SATURDAY JUNE 29th 2024 AAMI PARK, MELBOURNE
Storm and Raiders Clash in Critical Encounter
Ladder leaders Melbourne renew their rivalry with a Raiders outfit low on confidence after conceding 82 points in back-to-back losses to the Cowboys and Wests Tigers.
Clashes between the Storm and Raiders have always been particularly intense, and Canberra coach Ricky Stuart is hopeful that this will inspire his team to perform at their best as they aim to re-enter the top eight.
Storm’s Recent Form and Key Players
Despite facing a tough challenge from the Dolphins, the Storm managed to secure a 30-24 victory in star fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen’s return match after a five-game absence due to an ankle injury.
LATE MAIL. Ryan Papenhuyzen has been ruled out due to foot bruising, with Sua Fa’alogo replacing him at fullback. Harry Grant will be rested after playing Origin on Wednesday. Bronson Garlick replaces him at hooker with Kane Bradley joining the bench.
Coach Craig Bellamy will closely monitor Origin Two on Wednesday night, with hooker Harry Grant and winger Xavier Coates playing for Queensland.
Since both the Origin clash and the Raiders game are in Melbourne, the Storm duo will have a better chance of being ready for Saturday’s match.
Storm
1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. William Warbrick 3. Grant Anderson 4. Jack Howarth , 5. Xavier Coates 6. Tyran Wishart 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Tui Kamikamica 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loiero, 14. Christian Welch 15. Bronson Garlick , 16. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 17. Joe Chan , 18. Reimis Smith 19. Dean Ieremia 20. Alec MacDonald 21. Kane Bradley 22. Sualauvi Faalogo 23. Chris Lewis
Raiders’ Challenges and Line-up Adjustments
Ricky Stuart hasn’t made major changes despite consecutive poor performances against the Cowboys and Wests Tigers. The only exclusion from last week’s starting team is Nick Cotric, who injured his ankle late in the game. He will be replaced by Albert Hopoate, who, like Grant Anderson, has excelled when called upon, whether on the wing or at centre.
The exciting news from Canberra this week is the debut of second-rower Jordan Martin, who will become the 398th player to wear the lime green jersey. Martin has impressed Stuart with his lower-grade form and will join Canberra’s forward bench rotation.
The last place Canberra wants to visit after conceding an average of 36 points per game over the past month is Melbourne. You can imagine defence has been the focus of Stuart’s training this week, especially after he described his team as “soft” following the match in Campbelltown. The last time these teams met at AAMI Park was in Round 24 last year, where Melbourne won 48-2. Without significant improvements in attitude and execution this week, the Raiders might face a similar outcome on Saturday night.
Raiders
1. Jordan Rapana 2. Albert Hopoate 3. Matthew Timoko 4. Sebastian Kris 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Kaeo Weekes 8. Josh Papali’i 9. Tom Starling 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Elliott Whitehead 13. Morgan Smithies , 14. Danny Levi 15. Ata Mariota 16. Trey Mooney , 17. Jordan Martin, 18. Simi Sasagi 19. Zac Woolford 20. Adam Cook 21. James Schiller 22. Emre Guler
Referee. Grant Atkins ,Touch Judges, Belinda Sharpe, Michael Wise, Bunker, Ashley Klein
The Melbourne Storm are a no mercy team and are well studied week in and week out. They will identify that Canberra have issues defending their left edge, making the match-up between Xavier Savage and Will Warbrick an interesting battle to follow and look forward to. Up until last year’s 46-point thrashing, Canberra had an astonishing record in Melbourne, winning five consecutive games there between 2019 and 2023.
Based on their performance over the past month, it seems likely that this game will follow a similar trajectory to the last time Canberra faced Melbourne. However, Stuart is an experienced coach who knows how to elicit much-improved efforts in big games.
Key Match Details and Historical Stats
The Storm have won six of their past eight games against the Raiders.
The Raiders have won five of their past six games at AAMI Park.
Storm winger Xavier Coates has scored 29 tries in 24 games at AAMI Park.
The Storm have conceded at least 24 points in their past four games.
Prediction.
The Storm won a tough battle with the Dolphins last week, while the Raiders meekly surrendered to the rampaging Tigers. With Ryan Papenhuyzen back for the Storm, they are only going to improve, while the Raiders need to take a good hard look at themselves and some of their personnel. Two of my rules of tipping come into play here , never tip against the Storm and never tip the Raiders.
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