day.
Match: Storm v Wests Tigers
Round 10 -
home Team
Storm
away Team
Wests Tigers
Team Lists
Backs
-
Fullback for Storm is number 1 Ryan PapenhuyzenFullback for Wests Tigers is number 1 Moses Mbye
-
Winger for Storm is number 2 Suliasi VunivaluWinger for Wests Tigers is number 2 Mahe Fonua
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Centre for Storm is number 3 Will ChambersCentre for Wests Tigers is number 3 Robert Jennings
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Centre for Storm is number 4 Marion SeveCentre for Wests Tigers is number 4 Esan Marsters
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Winger for Storm is number 5 Josh Addo-CarrWinger for Wests Tigers is number 5 Corey Thompson
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Five-Eighth for Storm is number 6 Cameron MunsterFive-Eighth for Wests Tigers is number 6 Benji Marshall
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Halfback for Storm is number 7 Brodie CroftHalfback for Wests Tigers is number 7 Luke Brooks
Forwards
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Prop for Storm is number 8 Jesse BromwichProp for Wests Tigers is number 8 Ben Matulino
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Hooker for Storm is number 9 Cameron SmithHooker for Wests Tigers is number 9 Robbie Farah
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Prop for Storm is number 10 Nelson Asofa-SolomonaProp for Wests Tigers is number 10 Alex Twal
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2nd Row for Storm is number 11 Felise Kaufusi2nd Row for Wests Tigers is number 11 Ryan Matterson
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2nd Row for Storm is number 12 Kenneath Bromwich2nd Row for Wests Tigers is number 12 Chris McQueen
-
Lock for Storm is number 13 Dale FinucaneLock for Wests Tigers is number 13 Matthew Eisenhuth
Interchange
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Interchange for Storm is number 14 Brandon SmithInterchange for Wests Tigers is number 14 Jacob Liddle
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Interchange for Storm is number 15 Christian WelchInterchange for Wests Tigers is number 15 Thomas Mikaele
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Interchange for Storm is number 16 Tui KamikamicaInterchange for Wests Tigers is number 16 Josh Aloiai
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Interchange for Storm is number 19 Joe StimsonInterchange for Wests Tigers is number 17 Michael Chee Kam
Match Officials
- Referee: Adam Gee
- Referee: Gavin Badger
- Touch Judge: Chris Butler
- Touch Judge: Tim Roby
- Senior Review Official: Steve Chiddy
Last updated:
Key match-up
They managed to keep each other relatively quiet in their two games last year but expect rival No.6s Benji Marshall and Cameron Munster to break out of their shells this time around. Marshall is feeling revitalised after five weeks out with a hamstring strain, using his nous and connection with Robbie Farah to silence the Panthers in his first game back in Magic Round. Munster scored two tries, made two line breaks and a try assist to overwhelm the Eels.
For the Storm to win
If they keep giving their fullback and wingers room to move, they will continue to burn teams up the middle or out wide. Five of the 11 Storm tries last weekend came from the back three. Even with Jahrome Hughes (concussion) absent, Ryan Papenhuyzen showed as swift a pair of heels, in scoring his 55th minute try, as Josh Add-Carr and Suliasi Vunivalu did in scoring theirs.
For the Tigers to win
Completing their sets as successfully (80%) as they did against the Panthers will go a long way to ensuring their sixth win of the season. They also made seven line breaks to three, and 41 tackle busts to 166, so more of that powerful and elusive running will be required. More importantly, in trying to contain Storm, is that Michael Maguire's side only missed 16 from 316 tackles made.
Brett Kimmorley says
Craig Bellamy got the response he wanted from his team – after the Sharks loss he questioned whether they were the right players going forward and they certainly responded by thrashing the Eels. They had big performances from Smith, Munster and Curtis Scott who starred in his return but will obviously be missing now for a number of weeks. Meanwhile for the Tigers we saw a bit of magic from Benji and Robbie as they made light work of Penrith. I think the battle in this game is between the two sixes and the two nines, they're all so important to victory for their club. Whoever gets on top in that battle will win on Thursday night. Storm by 6.
Stat Attack
Wests Tigers No.7 Luke Brooks leads the NRL in engaging the line, while Storm No.7 Brodie Croft is third in support play - making the showdown between these two as interesting as the five-eighths match-up between Marshall the maestro, and Munster the mover and shaker.
And another thing ...
Michael Maguire and Craig Bellamy both played together and then did their early coaching tuition at the Raiders before Bellamy invited 'Madge' to be his assistant at Storm in 2004. They have a similar work ethic around discipline and doing their job. Madge was a key part of Storm's run of four consecutive grand finals (2006-09).
