Game Day: Manly V Storm [Round 5, 2025]

[mickqld]

Stop giving away dumb errors and penalties. Cannot let them have more possession. We've bombed 2 try's at least. Must kick and put pressure on Leo.

 

[JakeyB789]

Really poor 10 minutes there when they scored the 3 tries but otherwise we’ve looked pretty good.

Koula looks unreal, keep feeding him the ball and things will happen 100%

Momentum shifted when DCE forced it down the short side and put all the pressure on Brooks, we will be a better team once he is gone

 

[Waz13]

Have to be proud of their effort; we’ve clearly got an inferior middle, which was exposed in Melbourne’s five minute blitz, but we do have heart.

I am not impressed with the standard of refereeing. There were a few occasions where Melbourne slowed us down but hadn’t won contact and we should have been given a set restart.

The biggest difference in the two sides so far, is Melbourne find their front with the ball on almost every ruck. Until our defence is able to slow their ruck down by winning contact and putting Melbourne on their back, they’ll have the points to win this in the second half.

They try to play touch footy by basically dropping into their chest at any contact. Pap basically involuntary tackles himself.

 

[HoldenV8]

Not using Haumole well enough so far, wouldn’t mind seeing Haumole go to the left for 15-20 minutes, he would make it hard for Storm.

Today we seem to be concentrating on going to their right edge where they have a rugby sevens player defending at centre, and Hughes who is basically playing one handed.

 

[robbiea]

We've been a bit better since Simpkin has came on

Every game this year.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Better team when Tavaga's not on.

Should just be a bench middle , not a hooker in my opinion.

 

[Disco]

Koula and Burbo playing well.

Things looked grim there for a bit but credit to the boys for getting back in it.

Need to start the 2nd half well.

 

[Eagle 1]

and we kick it out on the full

we are the dumbest team in the NRL!!

It's just Rubes whos dumb Soupy.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Ben needs to stop working them in the tackle, he's done it twice leading to 6 agains one cost us a try.

Yes all their six agains have been on our line , and they capitalised …. Three times

 

[davohan123]

Every game this year.

At full strength if we ever get there simpkin is our best 9.

He while not the most creative 9 out there is far more dangerous than jazz and Croker if fit

 

[LeonardCohen]

Anyone think we could win this with a DCE field goal?

 

[HoldenV8]

Koula best player for us by a country mile. Such a talented player

Up against a rugby sevens player who seems all at sea defending at centre.

Koula's biggest talent is his pace. His other league talents are basically run of the mill.

 

[DanielTurbo888]

We are starting to come to life. Looking forward to seeing what we are really made of this second half

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Think about this

In years gone by we’d capitulate and it would be 36-2.

We didn’t , we’re fighting back.

Loads didn’t go our way, but we haven’t spit the dummy out .

That’s a real positive sign

 

[Eagle 1]

At full strength if we ever get there simpkin is our best 9.

He while not the most creative 9 out there is far more dangerous than jazz and Croker if fit

Has a good crisp passing game, our stocks go up when Simpkin comes on.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Anyone think we could win this with a DCE field goal?

I’ll have a heart attack if it gets to that

 

[LeonardCohen]

They try to play touch footy by basically dropping into their chest at any contact. Pap basically involuntary tackles himself.

I think our defence can be pretty ineffective at times too. We don’t scrap enough. Melbourne were given a penalty with three minutes remaining in the half and kicked for touch—so set defence for Manly—and Howarth crabbed across field and Simpkin made an ineffective one-on-one tackle and the set rolled from there until an error was made. Why we wouldn’t have three players in the tackle is beyond me there. He should have been buried by a brick wall, instead he was able to find his front and generate a quick play-the-ball. We need to be better than that.

 

[Ashton Davis]

Could be a very different scoreline if the bounce of the ball didn’t go Melbourne’s way before that 3rd try. Clayton looked a real chance to possibly score

 

[Ranga]

Far out Grant annoys me.

Every tackle he doing something a bit grubby (a Storm trait no doubt), then he just loiters in the ruck and gets away with it. A ref could legitimately penalise him every tackle he makes!

He is a good player, one of the best in the comp actually. But he doesn’t need to stoop to such negative tactics.

As for the half, we did well to get back into it. We need to improve to keep it close though.

 

[Jethro]

Set Restarts are 2 all.

Set Restart Offenders

• Ben Trbojevic - Ruck Infringement - 10:09
• Ben Trbojevic - Ruck Infringement - 28:03

Penalty Offenders

• Reuben Garrick - Other (Incorrect Kick Off) - 12:37
• Daly Cherry-Evans - Ball Strip - 27:17
• Ethan Bullemor - Hand in the Ruck - 35:57

Errors

• Nathan Brown - 22:59
• Tolutau Koula - 26:03
• Reuben Garrick - 37:54