Summary
Thank you for joining me tonight. What an absorbing game of footy that became.
Parramatta looked the more assured in the opening half, executing some silky combinations, but Melbourne clung on, and came out for the second half rejuvenated. They won the kicking duel – or more precisely the kick-chase duel – and in a tight contest that established territorial ascendancy and momentum.
Once we entered Golden Point it was anyone’s game but unfortunately for Eels supporters their heroes made a hash of things when they could least afford to.
If this is the start of things to come, it’s going to be another super season of rugby league. I can’t wait for you to join me here again.
What a start to the season.
Craig Bellamy remains undefeated in round one with the Melbourne Storm. He won’t have experienced many closer scrapes than this. An exodus of experienced players over the summer. A full injury ward to start the year. Coates crocked during the match. Munster playing on with a compound finger dislocation. Two players bandaged with eyebrow splits. The resilience and drive is something to behold.
As soon as the Eels coughed up possession on halfway it looked curtains. Storm made repeat incursions, never seriously threatening to go back for the drop-goal, and sniping from dummy-half, like he has all night long, Grant was alert to the space, nipped between Hopgood and Hodgson, and had enough reach to crane the Steeden onto the whitewash.
MELBOURNE STORM WIN IN GOLDEN POINT
That was a heck of a win for an undermanned, wounded, indisciplined Melbourne Storm.
TRY! Eels 12-16 Storm (Grant, 84)
GRANT REACHES OUT AND PLACES THE BALL ON THE LINE FOR THE WIN!
83 mins: Disaster for Parra! Two tackles to get to halfway then Paulo misses his target with his pass. Moses then runs across field but his pass is grassed too and Hughes counters!
Updated
82 mins: Meaney has time and space but misses the drop for goal 40m out! The ball doesn’t go to touch and the Eels have a seven tackle set.
81 mins: Good kick-off, good chase, advantage Storm. Hopgood gains 15m but Melbourne defend well. Hopgood again, with the offload this time, but Gutherson can’t wriggle free. Moses opts for the grubber, not the field goal. Melbourne attack from 30m out. Hughes shows and goes, offloads and Munsters drives to 35m out.
Storm win the toss and will kick-off.
Full-time: Eels 12-12 Storm
To Golden Point we go! Just what these knackered blokes wanted.
80 mins: Munster shanks his drop-goal attempt…
80 mins: And now the Storm have a penalty, in possession, on halfway, for Hodgson interfering at the ruck. Parramatta are challenging. It’s unsuccessful. Melbourne will kick, then have a full set to ice the game.
79 mins: The Storm don’t have the field position to kick for goal themselves. Munster tries to buy a few yards but in the process has to concede a last tackle turnover near halfway. Another chance to Parramatta. Again they drive in textbook fashion. Can they find Moses again? They elect not to – instead they run to the left, there’s numbers, but can they engineer the overlap? No! Gutherson spills in contact. Melbourne survive again!
77 mins: MELBOURNE CHARGE DOWN THE FIELD-GOAL ATTEMPT! That was a huge play from Melbourne’s forwards, streaming out of the line towards Moses, executing a Volleyball-style block at the net. That was epic! Parramatta had guided that set perfectly to that point, eating up the clock, driving the ball within inches of the line.
76 mins: Another Melbourne handling error! The Storm are out on their feet. Can the Eels knock them to the floor?
75 mins: … they should – but what is Sivo doing!? Parra get space on the left and tear up the wing at speed. Sivo has a one-on-one to either dive for the corner or establish A1 field-goal position. Instead, he chips and chases and overcooks the kick into touch!
75 mins: The Eels get to halfway but not without pain as Blake looks proppy then Gutherson has a loose contact lens at the play the ball. Moses kicks, it’s poor, too short, but there’s no communication in defence and Wishart fumbles the high ball, knocking on! Disaster! Can the Eels capitalise?
73 mins: Melbourne let Moses’ grubber run into touch 16m out on the right. Both teams are gassed and desperate for a break. Storm restart and carry the ball safely downfield. Hughes again nails his bomb, pinning Parramatta back near their line.
71 mins: This final ten minutes will be a war of attrition. Parramatta have a kicking opportunity 30m out but Moses is rushed, the kick is poor and Melbourne gather the bouncing bomb in broken play. Hughes shows Moses how it’s done with a mighty roost – but Blake is equal to it in defence.
