Round 22: STORM vs TITANS

[gotitans101_]

Matt White has been on my chit list for a while, but he played much better last night i thought. some real charges.

But i dont think he is in our long term plans, so hope he finishes year well and gets himself a contract elsewhere

He did this the last time he was playing for a contract. Then once we resigned him he was back to being his old self again. I hate when players only play when their contract is up for grabs then bludge for the rest of it. I don't care how well he plays now, he's far past his use by date at this club.

[Hail Sezer]

My wallpaper

[gotitans101_]

lol very touching

[shamus]

Wow! Didn't this thread go off topic..

[DIEHARD]

Melbourne Storm v Gold Coast Titans
AAMI Park Sunday 2pm
http://www.nrl.com

Plenty of points and a nail-biting finish – if that is the kind of game you're after then history suggests this is the one for you.

The last five games between these two teams have been decided by eight points or less and in their past three meetings an average of 47 points have been scored.

After being hit with a reality check last week Melbourne can ill-afford another slip-up as they run into a Gold Coast outfit that is just as prone to the scintillating as they are the shocking.

For the second time this season the Storm were defeated by the last-placed side in the competition after allowing the Wests Tigers to pile on six of the last seven tries last Friday night in what was their worst defensive performance of the year.

The untimely result has left them two games adrift of the top four, leaving them to play a daunting game of catch-up for the final five games of the season.

A dismal year was dealt a rare shining light for the Titans last week as they snapped their five-game losing run by overturning a half-time deficit against the Eels to win 24-10.

The visitors have received a huge boost ahead of Sunday with captain Nate Myles returning to the side from a shoulder injury.

Melbourne have resisted the urge to significantly reshuffle their lineup after last week's disappointment, with Felise Kaufusi being relegated to the bench in place of Tim Glasby their only change for now.

Watch Out Storm: "We've got a problem." That was the succinct summation of coach Craig Bellamy after last week's loss to the Wests Tigers. The worrying trend of the season for Melbourne is their inability to consistently get the job done against opposition they seemingly should have no trouble beating. Five of Melbourne's nine losses in 2015 have come against teams that currently sit in the bottom half of the table. With another lowly opposition waiting this week in the 14th-placed Titans, Melbourne must put an end to the upset results before they dig themselves a hole too big to get out of.

Watch Out Titans: Sunday's game sees the NRL's second best defence up against the second worst and there is no prize for guessing where the Titans sit in those rankings. Neil Henry's side possess the worst points differential in the competition (-141) thanks largely to their habit of leaking points, badly. Prior to last week's win over the Eels, the Titans had lost five games in a row by double-digit margins conceding an average of nearly 32 points a game. Unlike the travel-weary Parra, Melbourne will be well rested off a nine-day break and desperate to make amends of last week's capitulation. The Titans best make the trip prepared to offer their share of resistance or else this contest could be over before it really begins.

Key Match-Up: Will Chambers v James Roberts. These two centres may be lining up on opposing sides but the importance of both men to the fortunes of their respective sides makes their need to outdo each other a vital subplot in this contest. Roberts has scored 15 tries in 19 games this season, comfortably more than any other teammate and he ranks third at his club for total metres. As does Chambers, who started the season in a rich vain of form and at one point also topped his club's try-scoring list. However Chambers has hit a scoring slump, failing to get across the line in eight consecutive games now. Roberts will be the Titans' biggest attacking threat against a Storm left edge that showed last week it can be a significant chink in the purple armour. Chambers is often the deciding X-factor in his own right, whichever man can fulfil their role could prove the difference on the outside.

The History: Played 13; Storm 8, Titans 5. Gold Coast should hold no fears of coming to AAMI Park having taken the points home from their last visit in Round 5, 2014 thanks to a Greg Bird penalty kick as time expired.

What Are The Odds: Melbourne have been the best-backed side of the round, with an incredible 10 times the amount placed on the Storm in comparison to the Titans. Melbourne 13+ is the only margin that punters want to bet on with Sportsbet. Latest odds at Sportsbet.com.au.

Match Officials: Referee: Grant Atkins. Assistant Referee: Chris Sutton. Touch Judges: Rick MacFarlane & David Ryan. Video Referees: Jared Maxwell & Daniel Irvine.

Televised: Fox Sports – Live from 2pm AET.

The Way We See It: The Titans could well be in the wrong place at the wrong time against a Storm side that will be hungry to redeem themselves. Storm by 12.

[DIEHARD]

Storm coach Craig Bellamy says it's going to be tough for his team to catch the NRL top four heading into the finals.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/

Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy believes his NRL team is out of the race for a top-four finals berth.

Heading into their round-22 clash with Gold Coast at AAMI Park on Sunday, Bellamy concedes their shock loss to Wests Tigers last round has put a large dent in their title aspirations.

The Storm blew a 10-point lead to lose 34-16 and fall to sixth on the ladder, four points behind fourth-placed Souths.

"It's going to make it pretty hard to catch them after last week," Bellamy said.

[DIEHARD]

Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith frustrated by club’s lack of consistency
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/

CAMERON Smith admits he is frustrated and “puzzled” by Melbourne Storm’s lack of consistency as it prepares for its most important month of the season.

