NRL Ryan Hoffman

NRL Ryan Hoffman MRI scan results   Melbourne Storm backrower Ryan Hoffman had an MRI scan this morning on the ankle he re-injured during yesterday’s loss to the New Zealand Warriors.   It was Hoffman’s second game back from the original ankle injury he sustained against the Sydney Roosters in Round 23.   The scan revealed Hoffman has extended his high ankle injury slightly, however he hasn’t been ruled out of this Saturday night’s semi-final against the Brisbane Broncos.   “Ryan’s injury is still at the lower end of ankle strains, however he is experiencing slight pain and swelling which is to be expected,” said high performance unit manager Mary Toomey.   “We’ll do everything we can to get him right for Brisbane, however if he isn’t ready for this Saturday he’s likely to be fit for the preliminary final should we make it.”

____________________________________________________       Chris Couch   Media Manager    Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club

Storm players signed

NRL Storm secure EIGHT signatures for 2009

 

Melbourne Storm has this week secured the signatures of EIGHT players as it looks to build its playing stocks for the 2009 season and beyond.

 

The new signings compliment the acquisition of Canberra hooker Ryan Hinchcliffe earlier this year, and the re-signings of Dallas Johnson, Adam Blair, Cooper Cronk, Jeff Lima, Sika Manu, Anthony Quinn, Greg Inglis and Aiden Tolman.

 

As has been reported, backrower Matt Cross has joined from the Gold Coast Titans on a one-year deal, while four other new players will join the club.

 

Storm football operations manager Frank Ponissi believes Cross can have an immediate impact in 2009.

 

“The Storm has proven in the past that not only young players get improved within our system, but the culture here as has a history of rejuvenating players mid-career as well,” said Ponissi.

 

Backrower Louis Fanene has been elevated from the under-20’s squad, while Clifford Manua and promising front-rower Sinbad Kali have signed new one-year deals, rounding out a busy week at the club.

 

Apart from Cross, the four new faces at the Storm next year include Penrith centre William Isa, former Bulldogs five-eighth Arana Taumata, Souths centre Andre Itula, and James Maloney who captains Wentworthville in the New South Wales VB Cup.

 

While the salary cap is having its effect on the Storm squad, Ponissi believes the players signed this week will form the basis of a successful team long term.

 

“There’s no doubt the salary cap is biting us hard,” said Ponissi.

 

“Over the past couple of seasons we lost a lot of experienced players because of the salary cap, but that’s the reason why it’s there and we’re in the middle of it at the moment. Success is starting to take its toll.

 

“This year we’ve re-signed the core of our team for the next few years, but the reality is our depth is going to be tested.”

 

Melbourne Storm recruitment manager Darren Bell believes the new signings will inject an even greater level of enthusiasm when the squad reassembles for pre-season training in November.

 

“With these signings today, we’ve brought in the next generation of Storm players who we believe can bring us future success,” said Bell.

 

“We’re confident, while most of these names are low profile now, once they’re within the Storm environment and playing alongside the likes of Cam Smith, Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and the like, their development will be fast-tracked and be future Storm first-grade players.”

 

Player signings:

 

NAME	AGE	CONTRACT LENGTH	POSITION	FORMER CLUBS
William Isa	19	2 years	Centre	Panthers
Matt Cross	27	1 year	Backrow/Front-row	Titans / Panthers
Arana Taumata	19	1 year	Halfback / Five-eighth	Bulldogs
Andre Itula	20	1 year	Centre / Wing	Rabbitohs
James Maloney	22	2 years	Halfback	Wentworthville
Louis Fanene	20	2 years	Backrow	Storm under-20’s
Sinbad Kali	21	1 year	Front-row	Storm
Clifford Manua	27	1 year	Front-row	Broncos / Sharks / Storm

 

 

  ____________________________________________________

    

 Chris Couch

  Media Manager

 

 Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club

Greg Inglis Storm Signing

[10 SEPTEMBER, 2008]

 

 

NRL News Flash: Storms Greg Inglis to announce playing future today

 

Melbourne Storm will today announce the playing future of star five-eighth Greg Inglis at a press conference to be held at their administration facilities at MC Labour Park at 3.00pm.

 

Also in attendance will be head coach Craig Bellamy and CEO Brian Waldron.