69 mins: Still the Storm come! Sivo bats a Hughes bomb behind when he could have been braver. Gutherson goes for the cute drop-out but unlike the first half Melbourne claim possession and have a full set 12m out. Katoa drives dangerously, Hughes is set for the drop-goal, but Munster plays on, the move loses connection and the Storm knock-on. Such a soft ending to a potentially game-winning moment. Then there’s another stoppage for a clash of heads – Munster again in the wars, knocking noggins with Penisini.
Updated
68 mins: There is blood everywhere you look at Commbank Stadium. Katoa is opened up above his left eyebrow, Tonumaipea above his right, in separate incidents. It’s like a UFC fight. The latter has to leave for an HIA and Melbourne are running on fumes with only one interchange remaining and barely enough fit footballers.
67 mins: The feature of this second half has been Melbourne’s kicking and chasing game. It has continually turned Parramatta around and forced them to attack from a standing start deep in their own half. They’ve been starved of go-forward through the middle. That lack of control is compounded by a high shot from Momoisea allowing the Storm and their rag-tag band of walking wounded to regroup on halfway.
65 mins: Coates is out for the game, by the way, with his collar bone injury.
TRY! Eels 12-12 Storm (Tonumaipea, 64)
And Melbourne score off the back of the scrum! It’s all Munster, drifting across to the left, feigning the pass to Asofa-Solomona, showing and going to the extend the ball left his hands! He still has the presence of mind to drill a pass to his left-centre and Tonumaipea does brilliantly to resist contact and wriggle over the line like a beached dolphin.
Meaney curls over the touchline conversion and scores are back level!
63 mins: Huge moment in this contest! Asofa-Solomona smashes Lumelume returning a kick 10m out, gathers the loose ball, and storms over for a try. However, in the mess following the Parra knock-on, there was a Storm knock-on as well. Still, 10m scrum.
TRY! Eels 12-6 Storm (Paulo, 59)
Parramatta have been passengers for most of this half but they take full advantage of their first chance in an age. It’s all about Josh Hodgson again, steering his team from left to right, biding his time, playing “what time is it Mr Wolf?” with Munster, winning, then popping the ball across to Junior Paulo in space who is unstoppable from 15m on the burst.
Moses kicks the conversion.
58 mins: Parramatta string some passes together but Meaney is alert at fullback to extinguish the danger. Hughes then tries to take on the wrong man, jinking in the direction of Sivo who just ragdolls the Storm #7 into touch. Best territory in 15 minutes for the Eels.
57 mins: It’s a poor, nervy set in midfield though and Melbourne are soon back on the move, playing the ball with incredible speed, sniping from behind the ruck and hitting the line quickly at first receiver. Again, tackle four sees a deeper line and the ball through hands to the right through Hughes. It sets up attacking kick position and Munster takes full advantage, nailing a beautiful crossfield bomb to the left corner but Coates just can’t haul it in. The Melbourne winger does not look well on landing. He’s signalling to the bench that his left shoulder is knackered.
55 mins: Parra have been limited to risk-free run-out footy for the past ten minutes. Not so Melbourne who spread the ball wide to the right, but there’s a turnover on the ground! Great steal – Gutherson possibly – and the Eels can steady the ship.
53 mins: Melbourne are starting to pinch metres from every ruck, and they’re playing the ball very quickly, giving them a sense of perpetual motion. It was a poor first half from the Storm but they’re hitting their straps now.
51 mins: Munster with the dummy, dart and offload to turn a mundane set into a dynamic one. Grant snipes from dummy-half and Melbourne are rolling. The Eels have numbers through, snuff out the danger, and we’re back to the arm-wrestle in midfield.
49 mins: Forceful defensive set from the Eels forces the Storm to kick from well inside their own half but Coates’ chase is magnificent and he nails Lumelume before he can get into his stride.
TRY! Eels 6-6 Storm (Meaney, 47)
Melbourne take full advantage of that field position! Hughes does well to establish field position, then from 10m out in front of the posts Grant engineers half a yard of space, King accepts the give and go, acting like a human shield, offloading smartly to the crumbing fullback who nips the final couple of metres to the line. Meaney then goes back and kicks the sides level.
