Storm and Broncos Deliver NRL Classic
The Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos played out one of the most entertaining games in recent NRL history. A frenetic first half saw six tries overall, with each team contributing three.
The visitors left the field with a narrow lead, thanks to a Nick Meaney miss on the stroke of halftime.
The second half remained a tense battle for the first ten minutes. Then, Ezra Mam burst onto a perfectly placed Billy Walters grubber, weaving through the middle to score under the posts. Will Warbrick struck for the home side to make the scoreline 26-22. Melbourne were still trailing, but the deficit was only four points with a bit more than ten minutes left on the clock.
A determined Tyran Wishart then came up with the turning point of the match. He barged over the try line, ball in hand, needing the Bunker's review to confirm he grounded it amidst a tangle of Broncos defenders. It was a close call, but the decision went in favour of the Men in Purple.
Meaney made no mistake this time as he successfully converted to put the hosts ahead. The visitors now had only five minutes to overcome the two-point gap and regain the lead. But it was Melbourne who struck again in the 76th minute with Jahrome Hughes and Xavier Coates combining to win a try. Meaney slotted home once again and now the home side had an eight-point lead.
The Broncos, however, refused to give up as they restored the suspense right away. Tyson Smoothy orchestrated the perfect dummy half pass to find Ben Te Kura unmarked. Te Kura bulldozed his way over the line to score and Kotoni Staggs converted to set up a nervous finale.
Storm, however, managed to weather the storm and hold on to the lead for the remaining 90 seconds.
Adam Reynolds Limps Off the Field
A major blow for the Broncos came at halftime when captain Adam Reynolds was ruled out for the rest of the match with a suspected hamstring strain. Picking up where he left off from his heroics against the Cowboys, Reynolds controlled the first half with his boot. However, an unfortunate injury forced him off the field, potentially leaving a big hole in the Broncos' attack for upcoming matches.
Reynolds collided with Storm five-eighth Cam Munster just before halftime. Despite the contact, Reynolds soldiered on to send off a final attacking kick, but limped off the field in clear frustration as the whistle blew.
The latest reports, however, claim that it’s a low-grade injury. So, the 33-year-old is unlikely to be looking at a lengthy layoff.
Xavier Coates Scores Another Spectacular Try
Xavier Coates is still basking in the glory of his round two match-winner against the Warriors. He added another highlight to his season with a gravity-defying grab in the Broncos game. Coates used Broncos’ winger Deine Mariner as a launchpad to soar high in the air, pluck a missile-esque ball and plant it down for a try.
The Storm winger wasn't done there. He chased down a loose ball and flicked it on with his shin in a last-ditch effort. The audacious play found Hughes in space, who sprinted in to score Melbourne's final try.
Coates has two tries under his belt this year, but both of them might end up in the top 10 tries of the season. His incredible dive to score the decisive try against Warrior turned heads, but who could have thought that he would outdo himself in the very next match.
The Storm and Broncos played one of the best matches of the season so far on Thursday night, lighting up the NRL with a 34-32 score line. Brisbane narrowly lost, and now have to deal with yet another injury to Adam Reynolds too.