 

WHAT: Greg Inglis playing future announcement

WHEN: Today (Wednesday, September 10^th) at 3.00pm

WHERE: MC Labour Park, Gate 3, Royal Parade, Carlton North (above the administration area)

WHO: Greg Inglis, Craig Bellamy and Brian Waldron

 

  ____________________________________________________

    

 Chris Couch

  Media Manager

 

 Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club

Storm Squads NRL Round 26

NRL Melbourne Storm team and squad lineups for Round 26 of the 2008 NRL Rugby League season; more details and player info below direct from the media / press of the Melbourne Storm club.

 

 

First-grade and under-20 teams

 

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has made one change to his squad for Sunday night’s Round 26 clash against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

 

The game will be played at Olympic Park in Melbourne from 7.00pm.

 

Ryan Hoffman has returned from an ankle injury to start in the backrow, with Jeremy Smith taking his place on the interchange bench.

 

Aiden Tolman and Scott Anderson have been omitted from last week’s 18-man squad.

 

NRL squad for Sunday’s game:

 

Starting team:

1. Billy Slater

2. Steve Turner

3. Matt Geyer

4. Israel Folau

5. Anthony Quinn

6. Greg Inglis

7. Cooper Cronk

8. Jeff Lima

9. Cam Smith ©

10. Brett White

11. Michael Crocker

12. Ryan Hoffman

13. Dallas Johnson

 

Interchange:

14. Jeremy Smith, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Sika Manu, 17. Antonio Kaufusi.

 

Coach: Craig Bellamy.

 

Under-20’s squad for Sunday’s game:

 

Starting team:

 

1. Gareth Widdop

2. Josh Jerome

3. Sam Joe

4. Joseph Tomane

5. Michael Faamausili

6. Luke Kelly ©

7. Liam Foran

8. Matt Croker

9. Jay Aston

10. Louise Fanene

11. Kevin Proctor

12. Zeb Tawha

13. Vili Fainga’a

 

Interchange:

14. Mack Fawcett, 15. Pulou Vaituutuu, 16. Will Naitoro, 17. Theo Stuart.

 

Coach: Brad Arthur

Rugby League Players

Listings of Melbourne Storm Rugby League players for NRL Round 25 all grades:

[26 AUGUST, 2008]

 

 

NRL News and under-20’s teams

 

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has made one change to his squad for Saturday night’s Round 25 clash against the Newcastle Knights.

 

The game will be played at EnergyAustralia Stadium in Newcastle on Saturday from 5.30pm.

 

Aiden Tolman has been brought into the squad on the interchange bench, with Scott Anderson made 18^th man.

 

NRL squad for Saturday’s game:

 

Starting team:

1. Billy Slater

2. Steve Turner

3. Matt Geyer

4. Israel Folau

5. Anthony Quinn

6. Greg Inglis

7. Cooper Cronk

8. Jeff Lima

9. Cam Smith ©

10. Brett White

11. Michael Crocker

12. Jeremy Smith

13. Dallas Johnson

 

Interchange:

14. Aiden Tolman, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Sika Manu, 17. Antonio Kaufusi, 18. Scott Anderson.

 

Coach: Craig Bellamy.

 

Under-20’s squad for Saturday’s game:

 

Starting team:

 

1. Gareth Widdop

2. Michael Faamausili

3. Sam Joe

4. Joseph Tomane

5. Josh Jerome

6. Luke Kelly ©

7. Liam Foran

8. Louis Fanene

9. Jay Aston

10. Matt Croker

11. Aidan Guerra

12. Zeb Tawha

13. Will Naitoro

 

Interchange:

14. James Woolford, 15. Pulou Vaituutuu, 16. Vili Faingaa, 17. Mack Fawcett.

 

Coach: Brad Arthur

 

  ____________________________________________________

    

 Chris Couch

  Media Manager

Craig Bellamy NRL

Bellamy available for comment today

 

NRL Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy will be available for comment today prior to the commencement of their training session at Xavier College.

 

The training session will commence at 1.30pm at the Barkers Road campus, with Bellamy available at 1.15pm.

 

The Storm take on the Penrith Panthers this Monday night in Sydney before heading to the Central Coast for a four-day camp leading into the following Saturday night’s game against Newcastle in Newcastle.

 

Wins in both of those games would give the Storm a stranglehold on their third straight minor premiership, a feat never before achieved in the NRL.