46 mins: Not a particularly inspired attacking set from Parra, despite the field position, and after running out of options to the right Gutherson kicks infield, Grant collects, Brown comes over the top and Melbourne can clear with a penalty. From the restart Grant buys his team another penalty, catching the Eels offside form dummy-half. The Storm now deep in attack.
44 mins: Parramatta’s second set begins with another awful indisciplined penalty against the Storm, undoing a kick chase that pinned the Eels in their own 20m zone. This is unrecognisable. After play restarts Moses goes for the umpteenth runaround of the night and it’s another penalty! This time against Loiero for an unfortunate high tackle, ricocheting off one ball player into the runner.
42 mins: Each side enjoys a textbook completed set to start the half.
The teams, Munster included, are back out for the second half.
Never mind playing rugby league, if I saw bone coming through my hand I wouldn’t type for a month.
UPDATE‼️‼️
— Melbourne Storm (@storm) March 2, 2023
Munny has been cleared to return after receiving a compound dislocation to a finger on his right hand
That first half was played largely on Parramatta’s terms, thanks to the control of Josh Hodgson behind a strong forward pack. The best moves came down the Eels’ left but they only have six points to show for it.
That’s six more than an error-riddled Storm side who repeatedly shot themselves in the foot despite attacking with far greater ruck speed. The finger injury to Cameron Munster will be a major worry.
Spend your half-time catching up on the cricket. Australia are closing in on a handsome victory in India.
Half-time: Eels 6-0 Storm
An energetic but error-strewn half ends with Parramatta’s noses in front.
38 mins: Another borderline forward pass call against the Eels stymies a promising attack. It means Melbourne have a scrum 30m out and off the back they peel off to the right and have numbers – but Sivo steps out of the line, almost intercepts, but knocks-on. Melbourne go again, to the left this time, but Tonumaipea runs out of space in the corner. Still the Storm come, Hughes almost crossing off the back of a 10m scrum, but yet again, so so sloppy, Melbourne cough the ball up in contact – Loiero this time – and mParramatta breathe a sigh of relief. Such an un-Craig Bellamy-like performance with ball in hand.
37 mins: Storm make ground down the right with some one-out straight-line running, then they spread out to the left as they hit Parra’s 30m line. There’s no intricacy to the ball movement in the red zone with Storm relying on offloads and individual brilliance. Grant tries just that but his kick is blocked and in broken play there’s a knock-on called against Hughes. Melbourne initiate a captain’s call – which is one of those that unfolds slowly, deliberately, and simultaneously incomprehensibly, the outcome of which is the on-field call stands.
35 mins: Back to the exchange of sets in the corridor with Hughes winning the kicking game with a beautiful long punt into the right corner. The chase is brilliant too, as is the full defensive set, forcing Moses to kick from inside his own 40m line.
33 mins: Munster’s finger is back in place but he won’t return until the second half, if at all. The opening weeks of this season are going to be a rough ride for the Storm.
TRY! Eels 6-0 Storm (Penisini, 31)
The first contested bomb of the night is claimed by Meaney but Wishart soon loses the ball in the tackle. Deary me, Melbourne have been so poor protecting possession. Parramatta have another golden opportunity to make them pay – and this time they do! Repeat pressure through the middle with Paulo and Hodgson busy. Eventually the defence fractures, Gutherson delays his pass at first receiver , Tonumaipea jumps out of the line, and Penisini has the simple task of catching and touching down.
Moses misses the conversion from the right touchline.
29 mins: The set begins badly with a near fumble at first receiver then a hospital pass to Gutherson who is flattened. Two passes later an intricate passing move down the left wing doesn’t come off and Melbourne run the ball clear. Back to the training paddock for that one. Meanwhile Munster has left the field with a dislocated finger – and Brad Fittler suggests it’s a compound injury with the bone piercing the skin. Eurgh!
27 mins: Parra haven’t had a sniff for a few sets now, but they’re gifted an opportunity when MacDonald collects Moses after his kick. There wasn’t much in it but the substitute has been put on report. The Eels have a full set 20m out.
Updated
25 mins: Nonetheless, Melbourne defend superbly and after regaining possession near halfway set up a drive that ends with Munster dropping a kick towards the left corner that Coates can’t chase down and dribbles into touch.
