Qualifying Final, 2020: Melbourne 36 Parramatta 24

NRL.com

Storm v Eels: Cavalry returns; Brown cleared for comeback

A week's rest and a spot in a preliminary final is on the line when the Melbourne Storm host Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

Melbourne will be unconcerned about entering the clash off a last-start loss as their unshakeable hold on second spot granted them the luxury of fielding the second least-experienced side in NRL history against a Dragons outfit focused on a final dose of redemption for 2020.


As few as two players could back up for the first finals match with skipper Cameron Smith leading a returning contingent that includes all but two members, fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen and injured lock Dale Finucane, of the Storm's preferred starting 13.

Parramatta rebounded well to confirm their place in the top four after Wests Tigers looked on course to deny them the double chance in round 20 but will have to go up a couple of gears, and maintain that intensity for the full 80 minutes, if they are to challenge Melbourne.

The rundown
Team news
Storm: Winger Suliasi Vunivalu (hamstring), bench prop Tino Fa'asuamaleaui (calf) and back-rowers Kenny Bromwich (head knock) and Felise Kaufusi (knee) are expected to play after sitting out with minor injuries last week.

Forward Tui Kamikamica accepted a one-match ban for a shoulder charge but was in doubt with an ankle injury anyway.

Melbourne have received an exemption to replace Tom Eisenhuth (strained calf) in their squad with Chris Lewis. Albert Vete and Ryley Jacks were the other players omitted from the squad 24 hours before kick-off.

A host of rested stars have also returned to the line-up including hooker Cameron Smith, halves Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster, winger Josh Addo-Carr, centres Brenko Lee and Justin Olam, prop Jesse Bromwich and lock Nelson Asofa-Solomona.

Brandon Smith and Tom Eisenhuth will revert to the bench alongside Tom Eisenhuth and Nicho Hynes. Sandor Earl, Ricky Leutele, Paul Momirovski, Isaac Lumelume, Ryley Jacks, Cooper Johns, Chris Lewis, Aaron Booth, Darryn Schonig and Aaron Pene are all out.

Prop Max King was suspended for three games for a hip-drop tackle on Tuesday but wasn't named in the side. The Storm have won six from six in finals matches against the Eels.

Brandon Smith and Tom Eisenhuth revert to the bench alongside the returning Tino Fa'asuamaleaui. Sandow Earl, Ricky Leutele, Paul Momirovski, Isaac Lumelume, Ryley Jacks, Cooper Johns, Tui Kamikamica, Chris Lewis, Aaron Booth, Max King, Darryn Schonig and Aaron Pene are out.

Eels: Dylan Brown is all but certain to return early from ankle surgery at five-eighth.

"I'm predicting he should be OK," Brad Arthur said on Friday. "He's got a good running game so we expect him to take the line on. He's put a lot of time into getting himself right."

Will Smith has reverted to the bench. Michael Jennings has replaced Brad Takairangi at centre and Reagan Campbell-Gillard will return from a rest at prop with Kane Evans dropping to the bench.

Shaun Lane is back in the starting side with Andrew Davey on the pine. Marata Niukore (rib) is set to return on the interchange with Oregon Kaufusi, George Jennings and Daniel Alvaro all dropping out.

Oregon Kaufusi and Daniel Alvaro were trimmed from the extended bench on Friday night. The Eels have the worst attacking record of any top-eight team.

Key match-up
Cameron Smith v Reed Mahoney. The challenge the young Parramatta No.9 is facing is as big as there is in the NRL. Smith is the master of controlling both the ruck area and the pace of a match.

Mahoney needs to keep this future Immortal on his toes and make him concentrate on his own game.

Stat attack
The Storm need to prepare for plenty of defending against second-phase play. The Eels finished the year with 276 offloads, easily the most in the NRL. The Storm finished fourth in that statistical category with 80 fewer offloads than Parramatta.

NRL.com

Munster injury takes gloss of Storm's win over Eels

Melbourne ran Parramatta ragged and then put them to the sword with an explosion of speed that saw the Storm run away to a 36-24 victory at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

The brave Eels, working on about 40 per cent possession for the match, locked it up at 18-18 with half an hour to play but Melbourne blew them away with tries to Jesse Bromwich, Brenko Lee and Ryan Papenhuyzen in the space of just seven minutes.

Papenhuyzen, Josh Addo-Carr, Kenny Bromwich and Cameron Munster were huge for Melbourne but some of the gloss came off the win when Cameron Munster left the field late with a knee injury.

The half-time scores were locked at 12-12 after Parramatta had first knocked No.2 seeds Melbourne on their heels with a try to lock Nathan Brown, his first of the season, inside two minutes off a Mitch Moses bomb.

The Eels doubled their lead 20 minutes later with a breath-taking 70m team try off a Storm spilled ball that was started and finished by Clint Gutherson.

On the half-hour the Storm, which enjoyed 61 per cent possession in the opening 40, finally turned pressure into points and really cashed in with two tries in three minutes.

A long Papenhuyzen break set up the first to Suliasi Vunivalu, via a conventional back-line move through Parramatta's patchwork left edge, then the Storm produced a 70-metre classic of their own thanks to two offloads that was finished off by Papenhuyzen.

The Eels lost winger Maika Sivo to injury after just 10 minutes, forcing Michael Jennings to switch sides with Waqa Blake and backrowers Andrew Davey and Marata Nuikore to fill in at left centre inside Blake on the wing, and not much more than 10 minutes later had lost his Davey to a HIA assessment which he eventually passed.

Eels winger Blake Ferguson also hobbled off in the second half with a leg injury as a brutal contest took its toll.