Storm missed a golden opportunity to stay in touch with the top four when it suffered a horror 34-16 loss to then bottom-placed Wests Tigers last Friday night.

The side is now fighting to stay in the top eight with a crucial match against Gold Coast at AAMI Park looming on Sunday.

The Storm skipper said plenty of honest words have been spoken behind closed doors at AAMI Park this week.

“I’m pretty annoyed and I think everyone is,” Smith said.

“I just think given the opportunity we put in front of us with two strong wins, coming up against a team like the Wests Tigers.

“No disrespect to them, but if we play to our capabilities we should have taken the two points away from that match.

“Leading into the last five weeks, it would have kept us in touch with the top four and instead we are a few games back from the top four and trying to stay in the top eight now.

“That is all our own doing, which is the most disappointing part.”

Storm has a good draw over the next three weeks with clashes against battling Gold Coast, Cronulla and bottom-placed Newcastle.

Smith said it will count for nothing if his side cannot fix its consistency and complacency issues.

“There is an opportunity for us to win matches there, but if we don’t have the right attitude and we don’t apply ourselves properly for an entire 80 minutes, we’ll be in the same position this week,” he said.

Storm conducted its review of the Tigers’ debacle earlier week, which would have been unhappy watching for most of the team.

It was described by Smith as an “open and honest” discussion between the coaching staff and players.

Smith said there was no clear explanation for the poor performance, in which Storm inexplicably leaked 34 points.

“Everyone was quite stuck for the right answer,” Smith said.

“I thought the preparation was great and I spoke to the boys twice before the match about having the right attitude leading into the game.

“We started well but maybe a few guys got a little bit too comfortable and they scored some pretty easy points on us.

“I think Craig summed it up well after the game — it was a pretty soft effort by our team.”

[Yankee Doodle Titan]

What does everyone think about Myles being back in the lineup? I can't get that image of him tossing the ball to a Manly player out of my head...

[JunctionBlock]

What does everyone think about Myles being back in the lineup? I can't get that image of him tossing the ball to a Manly player out of my head...

I think Myles is getting so tired of playing for us that he will try and get suspended this week to have a couple of weeks on the sideline.

[Titanic]

My wallpaper

There are many things I'd like to add to this reply but suffice to say: some things are just not funny.

[Hail Sezer]

There are many things I'd like to add to this reply but suffice to say: some things are just not funny.

Mate if you want the .jpeg just ask, no need to be cryptic about it

[Titanic]

Mate if you want the .jpeg just ask, no need to be cryptic about it

Never liked soiled goods

[DavidBouveng]

when i saw that article the first time

[DIEHARD]

Storm: There's every chance Tohu Harris could revert to the forwards, with the New Zealand international spending time in the centres of late. Nelson Asofa-Solomona is in line for a recall, as is Kurt Mann.

Titans: Despite being named to return from injury on Tuesday, there is still some doubt surrounding captain Nate Myles, who continues to battle a shoulder injury.

[DIEHARD]

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy says team must lift against Gold Coast Titans

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy says the proof will be in the pudding as to whether his side bounces back from a disappointing loss last round.

Bellamy described his side's performance as "soft" after they fell 34-16 to then bottom side Wests Tigers last Friday night and Sunday's clash with Gold Coast Titans at AAMI Park shapes as another danger game.

The Titans have had success against the Storm in Melbourne in past years and despite sitting at the bottom part of the ladder, the Titans are still a difficult opponent.

Bellamy said he had made his feelings clear early in the week and his players had since trained well but it would mean nothing if they lost on Sunday.

"Hopefully it's a better effort this week," Bellamy said.

"We've had a good review, training has been good, so hopefully something good comes from that.

"It's about everyone getting out there and giving their best.

"You would like to think the players are hurting after last week; it's important we hit back this week."

Bellamy wouldn't be drawn on whether he would swing more changes to his side after the disappointing loss, but there are players in form in the reserve grades who could come back into the side.

Bellamy said he was more concerned with the Titans' recent strong record in Melbourne.

"The Titans have a pretty good record down here to be honest - they have won three out of the last five games we have had," Bellamy said.

"Most of those times they have led at half-time and basically their positions on the table have been the same.

"They had a win last week and their results weren't great before that but they had a lot of injuries then.

"They have as good a side on paper this week as they have had so that's another little wake up for us as well - they have Nate Myles back and that's a big return for them.

"Being comfortable shouldn't come into the equation this weekend - we should be looking to hit back after what happened last Friday night."

The loss to the Tigers has hurt the Storm's top-four aspirations and another loss would push them into the battle for eighth place.

But Bellamy isn't getting drawn into the discussions about the Storm's finals chances considering how inconsistent his side's form is.

"The top four at the moment stand out from the other sides and Brisbane Broncos are the standout for their consistency," Bellamy said. "But they had a little hiccup last week, then you have the Sydney Roosters who with their roster will always be hard to beat.

"The North Queensland Cowboys have shown a lot of resilience this season and won some games coming from behind.

"Making the top four will be tough for us after last Friday night but it's not about where we are on the table - if we get our performance right then the table will take care of itself.

"If we prepare right then a good performance should follow on Sunday."

The Storm host the Titans at AAMI Park on Sunday at 2pm.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/