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Melbourne Storm was the NRL gold standard for the best part of a decade, but that gold glitter began to fade as Cameron Smith’s departure hangover finally began to emerge.
Comparisons with the 2020 Sydney Roosters are fast emerging, as it was Trent Robinson Jugarnot who widely suggested taking an unprecedented thrift premiere, but failed to put it together.
After two extremely unusual whips in the hands of the Penrith Panthers and the North Queensland Cowboys, the usually self-assured storm somehow looks out of place.
With the exception of superstar fullback Ryan Papenhuizen and New Zealand halfback Jahrom Hughes over the past few weeks, fifth-eighth Cameron Munster has lamented that Craig Bellamy’s troops “look a lot like a Bred in the Under-12s, but not as much as the Blues,” given the Panthers’ horrendous loss Has done.
What was problematic was next week’s effort, a terrific demonstration against the high-flying cowboys, who have become the story of the year.
A storm side, usually filled with battle-hardened international and original stars, would be hungry to correct after hitting the heavyweight title. Melbourne failed to muster the courage to maintain the youthful vigor of Todd Petten’s squad in the second half, giving North Queensland a 12-6 halftime lead 36-6.
Combining these losses with the thrilling Golden-Point rate of Premiership hopeful Paramatman Ell, the storm season is fast beginning to reflect the 2020 chokes.
The roosters came to an ominous possibility in 2020. After winning two titles in a row, it was not immediately clear to many that the Premier League backwards had not beaten the other top teams, but the signs were always there.
Losing two in a row was never ideal to start the title defense, but the COVID lockdown seems to have unlocked them and they came out firing after trimming, finding five winning strings together and again looking for a different creature.
However, they still had trouble hunting against the best teams, losing twice in the final to Melbourne in the final and losing to South Sydney in the final of the regular season.
The Tricolors then bundled straight into the final, losing to Penrith in a tough qualifying final, and then again to the 2019 runners-up, the Canberra Riders, a team that they also wrecked against mid-season.
Don’t underestimate the achievements of that team, as they finished fourth in a stacked top eight, but their ladder position flattered the lack of polish in the year, growing against the best teams at the end of the business.
So what do you say to the 2022 Melbourne team?
These are certainly not the cause of the loss in any way, but a large team either injured or set for the main election in the coming weeks will have to dig to depths that are not often exposed to the storm trying to recover their season.
After losing to two of their favorite teams, the Ellis and the Panthers, for the title, signs are growing that Craig Bellamy’s squad, while still outstanding, has no lethal inclination to remove the parties they held. The past
Their home run is not exactly favorable either. Two games against the high-flying Broncos, including a fixture in the middle of the Origin period, led by newly signed Adam Reynolds and the block’s new kid Selwyn Cobo.
Their Round 22 match against Penrith will be a good barometer of where they will sit at the end of the business, where a mouth-watering fight against Paramatman in the final round of the season could be the difference between a home semis or a trip to AAMI Park. Back up to Sydney for Week 1.
This is written on the wall of the Melbourne team, and it’s not nice to see. A significant core, either in response to the Dolphins next year or closing the deal, would be called a failure for anything less than this year’s premiership.
And if recent history shows, this is now their right path.