Junior Rep Report: Round 23
In a challenging encounter at Seabrook Reserve, Melbourne Storm succumbed to a 54-16 defeat at the hands of a formidable Sharks side in Round 23 of the Jersey Flegg competition on Saturday.
Despite a spirited effort on their home turf in Broadmeadows, Storm were put under plenty of pressure by the Sharks relentless attack across the 70-minutes.
Match: Storm v Sharks
Round 23 -
home Team
Storm
11th Position
away Team
Sharks
6th Position
Venue: Seabrook Reserve, Broadmeadows
The match kicked off with promise for Storm, Delacruz Ripley crossing the line in just the 4th minute to get Storm's account underway before the Sharks responded with points of their own through Nikora Williams five minutes later.
Stanley Huen kept Storm in the fight, diving over in the 12th minute and Bradley Avery once again adding the extras to bring score to 12-12.
Despite a spirited effort from Storm inside the first half, the Sharks would hold a slim advantage heading into the break after Dylan Coutts crossed right before the break.
The Sharks wasted no time in starting the second half strongly, Te Wehi Waitere scoring just four minutes into the half to extend Cronulla’s lead to 20-12.
The physicality of Cronulla's big and experienced pack then eventually swung momentum in the visitors favour, crossing the line another three times to make the score 36-12.
Storm showed some resilience in the 56th minute when Maanaima Amosa reduced the deficit to 36-16.
While this try briefly lifted the spirits of the home side, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide as the Sharks continued to add three extra tries before the end of the match.
The Storm will look to redeem themselves on Thursday against the Panthers at BlueBet Stadium.
Written by Emily Mattocks