23 mins: Six-again for Melbourne on halfway, a klaxon that signals a shift of momentum following a long midfield arm-wrestle. The Storm head left to the dangerous Tonumaipea, then Welch and King both find offloads up the guts. The visitors keep the ball alive and Grant spots a two-on-one on the right but his grubber is defended by Sivo. For the second time tonight the line drop-out clears the 10m line by inches and win the mid-air tap! Is this a new development for 2023?
21 mins: Both sides have settled into their midfield grooves.
19 mins: Melbourne do well to bury themselves deep in Parra’s end but the defensive line resists Welch’s drive under the crossbar on the last tackle. The Storm needed that last couple of minutes after the Eels looked ot be building up a head of steam.
17 mins: Paulo’s offloads have been a feature of the half so far and his grunt work takes the home side in sight of the posts. From here Hodgson again is alert to the space, feeds Brown on his left, the long cutout pass finds Sivo and Parra score the first try of the season! Or not. Brown’s long pass looked good out of the hands but it drifted forward and referee Klein called it in real time. Storm survive, then Tonumaipea makes a superb burst, that ends with a penalty in contact, and Melbourne turn defence into attack.
15 mins: Hodgson is marshalling his new troops from dummy-half, leaving Moses and Brown to pick their passes on the left edge. That combination drives the Eels downfield, when Hodgson dabs a perfectly weighted grubber that Meaney has to slap behind. Munster drops his kick-out 10.1m allowing the Storm to reclaim possession and get into their work. There’s offloads aplenty as the visitors try to catch Parra cold but for the second Melbourne set in a row there’s a soft knock-on – this time from Grant – and Parramatta have A1 attacking territory.
13 mins: Melbourne get a tackle penalty in their own half but Nelson Asofa-Solomona wastes the resulting possession just over halfway with a fumbled play-the-ball.
11 mins: Now it’s Melbourne’s turn to nearly score! The attack down the left is crisp and on the break Coates kicks ahead into space but the ball bounces long with runners marginally late in pursuit. Dynamic stuff from both teams.
10 mins: Never mind unfamiliar combinations, the Eels are working the ball from sideline to sideline like the Harlem Globetrotters! The move to the left, with a number of runarounds, is eye-catching and slick but the Storm’s rush defence is alert. The shift to the right was more conventional but Lumelume didn’t have enough room to dive over in the corner.
9 mins: Poor defence from the Storm, allowing the massive Lumelume to wriggle out of contact and gain 10m. That error is compounded by a tackle penalty and Parramatta kick deep into enemy territory.
7 mins: The Eels consolidate their two points with a straightforward set up the guts. Andrew Johns is impressed with Hodgson’s early footy at dummy-half. Hodgson’s opposite number then changes momentum with a beautiful long low kick to the right corner in behind Gutherson.
PENALTY! Eels 2-0 Storm (Moses, 5)
35m out, 15m in from the left, Moses dusts himself down and slots the first points of the new season.
4 mins: The first turnover of the season comes from new boy Hodgson, reading Munster’s offload after the Storm five-eighth made a handy dart down the left with a couple of dummies. The Eels build nicely and spread the play to the left, during which Moses is ironed late by debutant Katoa. An early shot for goal for the Parra half. Dumb footy from the Melbourne #12.
2 mins: Fitting that the returning Storm skipper Welch has the first hit-up of the season. Hope he has a good campaign after his knee-injury last year, and his sterling work communicating the agenda of the players’ union. Both sides complete their first sets with little to report.
Kick-off!
No pre-match messing around tonight. The teams are out, the ball’s on the tee, the 2023 NRL campaign is underway!
The Eels are clad predominately in blue tonight, with yellow accents. The Storm are a blizzard of white with a boysenberry ripple.
Parramatta have won the last four against the Storm, most recently 22-14 in round 25 last season.
Oh my, Cameron Smith has just done an anxiety-inducing walk-and-talk to camera and he just, just, just, barely made it to the end. I was on the edge of my seat as he delivered his final unconvincing words with a weak pointed finger. Why do the broadcasters put them through it? It’s not an audition reel for the Lee Strasberg.
