NRL Round 7 review
The Melbourne Storm have won the Grand Final rematch against the Brisbanne Broncos in an entertaining match, highlighting action from Round 7 of the NRL.
The match of the round was a great battle between two very entertaining teams. At times both teams were guilty of making errors, however that simply added to the contest and made it difficult to pick a winner.
Melbourne were clearly fired up for the contest and it was a challenge that they were craving after being lackluster at times this season. They got off to an ideal start when Ryan Hoffman crossed for a simple try after just 7 minutes. The good work was undone just two minutes later when Billy Slater and Steve Turner collided in-goal in an attempt to catch a bomb, gifting a try to Greg Eastwood.
The Storm then played some brilliant football and were rewarded to tries to Billy Slater and Steve Turner. Replays showed that Turner may have dropped the ball as he attempted to ground it, but the try was awarded without it being referred to the video referee. The Broncos hit back late in the first half when Ben Hannant crashed over. With the Storm leading 16-12 at the break it was still anyone’s game.
It took just 6 minutes for Melbourne to extend the lead through another brilliant try to Billy Slater. He continues his brilliant form and is pushing for a spot in the Queensland Origin side. Israle Falou continued his amazing try-scoring feats and all but sealed the match when he crossed out wide. The Broncos scored a late try and threatened to mount a late fight-back but failed to do so as Melbourne hung on for a great 28-18 win. The victory sees them undefeated and sitting alone on top of the ladder after 7 rounds.
In other games from Round 7, the Sydney Roosters finally notched up their 1000th win, defeating a disappointing Dragons outfit 18-4 in the traditional Anzac Day clash. The Wests Tigers recorded an impressive 34-18 win over the Canterbury Bulldogs, showing signs that they are capable of going places in this competition. The Panthers continued their woeful form going down 34-18 to the Canberra Raiders. Constant errors gave the Raiders enough opportunity to take the game away from Penrith in the second half.
The unbeaten run of the Manly Sea Eagles has come to an end with a 30-26 loss against the North Queensland Cowboys. The Cowboys were brilliant, particularly Matt Bowen who grabbed a double. The New Zealand Warriors overcame some horrible video referee decisions to pull of a miracle win against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Down by 8 points with just 4 minutes remaining, the game looked to be over. However two stunning tries, the final to winger Todd Byrne, stole the game from the jaws of defeat, leaving South Sydney players devastated. The Gold Coast Titans continue to play brilliant football after demolishing Parramatta 38-12. The Eels were woeful, while the Titans turned it on for their home fans. In the final game of the round it was the Knights who prevailed with a 20-16 win against the Cronulla Sharks. Jarrod Mullen did a superb job in guiding his side around as they survived a late onslaught for an impressive win.