Injury-devastated Warriors looking to end 8-year hoodoo against Storm

AAMI Park in Melbourne: Storm 30 (Justin Oram 14′, Cameron Munster 34′, Nick Meaney 47′, 56′, Harry Grant 75′ try, Meaney 5 goals). Warriors 22 (Jackson Ford 4th, Darin Waten Zelezniak 10th, 44th, Adin Fonua Blake 20th try, Sean Johnson 3 goals). HT: 12-18

Binned sins: Dylan Walker (Warriors)

The Warriors were once again unable to beat the Melbourne Storm, but had a good crack to win their first game against them since 2015.

They lost 30-22 in a traditional Anzac Day match in Melbourne, ending their 14th straight defeat against Craig Bellamy’s team.

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Last time the Warriors beat the Storm, John Key was prime minister and the country was debating whether to change its flag, with a liter of 91 gasoline priced at $2.04.

Yes, it’s been a while since the Warriors last beat the Storm, but an hour in Melbourne saw the Warriors play an inspired footy and be ready to stop this being one of the biggest. , the winning streak seemed to be coming to an end. Rivalry between the two sides in professional sports.

At the start of the game, the Warriors indicated that they weren’t overwhelmed by the opportunity or facing a team they hadn’t won in eight years.

They faced the Storm up front, played with more passion and aggression, and won important battles, allowing Sean Johnson to create magic and open up the Storm’s defenses.

However, despite leading 22-12 after 44 minutes, injuries and self-harm caused them to slip away.

When these teams played in this annual game last year, the Storm won 70-10, and the result this season is a 62-point turnaround from 12 months ago, so some prospects are necessary.

The Warriors got off to a great start for the second week in a row, with Jackson Ford attacking the Storm defense and Ramis Smith revealing a gap left to score.

On the peach of a pass from Johnson to Chanze Nicole-Crokstad, a second try came soon after, shoveling it out to Darin Wattene-Zelezniak to cross the line.

However, following Munster 40/20, the Storm launched their first attack, trying Justin Oram.

Addin Fonau-Blake was unstoppable early on and the way he burst through the Storm’s defensive line in the 20th minute would have raised Craig Bellamy’s blood pressure to dangerously high levels.

However, Nelson Asofa Solomona made an impact on the Storm when he stepped off the interchange bench a minute later.

That is, the Warriors’ ridiculous penalties and errors saw the Storm gain momentum, with Munster attempting the team’s second try six minutes before the break.

Before the players entered the shed, the Warriors got even worse. First, Tohu Harris had to leave the field due to a knee injury for the second time this season. Dylan Walker was then found guilty of banging his head on Eliesa Catoa and the former Warrior was forced to take his HIA test, which he failed.

With Walker still clear of the field, Watene-Zeleniak once again exposed Storm’s vulnerable left edge on his second try.

However, another blow came for the Warriors when Nick Meaney scored just after the storm and Nicole Crokstad was knocked off the field with a head knock in the 53rd minute.

After another Meaney attempt, his conversion put Storm in front for the first time.

The Warriors were down to 13 fit players when Jaz Tebaga limped down the tunnel with 15 minutes remaining and Bailey Shironen was also sent off for an HIA.

Naturally, the Warriors were out of gas for the rest of the game and it wasn’t a shock when Harry Grant scored another try for the Storm in the 75th minute.

The winning streak continues, but it was another performance that showed how things could be different this year for the Warriors.

at a glance

big moment

The last few minutes of the first half were amazing. The Warriors conceded a try, lost Tohu Harris to injury and Dylan Walker sinned. It was too hard to recover from it all.

match rating

8/10: This Anzac Day game was a flop many times over, but this new look Warriors team helped make this a thrilling end-to-end battle.

MVP

Addin Fonua-Blake produced one of the Warriors’ best performances to date, having to play 71 minutes due to injury.

big picture

The Warriors suffered a major injury in this game, and with the Roosters and Panthers looming, the strength of the team will be severely tested.