Let's get this thing on! 🔥🔥🔥
— NRL on Nine (@NRLonNine) March 2, 2023
🖥 #NRLEelsStorm | https://t.co/AWYN7l5Oij#9WWOS #NRL pic.twitter.com/cXBwnMsk8D
Updated
Conditions are perfect. Still, dry and mild in western Sydney this evening.
Your referee tonight is the omnipresent Ashley Klein. I can’t remember the last game of domestic or rep footy that he didn’t officiate.
Storm XVII
Three debutants for the Storm tonight with Bronson Garlick, Will Warbick, and Eliesa Katoa all pulling on the purple jersey for the first time.
1 Nick Meaney
2 Will Warbrick
3 Reimis Smith
4 Young Tonumaipea
5 Xavier Coates
6 Cameron Munster
7 Jahrome Hughes
8 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
9 Harry Grant
10 Christian Welch
11 Trent Loiero
12 Eliesa Katoa
13 Josh King
INTERCHANGE
14 Tyran Wishart
15 Alec MacDonald
17 Jordan Grant
19 Bronson Garlick
Eels XVII
Debuts for Josh Hodgson, Matt Doorey, J’maine Hopgood, Jirah Momoisea, Jack Murchie and Isaac Lumelume in Brad Arthur’s patchwork side.
1 Clinton Gutherson
2 Maika Sivo
3 Will Penisini
4 Waqa Blake
22 Isaac Lumelume
6 Dylan Brown
7 Mitchell Moses
8 Reagan Campbell-Gillard
9 Josh Hodgson
10 Junior Paulo
11 Bryce Cartwright
12 Matt Doorey
13 J’maine Hopgood
INTERCHANGE
14 Jirah Momoisea
15 Jack Murchie
16 Wiremu Greig
17 Makahesi Makatoa
On-field, there’s plenty of hope in unexpected places, like at the Tigers, Bulldogs, and the nascent Dolphins. But they’ll all have to go through the imposing Panthers if they want to reach the top.
There’s been no shortage of things happening off the field since the Panthers lifted the Provan-Summons Trophy last year, led by the dawn of the Dolphins and heated debate over the latest CBA.
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Parramatta v Melbourne on the opening night of the 2023 NRL Premiership season. Kick off at Commbank Stadium in Sydney is 8pm AEDT.
The NRL has survived the off-season and returns juiced and glistening with last year’s beaten grand finalists, the Eels, welcoming perennial contenders, the Storm. Both will start tonight’s contest eager to prove they can deny the all-conquering Penrith Panthers a three-peat.
Of the pair Parra probably have the stronger claim over the 26 round-plus playoffs marathon. Hull-born Josh Hodgson could be an inspired recruit from the Raiders, bringing his steel and nous at dummy-half to complement the efficiency of Dylan Brown and Mitchell Moses in the #6 and #7 jerseys. Fullback Clint Gutherson is a matchwinner. And any pack containing Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Junior Paolo cannot be taken lightly.
But round one has arrived a little too soon for Brad Arthur’s liking with the Eels coach having to dip outside his pool of top 30 talent to cover for injuries - and the suspension to Ryan Matterson following his grand final indiscretion and unwillingness to pay a $4,000 fine. “Maybe it’s because we had a bit of a shortened pre-season for some of the guys, but we’ve got five or six blokes that won’t be available for selection,” Arthur said.
“It is exciting because it gives other blokes an opportunity and someone hopefully steps up that we mightn’t have known about, especially in the back row where we’ve got some new players getting an opportunity. I don’t know what our best combinations are at the moment but we’ll sort that out in the first couple of weeks.”
Parra’s short-term pain opens the door for an unfamiliar-looking Storm to catch them cold. In the off-season Melbourne stalwarts Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich, and Felise Kaufusi all headed north for the Dolphins, while Brandon Smith departed for the Roosters. On top of that, starters Ryan Papenhuyzen, Justin Olam, Tui Kamikamica and George Jennings are all on the sidelines for a number of weeks. Craig Bellamy’s side will have at least eight changes from the one that finished 2022 in the first week of the finals.
Incredibly, Bellamy has never lost a round one match in charge of the Storm and he can still call upon the brilliance of Cameron Munster, Harry Grant, and Jahrome Hughes, so anything is possible.
I’ll be back shortly with more build-up. In the meantime, feel free to send me an email or fly a tweet to @JPHowcroft.
