With Magic Round back for 2022 this weekend, Melbourne Storm are looking to continue their historical dominance of the Round 10 fixture when they take on the reigning premiers, the Penrith Panthers.
The two clubs are what many consider a typical modern day rivalry, having played each other in two of the biggest games the NRL has seen in recent years - the 2020 NRL Grand Final and the 2021 Preliminary Final - with both games having split results.
Despite Penrith’s success in 2021 and their hot start to 2022, Melbourne is looking to bounce back following an unfortunate exit to their own historical 2021 campaign where they matched an NRL record of 19 straight wins.
Dating back to the inaugural season for Magic Round in 2019, Melbourne has been able to consistently dominate its opponents in Brisbane while Penrith has been a bit hit and miss with its form at Suncorp.
In 2019, Melbourne took on the Parramatta Eels and, with Ryan Papenhuyzen emerging as the next star of the game, put on a masterful display with a 64-10 victory. Meanwhile, Penrith struggled against a strong Wests Tigers outfit that handed them a 30-4 loss.
Things were soon to get better, much better, for the Panthers.
Following the Covid affected year of 2020, Magic Round returned with a bang in 2021 and both clubs followed suit. Melbourne continued its dominance with another large victory over the St George Illawarra Dragons, winning 44-18. Penrith ran in eight tries to beat the Titans 48-12.
Saturday night will surely be another huge game and build on the rivalry that has been brewing for the last few seasons.
Players to watch:
Kenny Bromwich - Scored in each Magic Round game dating back to 2019
Jahrome Hughes - Scored in each Magic Round game dating back to 2019
- Written by Raigan Vidler
