Five quick hits — Unlikely heroes and big-game players stand up for Storm in semifinal win
The dust has settled after another mighty finals clash between the Storm and the Roosters with Melbourne moving on to the preliminary final after an epic 18-13 victory over their old rivals.
It was a ding-dong battle from start to finish, that was as rough around the edges as a sudden-death semifinal is supposed to be.
Here are the five moments that stole the spotlight.
1. Wishart stands tall at halfback
Tyran Wishart arrived at the Storm as a hooker by trade but he’s covered just about everywhere in the Melbourne backline as well as dummy half.
Even so, stepping in for Kiwi superstar Jahrome Hughes at halfback seemed to be a tall order for the Gerringong product – until he sold Luke Keary a dummy and left Brandon Smith grasping at air to cruise over for the first try of the match.
With Melbourne looking for confidence after last week’s humiliation at the hands of the Broncos they were always going to look to one of their playmakers for a hot start, but few would have expected the moment of inspiration to come from Wishart.
2. Cheese gets down low and goes, goes, goes
It’s been an up-and-down season for Smith in Bondi.
He struggled to match the form he showed during his years at the Storm and given there’s no escape from the spotlight in the Sydney fishbowl, he copped plenty of heat for it.
But after a lengthy lay-off with a broken thumb, Smith has quietly put together a strong finish to the year and he once again showed some timely form when the Roosters needed it.
With the Storm leading 10-0, the Tricolours needed something and it was Smith who provided, burrowing over from close range – just like he did so many times in purple — to get Trent Robinson’s side back in the game.
3. The Munny shot from Cameron
With Hughes sidelined, Melbourne needed a big one from Cameron Munster and they got it – in a fashion.
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While Munster was always busy in attack, testing the Roosters defenders with his running game whenever he could, he could not quite break the game open and made his biggest impact in the match defensively.
The Queensland Origin kingpin has never been afraid of the rough stuff and he was more than happy to drop his shoulder into any Tricolour that came his way with the highlight being a superb tackle on Roosters halfback Sam Walker.
Munster’s attacking brilliance might have produced the winning score for Will Warbrick but it was his tenacity and aggression which had the Storm in the position to make the decisive play.
4. Ashley Klein’s whistle stays in the pocket
It was a case of swings and roundabouts for Melbourne’s Harry Grant and referee Ashley Klein.
In the first half, with the Roosters on the attack, Grant collected a deflected kick right in front of Klein and clearly knocked the ball on.
The whistle stayed silent and the Storm scored from the ensuing set.
On-field microphones recorded Klein apologising to Roosters captain James Tedesco after the try, saying he thought Grant had controlled the ball cleanly.
Then, with the Storm down by one and on the attack in the final minutes, Grant surged from dummy half and was collected high by Sam Walker.
Grant stayed down but the whistle, again, was silent.
Warbrick’s try meant Klein escaped major scrutiny for his no-call on Walker but it left more than one fan scratching their heads.
5. Aussie rules convert leaps for the win
Will Warbrick has worn many hats in his day. He played Aussie Rules and rugby sevens for New Zealand, claiming an Olympic silver medal in the latter code, before trying his luck in rugby league.
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After a couple of years in the lower grades, he made his NRL debut for the Storm in this year’s season opener against Parramatta and hasn’t looked back.
Warbrick is strong in yardage and has crossed for 17 tries in 24 matches but he might never score a better or more important one than his 78th minute stunner.
With Melbourne totally losing their way in terms of setting up for a field goal, Cameron Munster launched a cross-field kick that seemed more like a prayer than anything else.
But Warbrick was there to answer it, soaring high and twisting through a tackle to slam the ball down and keep Melbourne’s season alive.