MELBOURNE STORM 30 CRONULLA SHARKS 6
TOM SMITH, AAMI Park, Sunday
ELIESA KATOA terrorised the Sharks all afternoon as the Storm ran away with a thumping win late.
The athletic Melbourne back-rower combined with halfback Jahrome Hughes for an early opener, before sealing the win deep into the second half by snatching a pair of Hughes bombs from the clutches of Cronulla fullback Will Kennedy to set up important tries.
Hughes was also instrumental, while Sualauvi Faalogo tallied a game-high 223 running metres – including a long-range intercept try off Sharks playmaker Nicho Hynes – before he did his hamstring with just two minutes remaining.
AAMI Park represents a daunting trip for any club, especially Cronulla, who’ve lost all bar one of their last seven visits, although the Sharks did take confidence from downing the Storm by five points in a dramatic clash just six weeks ago on home turf.
That match erupted when Ryan Papenhuyzen hit Ronaldo Mulitalo high on the last play of the game, as Cronulla held on in a cliffhanger.
And the two renewed hostilities when the Sharks flanker spilled a try-scoring chance in the first half of this spicy affair.
The visitors showed plenty of fight and matched the top-four Storm for long periods, but will finish round 17 outside the top eight.
Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon added Oregon Kaufusi (hamstring) and Billy Burns to the line-up that squandered a 16-point lead against the Broncos on Sunday, shuffling Hohepa Puru and Daniel Atkinson out of the 17.
Storm counterpart Craig Bellamy rested Xavier Coates after Origin duty in last weekend’s golden-point defeat of the Rabbitohs, but brought him back here for the ill Jack Howarth.
Fellow interstate representatives Stefano Utoikamanu and Trent Loiero returned to the forward pack too.
A beautifully-timed Hughes short ball put Katoa steaming through for the opening points on six minutes.
And the hosts had another when live-wire winger Faalogo scooped up a speculative Hynes tap-on to spring 90 metres and score.
The Cronulla halfback got one back on Faalogo moments later, though, beating him with a towering bomb and gifting Braydon Trindall four points.
The Storm took a slender four-point advantage into the sheds – soon to be six, once a ruck penalty gave Papenhuyzen a shot at goal.
He missed another penalty-goal attempt as Fitzgibbon’s charges did well to match Melbourne in the arm wrestle for most of the second half, until the floodgates opened with a quarter of an hour remaining.
First the athletic Katoa snaffled a Hughes bomb from the grasp of Kennedy, sending Nick Meaney in for the Storm’s third try.
Then Katoa’s cut-out put Faalogo into the right corner, only for the officials to spot the winger’s boot in touch.
Katoa soared for another Hughes bomb, this time finding the kicker with an offload to reward him with a try.
And the icing on the cake came through Loiero, who juggled a Nelson Asofa-Solomona pass over the whitewash.
GAMESTAR: Eliesa Katoa’s aerial threat delivered two tries off Jahrome Hughes bombs in the second half, following his opening salvo in the sixth minute.
GAMEBREAKER: Trent Loiero crossed for a four-pointer at the death to finish Melbourne’s late surge.
MATCHFACTS
STORM
1 Ryan Papenhuyzen
2 Sualauvi Faalogo
3 Grant Anderson
4 Nick Meaney
5 Xavier Coates
6 Cameron Munster
7 Jahrome Hughes
10 Josh King
9 Harry Grant
17 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
11 Shawn Blore
12 Eliesa Katoa
13 Trent Loiero
Subs (all used)
8 Stefano Utoikamanu
14 Tyran Wishart
15 Alec MacDonald
16 Tui Kamikamica
Tries: Katoa (6), Faalogo (27), Meaney (65), Hughes (73), Loiero (79)
Goals: Papenhuyzen 4/6, Meaney 1/1
SHARKS
1 Will Kennedy
2 Sione Katoa
3 Jesse Ramien
4 Siosifa Talakai
5 Ronaldo Mulitalo
6 Braydon Trindall
7 Nicho Hynes
8 Addin Fonua-Blake
9 Blayke Brailey
10 Oregon Kaufusi
11 Briton Nikora
12 Teig Wilton
13 Cameron McInnes
Subs (all used)
15 Jesse Colquhoun
16 Toby Rudolf
17 Braden Hamlin-Uele
18 Billy Burns
Tries: Trindall (34)
Goals: Hynes 1/1
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 10-0, 10-6; 12-6, 18-6, 24-6, 30-6
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Storm: Eliesa Katoa; Sharks: Addin Fonua-Blake
Penalty count: 4-5
Half-time: 10-6
Referee: Ashley Klein
Attendance: 21,399