Storm Roosters NRL

[14 AUGUST, 2008]

 

 

Round 23 v Roosters Game Notes

 

WHO: Melbourne Storm v Sydney Roosters
WHAT: Round 23 of the 2008 Telstra Premiership season
WHERE: Olympic Park, Melbourne
WHEN: Friday, August 15th @ 7.35pm
ON TV: Channel Nine (Melbourne) 11.50pm, Fox Sports 2 11.30pm
CHECK IT OUT: Melbourne Storm’s website with all the latest stats, profiles, updates, schedule and training times, alerts, news etc…. www.melbournestorm.com.au

 

IN BRIEF
Melbourne won a classic top-of-the-table clash against Manly last Friday night, prevailing 16-10 at Brookvale Oval. It was the first time Melbourne had won at Manly’s home ground since 1999.

 

The win sent them equal on points with Manly at the head of the NRL table.

Sydney suffered a 28-24 loss to the Eels last Sunday, their third loss in five games, to slide down to fourth on the NRL ladder, two points off the pace.

 

FAST FACTS
• Melbourne has lost only two games at Olympic Park in the past three years
• Sydney has won their past two games against Melbourne
• Melbourne has won 54 of their past 55 games when leading at half-time

 

DID YOU KNOW?
The players’ annual comedy day will take place on Sunday, August 17th at the Comics Lounge in Errol Street, North Melbourne. Starting at 3.00pm and going on well into the night, the event will feature 10 of Melbourne’s best comedians, and will be hosted by Storm Ambassador and comedian Marty Fields.

 

Tickets are $30 each and are available before the day at the Melbourne Storm (03 8412 4900) or at the Comics Lounge (03 9348 9488), or on the door on the day (although these tickets will be limited).

 

HEAD-TO-HEAD
Total: Played: 17, Storm: 8, Sydney: 9
At Olympic Park: Played: 9, Storm: 6, Sydney: 3

FOR AND AGAINST 2008
Points for: Storm: 456, Sydney: 473
Points against: Storm: 249, Sydney: 376
Tries for: Storm: 82, Sydney: 84
Points differential: Storm: +207, Sydney: +97

LAST ROUND MATCHES
Storm def. Sea Eagles 16-10 @ Brookvale Oval, Sydney
Roosters def. by Eels 28-24 @ Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney

 

LAST EIGHT CLASHES

YEAR	RESULT	VENUE
2008	Roosters def. Storm 16-10 @	Sydney Football Stadium
2007	Roosters def Storm 26-16 @	Sydney Football Stadium
2007	Storm def. Roosters 26-2 @	Olympic Park
2006	Storm def. Roosters 20-16 @	Olympic Park
2006	Storm def. Roosters 22-18 @	Sydney Football Stadium
2005	Storm def. Roosters 24-10 @	Olympic Park
2004	Storm def. Roosters 26-10 @	Olympic Park
2003	Storm def. Roosters 27-20 @	Olympic Park

 

