MELBOURNE STORM 22 CANTERBURY BULLDOGS 36
TOM SMITH, AAMI Park, Friday

STEPHEN CRICHTON powered Canterbury to a crucial win over undermanned Melbourne to surge into the top eight. 

Cameron Ciraldo’s men looked in trouble when Angus Hinchey’s first NRL try put the Storm up 22-16 after Bailey Hayward spent ten minutes in the sin bin for a professional foul. 

But Crichton scored two late tries to complement his two earlier assists and secure the comeback victory. Jaeman Salmon also collected a rare brace. 

Nineteen-year-old halfback Hayden Watson made his NRL debut with Jahrome Hughes (hamstring) joining Harry Grant (hamstring) and Cameron Munster (knee) in Craig Bellamy’s casualty ward – and the depleted Storm couldn’t resist the desperate Dogs. 

Canterbury have now win six of the past seven to mount a serious charge towards September. 

Grant’s replacement Trent Toelau kicked for Moses Leo’s opener, before a Viliame Kikau charge set up Salmon’s first. 

Toelau’s boot then supplied the brilliant Sualauvi Faalogo, although Jethro Rinakama replied again for the visitors and Salmon slid over. 

Momentum shifted when Faalogo spectacularly denied Jacob Kiraz and Hayward was punished for blocking Toelau in a dangerous spot. 

Leo and Hinchey exploited the one-man advantage to snatch the lead for the Storm. 

But the Bulldogs raced home. Matt Burton’s kick-chase try stopped the rot before Crichton’s bomb led to Josh Curran’s four-pointer. 

Then the stand-off scored two of his own – the first from a Kikau offload, the second with a dummy – to cement the win.

STORM: 1 Sualauvi Faalogo, 2 Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown, 3 Manaia Waitere, 4 Nick Meaney, 5 Moses Leo, 6 Tyran Wishart, 14 Hayden Watson, 8 Stefano Utoikamanu, 9 Trent Toelau, 10 Josh King, 11 Cooper Clarke, 12 Oryn Keeley, 13 Trent Loiero. Subs: 15 Alec MacDonald, 16 Jack Hetherington (not used), 17 Shawn Blore (not used), 18 Joe Chan, 19 Angus Hinchey, 22 Jai Bowden

Tries: Leo (6, 40), Faalogo (21), Hinchey (48); Goals: Meaney 3/4 

BULLDOGS: 1 Connor Tracey, 2 Jacob Kiraz, 3 Matt Burton, 4 Enari Tuala, 5 Jethro Rinakama, 6 Stephen Crichton, 7 Lachlan Galvin, 8 Max King, 9 Bailey Hayward, 10 Leo Thompson, 11 Viliame Kikau, 12 Jacob Preston, 13 Jaeman Salmon. Subs: 14 Kurt Mann, 15 Josh Curran, 16 Harry Hayes, 17 Alekolasimi Jones (not used), 20 Sean O’Sullivan (not used), 23 Jonathan Sua (not used) 

Tries: Salmon (16, 31), Rinakama (25), Burton (51), Curran (62), Crichton (70, 78); Goals: Crichton 4/7; Sin bin: Hayward (39) – professional foul

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-6, 12-6, 12-10, 12-16, 16-16; 22-16, 22-20, 22-26, 22-30, 22-36

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Storm: Sualauvi Faalogo; Bulldogs: Stephen Crichton

Penalty count: 8-4; Half-time: 16-16; Referee: Gerard Sutton; Attendance: 19,243