Whilst we may match them for strike power, and even talent, the Storm are much better at mastery of the Rules than Manly - and every other team - hands down.
They control when they give away 6-agains and its done with purpose (to halt momentum), and they back their def to hold out a couple of extra tackles as the price of stopping the roll-on. This will be our test when we play them later - can we crack the way they control a game's pace?
They train for 1on1 strips and use it as an effective tactic. I can see Des would be prepping our guys for this, but it's hard to defend against when they do it with such precision - setting the steal up with 3 guys in the tackle, and then 2 drop off at the perfect time.
They use the substitution rules due to HIA / High-Shots very effectively to move players around and create extra substitution options. Discipline is extra important, and grubs like Munster know how to milk.
They target key players - Sam Walker tonight was bludgeoned out of the game and the Chooks got a bagel. They will have a containment strategy for Tom and will be out to hurt him.
And as we all know they control the wrestle like no other, they aim to turtle players on their backs and then lie in the ruck so the quick play-the-ball is reduced. Even if its a fraction of a second per play, it all adds up over a game, and again kills momentum.
Extremely well coached, with the shortest learning curve of any team for rule changes - and how best to exploit them. This is not a criticism on the Storm, actually its the opposite. They are just the most devious team in the NRL, and Manly are are not their league in that regard. Des has stacked up well against Bellamy in years past, but Bellamy is just in a class of his own with these new rules.