THE STORM STORY SO FAR
WORLD CLUB CHALLENGE: STORM 4 (Try: Hoffman) def. by RHINOS 11 (Try: Donald; Goals: Sinfield 3; Field Goal: Sinfield) at Elland Road, Leeds
ROUND 1: STORM 32 (Tries: Slater 3, Johnson, Tagataese; Goals: C. Smith 5, Turner) def. WARRIORS 18 (Tries: Vatuvei 2, Ropati; Goals: Witt 3) at Telstra Dome, Melbourne
ROUND 2: STORM 16 (Tries: Aitken, White, Falou; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. by SHARKS 17 (Tries: Kearney, Gallen, Simmons; Goals: Covell 2; Field Goals: Kimmorley) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 3: Storm (Try: Slater; Goal: C. Smith) def. by ROOSTERS (Try: Kenny-Dowell; Goals: FitzGibbon 3) at Sydney Football Stadium
ROUND 4: STORM 28 (Tries: Quinn 3, Folau, Hoffman; Goals: Smith 4) def. BRONCOS 8 (Tries: Robinson, Stagg) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 5: STORM 26 (Tries: Slater 2, Inglis, Quinn, Hoffman; Goals: Smith 3) def. SEA EAGLES 4 (Try: Barney) at Olympic Park
ROUND 6: STORM 23 (Tries: Chambers, Turner, Slater, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 3; Field Goal: Cronk) def. RAIDERS 16 (Tries: Best, Plum, Purtell; Goals: Carney 2) at Canberra Stadium
ROUND 7: STORM 12 (Tries: Inglis, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. COWBOYS 10 (Tries: Williams 2; Goals: Thurston) at Dairy Farmer’s Stadium
ROUND 8: BYE
ROUND 9: STORM 18 (Tries: Folau 2, Quinn; Goals: C. Smith 3) def. KNIGHTS 4 (Try: Mullen) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 10: STORM 12 (Tries: Chambers, Manu; Goals: Smith, Turner) def. by DRAGONS 36 (Tries: Nightingale 2, B. Morris, J Morris, Lett, Soward; Goals: Soward 6) at ANZ Stadium
ROUND 11: STORM 15 (Tries: Chambers, J. Smith; Goals: C. Smith 2, Field Goals: Cronk) def. RABBITOHS 12 (Tries: Vagana 2; Goals: Luke) at Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
ROUND 12: STORM 46 (Tries: Geyer 2, C. Smith, Folau, Turner, J. Smith, Crocker, Cronk; Goals: C. Smith 7) def. BULLDOGS 0 at Olympic Park
ROUND 13: STORM 0 def. by TITANS 18 (Tries: Delaney, Meyers, Jeffrey; Goals: Rogers 3) at Skilled Park
ROUND 14: BYE
ROUND 15: STORM 48 (Tries: Inglis 3, Turner 2, J Smith, Slater, Geyer, Folau; Goals: C Smith 6) def. COWBOYS 20 (Tries: Henry, Williams, Webb, Cashmere; Goals: Thurston 2) at Olympic Park
ROUND 16: STORM 22 (Tries: Manu 2, Tomane, Cronk; Goals: Turner 2, Cronk) def. by EELS 24 (Tries: Tautai, Williams, Reddy, Inu; Goals: Burt 4) at Parramatta Stadium
ROUND 17: STORM 30 (Tries: Inglis 2, Slater, Manu, Quinn, Turner; Goals: Smith 3) def. RAIDERS 14 (Tries: Monaghan, Carney, Chalk; Goals: Carney) at Olympic Park
ROUND 18: STORM 30 (Tries: Inglis 3, Slater, Manu; Goals: C. Smith 5) def. TIGERS 18 (Tries: Tuiaki, Hodgson, Ryan; Goals: Hodgson 3) at Campbelltown Sports Stadium
ROUND 19: STORM 26 (Tries: J Smith, Lima, Geyer, Turner, Folau; Goals: C Smith 3) def. DRAGONS 0 at Olympic Park
ROUND 20: STORM 6 (Try: Manu; Goal: C Smith) def. by WARRIORS 8 (Try: Fai; Goals: Hohaia 2) at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
ROUND 21: STORM 44 (Tries: Folau 2, Inglis 2, Turner, Quinn, Hoffman, Geyer, J Smith; Goals: Cam Smith 4) def. TITANS 4 (Try: Ropana) at Olympic Park
ROUND 22: STORM 16 (Tries: Geyer, Folau, Cronk; Goals: C Smith 2) def. SEA EAGLES 10 (Tries: Hall, Williams; Goals: Matai) at Brookvale Oval

 

2008 TRY SCORERS (STORM)
Inglis 12, Folau 12, Slater 10, Turner 7, Quinn 7, Manu 6, Geyer 6, J. Smith 5, Chambers 3, Hoffman 3, Cronk 3, Johnson, Tagataese, Aitken, White, C. Smith, Crocker, Tomane, Lima

 

2008 GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
C. Smith 57, Turner 4, J. Smith, Cronk

 

2008 FIELD GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
Cronk 2

 

2008 POINTSCORERS (STORM)
C Smith 118, Inglis 48, Folau 48, Slater 40, Quinn 28, Turner 28, Manu 24, Geyer 24, J. Smith 22, Cronk 16, Chambers 12, Hoffman 12, Johnson 4, Tagataese 4, Aitken 4, White 4, Crocker 4, Tomane 4, Lima 4

 

MELBOURNE STORM MEDIBANK PRIVATE INJURY UPDATE
Danny Vaughan (knee): season
Ben MacDougall (knee): season
Dane Nielsen (shoulder): season
Will Chambers (knee): season

 

