Junior Rep Report: Round 3 & 8
It wasn’t to be for Melbourne Storm’s Jersey Flegg and SG Ball sides this weekend, going down in their respective clashes over the weekend.
On the road to face the Panthers in Round 8, Storm’s SG Ball side fell just short after showing plenty of promise throughout the first 50 minutes of the contest.
It was an electric start from Storm’s youngsters, putting on a shift to their left edge and a well placed kick being run down by speedster Ioane Lui in the 2nd minute.
Two tries in reply by the Panthers was nullified by a piece of Hugo Peel brilliance, the young fullback outleaping his opposite number before weaving his way to the tryline in the 15th minute.
The see-sawing contest continued with Storm responding to another Panthers try with one of their own, hooker Harrison Hill continuing his incredible run of try scoring form in the 28th minute.
Operating with limited real estate at their disposal, Lui and Peel combined once again, Lui laying off a well-timed pace to a flying Peel on the inside who scored before the break.
Coming out of the sheds with a four-point lead, Storm re-instated their lead when Shalom Uatisone crashed over from short range in the 50th minute.
Unfortunately for Storm, a Panthers revival in the final 10 minutes saw the hosts cross twice and steal the win 32-26.
Storm will return home and look to end their season with a bang when they face the Bulldogs at Comely Banks Reserve on Saturday.
Match: Panthers v Storm
Round 8 -
home Team
Panthers
away Team
Storm
Venue: St Marys Leagues Stadium, Sydney
Meanwhile in the Jersey Flegg, Storm were defeated 34-12 by a strong Newcastle Knights outfit in Round 3.
Coming off last week’s win, Storm competed hard inside the opening 10 minutes, scoring two tries to match it with the Knights.
It was a heads up play from centre Liam Williams that opened Storm’s account, taking the tap after a penalty and exposing the Knights defence that had clocked off on the left edge.
Suli Prescott then put himself in the right spot for their next try, scooping up a Joshua Berryman grubber that ricocheted off several legs before charging his way to the line in the 11th minute.
Despite some strong efforts from the Storm squad, the Knights would unfortunately wrestle momentum back in their favour in the second half, scoring three tries to see the final scoreline read 34-12.
Storm will look to bounce back at home when they face the Silktails at Comely Banks Reserve in Round 4.
Match: Knights v Storm
Round 3 -
home Team
Knights
4th Position
away Team
Storm
10th Position
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Storm’s Harold Matthews match against the Roosters did not go ahead and will be postponed to a date TBC.
