MELBOURNE STORM 6 SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS 48
CHRIS JONES, AAMI Park, Saturday
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS broke their Melbourne hoodoo in emphatic fashion on Anzac Day.
In 20 games played in Melbourne prior to this latest clash, the Bunnies had lost every time. But in this game they gave a dominant performance for the full 80 minutes, and in doing so they inflicted Melbourne’s sixth successive defeat, which equals the longest losing streak in Storm history. They last lost six in a row in 2002.
It was a staggering defeat for the Storm coach Craig Bellamy, who is now in new territory with his team in 16th position on the ladder, ahead of only the hapless Dragons.
The Rabbitohs scored five tries without reply in the first half, with record breaker Alex Johnston gravving the first two and Scotland international Campbell Graham, former Warrington fullback Matt Dufty and Tallis Duncan getting the others, with Latrell Mitchell converting just two of them.
In the second half Melbourne’s agony continues, with four more Rabbitohs’ tries scored by another Scotland international Euan Aitken, with Duncan grabbing two more for his hat-trick and Graham getting a second.
And to add insult to injury, Mitchell nonchalantly kicked a two-point field-goal on 69 minutes when the Rabbitohs were already 40 points up.
The Storm finally got on the scoreboard through Sualauvi Faalogo ten minutes from the end, but it was little consolation for their supporters.
STORM: 1 Sualauvi Faalogo, 2 Will Warbrick, 3 Jack Howarth, 5 Manaia Waitere, 4 Nick Meaney, 6 Cameron Munster, 7 Jahrome Hughes, 8 Stefano Utoikamanu, 9 Harry Grant, 10 Josh King, 11 Joe Chan, 12 Cooper Clarke, 13 Trent Loiero. Subs: 14 Tyran Wishart, 15 Alec MacDonald, 16 Shawn Blore, 17 Davvy Moale (not used), 19 Hugo Peel (not used), 21 Josiah Pahulu (not used)
Tries: Faalogo (70); Goals: Meaney 1/1
RABBITOHS: 1 Matt Dufty, 2 Alex Johnston, 3 Latrell Mitchell, 4 Jack Wighton, 5 Campbell Graham, 6 Cody Walker, 7 Jamie Humphreys, 8 Tevita Tatola, 9 Bronson Garlick, 10 Sean Keppie, 11 Brandon Smith, 12 Tallis Duncan, 13 Cameron Murray. Subs: 14 Peter Mamouzelos (not used), 15 Lachlan Hubner, 16 Jayden Sullivan, 17 Keaon Koloamatangi, 18 Euan Aitken, 22 Edward Kosi (not used)
Tries: Johnston (9, 23), Graham (26, 67), Dufty (30), Duncan (36, 63, 79), Aitken (56); Goals: Mitchell 5/9; Two-point field-goals: Mitchell (69)
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-10, 0-14, 0-18, 0-24; 0-28, 0-34, 0-40, 0-42, 6-42, 6-48
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match:
Storm: Sualauvi Faalogo; Rabbitohs: Latrell Mitchell
Penalty count: 8-2; Half-time: 0-24; Referee: Adam Gee; Attendance: 25,694