THE STORM AHEAD
Round 24: Monday, August 25th v Panthers @ CUA Stadium, 7.00pm
Round 25: Saturday, August 30th v Knights @ EnergyAustralia Stadium, 5.30pm
Round 26: Sunday, September 8th v Rabbitohs @ Olympic Park, 7.00pm

 

TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP LADDER

POSITION	CLUB	POINTS
1	Sea Eagles	32
2	Storm	32
3	Sharks	32
4	Roosters	30
5	Broncos	27
6	Raiders	24
7	Dragons	24
8	Knights	24
9	Wests Tigers	24
10	Warriors	24
11	Panthers	23
12	Eels	22
13	Titans	22
14	Rabbitohs	18
15	Bulldogs	14
16	Cowboys	12

 

SQUAD FOR FRIDAY'S GAME

Starting team:
1. Billy Slater
2. Steve Turner
3. Matt Geyer
4. Israel Folau
5. Anthony Quinn
6. Greg Inglis
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Jeff Lima
9. Cam Smith
10. Brett White
11. Michael Crocker
12. Ryan Hoffman
13. Dallas Johnson

 

Interchange:
14. Jeremy Smith, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Sika Manu, 17. Antonio Kaufusi.

 

Coach: Craig Bellamy.

 

  ____________________________________________________

    

 Chris Couch

  Media Manager

 

 Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club

  Princes Park, Gate 3, Royal Parade, Carlton North VIC 3054

  PO Box 141 Parkville VIC 3052

  E-mail: ccouch@melbournestorm.com.au

  Website: www.melbournestorm.com.au

Melbourne Storm beat Sea Eagles

Round 22 v Sea Eagles Game Notes

 

WHO: Melbourne Storm v Manly Sea Eagles
WHAT: Round 22 of the 2008 Telstra Premiership season
WHERE: Brookvale Oval, Sydney
WHEN: Friday, August 8^th @ 7.35pm
ON TV: Channel Nine (Melbourne) midnight, Fox Sports 2 @ 11.30pm
CHECK IT OUT: Melbourne Storm’s website with all the latest stats, profiles, updates, schedule and training times, alerts, news etc…. www.melbournestorm.com.au

 

IN BRIEF
Melbourne returned to the winner’s circle last week with an emphatic 44-4 win over the Gold Coast Titans at Olympic Park. The win kept them at second spot on the NRL ladder.

 

Manly were also impressive last Friday night, disposing of the Penrith Panthers 30-10 at Brookvale Oval to keep them at the top of the NRL ladder.

 

FAST FACTS
• Melbourne has got three of the past four NRL Results against Manly
• Manly has beaten the Storm in their past five clashes at Brookvale Oval

 

DID YOU KNOW?
The players’ annual comedy day will take place on Sunday, August 17^th at the Comics Lounge in Errol Street, North Melbourne. Starting at 3.00pm and going on well into the night, the event will feature 10 of Melbourne’s best comedians, and will be hosted by Storm Ambassador and comedian Marty Fields.

 

Tickets are $30 each and are available before the day at the Melbourne Storm (03 8412 4900) or at the Comics Lounge (03 9348 9488), or on the door on the day (although these tickets will be limited).

 

KEY MATCH UP
The match-ups in this game are incredible:

 

Israel Folau v Steve Matai
Greg Inglis v Steve Menzies
Cooper Cronk v Matt Orford
Brent Kite v Brett White
Glenn Stewart v Dallas Johnson

 

The list goes on. But the individual match-up that has everyone talking are the fullbacks, Billy Slater against Brett Stewart.

 

Slater has had a season like no other. He remains the most elusive player in the comp with 18 line breaks – five more than the next best player. He also averages more metres than any player on kick-returns – 13.7. He was sorely missed in the 8-6 loss against the Warriors a fortnight ago in Auckland, and upon his return last week against the Titans, he was back to his destructive best. He ran for a game-high 176 metres from 13 hit-ups, and set up a sensational try with one of his customary line-breaks.

 

Stewart bagged his 13^th four-pointer for the season last week (second in the NRL try-scorer’s list) and provided a wonderful try assist for winger Michael Robertson’s 80-metre run to the line. Stewart has beautiful skills and makes things happen on the spur of the moment, even when nothing looks to be ‘on’. One of the most instinctive players in the game, the Storm defence will need to get up on him quickly.

