Round 23, 2018: Melbourne 20 Parramatta 4

NRL.com

Storm v Eels: Blair returns; Kaufusi to debut

Two losses on the trot in August? No-one saw that coming for the Storm.

And while it's anything but panic stations, talk of back-to-back premierships has certainly eased over the past fortnight.

The Storm have had weaknesses exposed by Souths and Cronulla and it must be of considerable concern to Craig Bellamy, despite the fact his team remains well placed to finish in the top four.

They won't have it easy on Friday night against an Eels side that put 40 on the Dragons in a runaway victory last week.

Parra are playing better than their position on the ladder would suggest and the Storm would be crazy to think they're in for an easy one.

Key match-up: Fresh of a first-half hat-trick in the rout of the Dragons, Jarryd Hayne will be relishing the challenge of taking on Melbourne's star-studded back-line. Former NSW Origin star Hayne will line up directly opposite current Blues sensation Josh Addo-Carr in a mouth-watering clash.

For the Storm to win: Uncharacteristically unable to fight their way out of trouble in their past two games, the premiers know they need to get their game in order. They have to patch up their defence and Cam Smith needs to prove he is still a clutch goal-kicker after a 1/3 performance against the Sharks.

For the Eels to win: It only took 22 rounds but the Eels finally ran on all cylinders last week. The Storm aren't as off their game as the Dragons but they're not their usual clinical selves. The Eels have to bring the same nothing-to-lose energy and emulate last week's positive start, with contributions all over the park for 80 minutes.

Storm Stat Attack: Melbourne completed 32/42 sets (76%) against the Sharks and missed 41 tackles. The previous week against Souths they completed 74% and missed 38 tackles. Craig Bellamy will be hoping those figures improve on Friday night.

Eels Stat Attack: Parra were on fire last week. The Eels had a whopping 61% of possession to their opponents' 39% and completed an eye-popping 41/44 sets (93%). The Dragons completed just 66%.

And another thing: Melbourne and Parramatta squared off in the 2009 grand final, with the Storm prevailing 23-16. Melbourne were playing in their fourth straight grand final, while the Eels memorably won nine of their final 12 games to finish eighth before winning three consecutive sudden death games to advance to the premiership decider. The Storm led all the way, withstanding a late fightback and sealing victory with a Greg Inglis field goal in the 77th minute.

Melbourne Storm v Parramatta Eels, Friday 7.55pm at AAMI Park

Storm: Cheyse Blair replaces the injured Ryan Hoffman (hamstring) on the bench.

Eels: Tim Mannah replaces Kane Evans in the front row while Oregon Kaufusi is named to debut off the bench in place of Will Smith.

Head-to-head: Played 33; Storm 20 wins, Eels 13 wins
Previous result: Storm won 18-16 at AAMI Park in Finals Week 1, 2017
Points per game: Storm 23.3; Eels 16.9
Points conceded per game: Storm 15.7; Eels 21
Televised: Live on Nine, Fox League

NRL.com

Storm captain Smith leaves field injured in win over Eels

Melbourne's premiership defence could be on shaky ground after long-serving captain Cameron Smith was injured in Friday night's 20-4 home win over Parramatta.

The Storm consolidated their spot in the NRL top four with the hard-fought victory but coach Craig Bellamy has a potentially serious problem to deal with after his team was left reeling with casualties.

Smith was sandwiched in a legal tackle by Eels forwards Nathan Brown and Tepai Moeroa with 13 minutes remaining in the first half. He winced in obvious pain, clutching at his lower back and ribs on his right side as he stayed hunched over on the ground with a Melbourne trainer.

Smith tried to stay on, kicking a penalty goal before succumbing to the injury a few minutes later and heading to the sideline. The Australian captain played no further part in the round 23 clash.

Early reports suggest the injury isn't too bad, though Smith is likely to undergo scans on Saturday.

Also of considerable concern for Bellamy was the recurrence of a hamstring injury for winger Suliasi Vunivalu, who didn't play in the second half.

It didn't end there, with powerful prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona leaving the field with an ankle injury 12 minutes into the second half.

All three will be checked closely on Saturday morning.

The Storm got the ball rolling with centre Will Chamber's try. Smith converted for a 6-0 lead after eight minutes.

Parramatta almost returned serve but were forced into touch close to Melbourne's try-line.

Smith kicked a penalty goal to make it 8-0 before stretching it to 10-0 with a second penalty goal. His night was over a moment later but the home team kept their line intact and went to the break ahead by 10.

The Eels did their best to stay in the contest all night but were continually denied by resolute defence.

Asofa-Solomona crossed for a try seven minutes into the second half before limping off with an ankle injury. Brodie Croft took over the goal-kicking duties and converted for a 16-0 lead.

Melbourne sealed their 15th win of the season with Curtis Scott's 73rd-minute try.

The Eels highpoint came in the 77th-minute when Clint Gutherson touched down out wide.