 

Slater took Stewart’s Kangaroo Test jumper from him for the Centenary Test in May, and will be looking to try and win it back with the World Cup just around the corner.

 

HEAD-TO-HEAD
Total: Played: 12, Storm: 7, Sea Eagles: 5
At Brookvale Oval: Played: 6, Storm: 1, Sea Eagles: 5

FOR AND AGAINST 2008
Points for: Storm: 440, Sea Eagles: 493
Points against: Storm: 239, Sea Eagles: 257
Tries for: Storm: 79, Sea Eagles: 90
Points differential: Storm: +201, Sea Eagles: +236

LAST ROUND MATCHES
Storm def. Titans 44-4 @ Olympic Park, Melbourne
Sea Eagles def. Panthers 30-10 @ Brookvale Oval

 

LAST EIGHT CLASHES

YEAR	RESULT	VENUE
2008	Storm def. Sea Eagles 26-4 @	Olympic Park
2007	Storm def. Sea Eagles 34-8 @	ANZ Stadium
2007	Sea Eagles def. Storm 13-12 @	Brookvale Oval
2006	Storm def. Sea Eagles 30-20 @	Olympic Park
2006	Sea Eagles def. Storm 34-12 @	Brookvale Oval
2005	Sea Eagles def. Storm 25-18 @	Brookvale Oval
2004	Sea Eagles def. Storm 30-28 @	Brookvale Oval
2003	Storm def. Sea Eagles 40-10 @	Olympic Park

 

THE STORM STORY SO FAR
WORLD CLUB CHALLENGE: STORM 4 (Try: Hoffman) def. by RHINOS 11 (Try: Donald; Goals: Sinfield 3; Field Goal: Sinfield) at Elland Road, Leeds
ROUND 1: STORM 32 (Tries: Slater 3, Johnson, Tagataese; Goals: C. Smith 5, Turner) def. WARRIORS 18 (Tries: Vatuvei 2, Ropati; Goals: Witt 3) at Telstra Dome, Melbourne
ROUND 2: STORM 16 (Tries: Aitken, White, Falou; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. by SHARKS 17 (Tries: Kearney, Gallen, Simmons; Goals: Covell 2; Field Goals: Kimmorley) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 3: Storm (Try: Slater; Goal: C. Smith) def. by ROOSTERS (Try: Kenny-Dowell; Goals: FitzGibbon 3) at Sydney Football Stadium
ROUND 4: STORM 28 (Tries: Quinn 3, Folau, Hoffman; Goals: Smith 4) def. BRONCOS 8 (Tries: Robinson, Stagg) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 5: STORM 26 (Tries: Slater 2, Inglis, Quinn, Hoffman; Goals: Smith 3) def. SEA EAGLES 4 (Try: Barney) at Olympic Park
ROUND 6: STORM 23 (Tries: Chambers, Turner, Slater, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 3; Field Goal: Cronk) def. RAIDERS 16 (Tries: Best, Plum, Purtell; Goals: Carney 2) at Canberra Stadium
ROUND 7: STORM 12 (Tries: Inglis, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. COWBOYS 10 (Tries: Williams 2; Goals: Thurston) at Dairy Farmer’s Stadium
ROUND 8: BYE
ROUND 9: STORM 18 (Tries: Folau 2, Quinn; Goals: C. Smith 3) def. KNIGHTS 4 (Try: Mullen) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 10: STORM 12 (Tries: Chambers, Manu; Goals: Smith, Turner) def. by DRAGONS 36 (Tries: Nightingale 2, B. Morris, J Morris, Lett, Soward; Goals: Soward 6) at ANZ Stadium
ROUND 11: STORM 15 (Tries: Chambers, J. Smith; Goals: C. Smith 2, Field Goals: Cronk) def. RABBITOHS 12 (Tries: Vagana 2; Goals: Luke) at Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
ROUND 12: STORM 46 (Tries: Geyer 2, C. Smith, Folau, Turner, J. Smith, Crocker, Cronk; Goals: C. Smith 7) def. BULLDOGS 0 at Olympic Park
ROUND 13: STORM 0 def. by TITANS 18 (Tries: Delaney, Meyers, Jeffrey; Goals: Rogers 3) at Skilled Park
ROUND 14: BYE
ROUND 15: STORM 48 (Tries: Inglis 3, Turner 2, J Smith, Slater, Geyer, Folau; Goals: C Smith 6) def. COWBOYS 20 (Tries: Henry, Williams, Webb, Cashmere; Goals: Thurston 2) at Olympic Park
ROUND 16: STORM 22 (Tries: Manu 2, Tomane, Cronk; Goals: Turner 2, Cronk) def. by EELS 24 (Tries: Tautai, Williams, Reddy, Inu; Goals: Burt 4) at Parramatta Stadium
ROUND 17: STORM 30 (Tries: Inglis 2, Slater, Manu, Quinn, Turner; Goals: Smith 3) def. RAIDERS 14 (Tries: Monaghan, Carney, Chalk; Goals: Carney) at Olympic Park
ROUND 18: STORM 30 (Tries: Inglis 3, Slater, Manu; Goals: C. Smith 5) def. TIGERS 18 (Tries: Tuiaki, Hodgson, Ryan; Goals: Hodgson 3) at Campbelltown Sports Stadium
ROUND 19: STORM 26 (Tries: J Smith, Lima, Geyer, Turner, Folau; Goals: C Smith 3) def. DRAGONS 0 at Olympic Park
ROUND 20: STORM 6 (Try: Manu; Goal: C Smith) def. by WARRIORS 8 (Try: Fai; Goals: Hohaia 2) at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
ROUND 21: STORM 44 (Tries: Folau 2, Inglis 2, Turner, Quinn, Hoffman, Geyer, J Smith; Goals: Cam Smith 4) def. TITANS 4 (Try: Ropana) at Olympic Park

 

2008 TRY SCORERS (STORM)
Inglis 12, Folau 11, Slater 10, Turner 7, Quinn 7, Manu 6, Geyer 5, J. Smith 5, Chambers 3, Hoffman 3, Cronk 2, Johnson, Tagataese, Aitken, White, C. Smith, Crocker, Tomane, Lima

 

2008 GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
C. Smith 55, Turner 4, J. Smith, Cronk

 

2008 FIELD GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
Cronk 2

 

2008 POINTSCORERS (STORM)
C Smith 114, Inglis 48, Folau 44, Slater 40, Quinn 28, Turner 28, Manu 24, J. Smith 22, Geyer 20, Chambers 12, Cronk 12, Hoffman 12, Johnson 4, Tagataese 4, Aitken 4, White 4, Crocker 4, Tomane 4, Lima 4

 

MELBOURNE STORM MEDIBANK PRIVATE INJURY UPDATE
Danny Vaughan (knee): season
Ben MacDougall (knee): season
Dane Nielsen (shoulder): season
Will Chambers (knee): season

 

THE STORM AHEAD
Round 23: Friday, August 15^th v Roosters @ Olympic Park, 7.35pm
Round 24: Monday, August 25^th v Panthers @ CUA Stadium, 7.00pm
Round 25: Saturday, August 30^th v Knights @ EnergyAustralia Stadium, 5.30pm

 

TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP LADDER

POSITION	CLUB	POINTS
1	Sea Eagles	32
2	Storm	30
3	Roosters	30
4	Sharks	30
5	Broncos	27
6	Dragons	24
7	Panthers	23
8	Knights	22
9	Wests Tigers	22
10	Raiders	22
11	Titans	22
12	Warriors	22
13	Eels	20
14	Rabbitohs	18
15	Bulldogs	14
16	Cowboys	10

 

SQUAD FOR FRIDAY'S GAME

Starting team:
1. Billy Slater
2. Steve Turner
3. Matt Geyer
4. Israel Folau
5. Anthony Quinn
6. Greg Inglis
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Jeff Lima
9. Cam Smith
10. Brett White
11. Michael Crocker
12. Ryan Hoffman
13. Dallas Johnson

 

Interchange:
14. Jeremy Smith, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Sika Manu, 17. Antonio Kaufusi.

 

Coach: Craig Bellamy.

Melbourne Storm name Round 21 Team

The Melbourne Storm have just announced their Round 21 Squad and Team Lineup to face the Gold Coast Titans this week:

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has made two changes to his squad for Friday night’s Round 21 game against the Titans. The game will be played at Olympic Park in Melbourne from 7.45pm.

 

Billy Slater returns after serving a one-match suspension, lining up at fullback with Steve Turner returning to the wing.

 

After being rested for last week’s game in Auckland, front-rower Brett White returns to the starting line-up with Adam Blair returning to the interchange bench.

 

Brett Anderson and Russ Aitken make way in the squad for Slater and White’s return. They will both play for Central Coast Storm in the VB New South Wales Cup competition.

 

NRL squad for Friday’s game:

 

Starting team:

1. Billy Slater

2. Steve Turner

3. Matt Geyer

4. Israel Folau

5. Anthony Quinn

6. Greg Inglis

7. Cooper Cronk

8. Jeff Lima

9. Cam Smith

10. Brett White

11. Michael Crocker

12. Ryan Hoffman

13. Dallas Johnson

 

Interchange:

14. Jeremy Smith, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Sika Manu, 17. Antonio Kaufusi.

 

Coach: Craig Bellamy.

 

Under-20’s squad for Friday’s game:

 

Starting team:

 

1. Gareth Widdop

2. Josh Jerome

3. Sam Joe

4. Trent Walker

5. Michael Faamausili

6. Luke Kelly

7. Liam Foran

8. Vili Fainga’a

9. James Woolford

10. Louis Fanene

11. Aiden Guerra

12. Zeb Tawha ©

13. Will Naitoro

 

Interchange:

14. Darcy Etrich, 15. Pulou Vaituutuu, 16. Theo Stuart, 17. Matt Croker.

 

Coach: Brad Arthur

North Queensland Cowboys NRL coach Sacked

NRL team the North Queensland Cowboys have sacked first grade coach Graham Murray after months of speculation surrounding the long term Rugby League coach in the northern Queensland region.

A successful, long term coach - speculation suggests that Murray had fallen out with the senior group of players; many believing the likes of Carl Webb, Jonathan Thurston and other prominent players were unhappy with the nature and approach of Murray to weekly NRL showdowns.

The laid back Murray apparently had the same effect on the NSW Origin Team, taking over from Ricky Stuart in 2006 and subsequently losing the next 2 series' as Queensland romped to victory to hammer the future hopes of the NSW side.

Murray is keen to continue living in North Queensland, and it seems at this stage the chances of coaching again at the highest level may elude the veteran clipboard man as the competitive nature of NRL coaching continues to play out in recent times.

Can the Melbourne Storm continue NRL success?

The Melbourne Storm have been Rugby League's god's for the past 18 months or more. Virtually winning the 2007 Rugby League season blindfolded, they cruised through the year and left many teams in their wake.

After only 1 Round of NRL in 2008, the Storm quickly got into the winners circle with positive NRL Results and look to be totally dominant again. Can the Southern team with the master coach continue their footy success? Israel Folau their rookie, outside back that took the world by Storm is apparently ready to go to the Brisbane Broncos and reports say coach Craig Bellamy is being chased by the Broncos too?

Can you keep a good team going or will it finally come to an end?

Will NRL Top 8 get harder to pick?

Trying to pick the NRL Top 8 for the 2008 season remains extremely hard as after 2 games in Round 2, the NRL Results are all over the place. Rugby League tipsters and experts alike were surprised that the South Sydney Rabbitohs were taken to town by the Bulldogs who last week looked dead and buried against the Parramatta Eels and then in the second game of Rugby League for Friday Night Football, the Brisbane Broncos using Peter Wallace to guide them around got over the top of the fancied Sydney Roosters to record their second win of the year to head to the top of the ladder for now at least anyway.

The remaining games get underway tonight as Super Saturday starts with coverage on Sky and Foxtel in Australia and New Zealand.

NRL: Can South Sydney Bounce Back?

The 2008 NRL season clicks into Round 2 tonight, as South Sydney face the Bulldogs in a Sydney Rugby League blockbuster. Both sides losing in Round 1, they and their coaches will be desperate for the right NRL Results as they look to climb the ladder and gets scores going in the right direction for the season ahead. Both sides have had shakey form and need some confidence to get their seasons really moving.

Did your NRL get the win?

Did your NRL team get the win in the first round of the new season? As a supporter, most of us know that getting positive early NRL Results is such an advantage and helps your team build confidence for the season ahead.

Even junior players and new debutants on the Rugby League field can gain so much confidence from an early win and the team forms new confident combinations that could lead to representative jerseys or a new look side in the coming year.

While bounce of the footy ball and referee decisions are very important, ensuring your team has the fewest injuries generally means they will have the best chance of winning the title in the competition, as it remains the closest ever.