NRL Round 22 Melbourne Storm v Penrith Panthers Preview

Double check your Saturday afternoon schedule because fans will be given a real treat this weekend when "Super Saturday" kicks off at 3:30pm. It will start down in Melbourne as the Storm clutch at straws and try to get their season back on track against a Panthers team that is sitting second last in the competition and whilst rebuilding for next season, they will certainly want to avoid the wooden spoon. Things are becoming very interesting for fans of other rugby league fans as they are hoping the Storms poor performances continue because everyone know what they're capable of. They possess a strong lineup but do have the "Big 3" in Smith, Cronk and Slater. But things are not going to plan for them at the moment and there a many people suggesting the reasons behind their slip in form. It does seem like a "post-SOO" hangover and the pressure of NRL football week in and out and beginning to show. You can also draw parallels between this season and the ones that would affected the Wayne Bennett coached Brisbane Broncos of the 90s and 2000s. Bellamy would be desperately searching for the answers but having a look at the Storm in their game on Friday night against the Dragons, they looked out of ideas and frustrated with their performance. The Panthers will be lucky considering the Storm aren't in the best form this season but they should also be very worried considering the Storm could play themselves back into some form. That's what this game can become, a "back to form" training run for the Storm. In saying that, the Panthers will not give up a result too easily. Whilst things haven't been working well for them this season, they're still playing with pride and their players are giving it everything possible. Maybe because some of them are playing for their careers. What ever it is, its working for them. The rest of the Top 8 competitors will be watching this game with a lot of interest and maybe this could be a trial run for future Saturday afternoon fixtures to return for NRL fans.

Melbourne Storm

The Storm have pushed on towards playing more consistent footy with maintaining an unchanged lineup for this clash. They have named an extended bench of six, so there has to be two people that have to drop off prior to kick off. This should be it for the Storm. They have five games remaining and without winning this one, may struggle to find form in another clash. They're also very vulnerable at the moment so they need to be careful. They looked the better side early against the Dragons but were quickly dropped from it. Maybe it is true that other teams in the competition have figured out not only how to hold the Storm, but how to beat them. Be sure though, the Storm will keep coming up with ideas and ways around oppositions defensive patterns. It is going to interesting to see how they actually to respond in this clash.

Penrith Panthers

Still no Luke Lewis for the Panthers but there is some fantastic news for them as Michael Gordon makes his return from terrible leg injury to start at fullback. His days are numbered at Penrith but it will be great to finish his stint off there at the club that gave him his first start. Josh Mansour shifts from fullback, back to the wing and Etu Uaisele drops out of the team altogether. The "Coote Experiment" at 5/8 also continues as news comes to hand that Travis Burns is suspended for 9 games. Apart from that the Panthers team remains exactly the same. This is a positive for a team that is undergoing a "rebuilding" phase and they definitely look like they're heading somewhere next season. If they can continue to get wins now, it will change the attitude of the place during the offseason and give them some much needed confidence. If they are to win this game, they should play this game in the forwards, despite not being at full strength, they still boast a monster pack that can win a game by simply setting a platform for their speedsters out wide to take advantage of.


Recent History

Overall = Storm 18 - Panthers 6

Last 5 games = Storm 5 - Panthers 0

At AAMI Stadium = Storm 2 - Panthers 0

Odds

TAB Sportsbet = Storm $1.26 Panthers $4.00

Centrebet = Storm $1.26 Panthers $4.00

Sportsbet = Storm $1.28 Panthers $3.75

Betfair = Storm $1.29 Panthers $4.00

Verdict

This game is going to be the game that the Storm return to the winning circle. The Panthers will put in a spirited performance but will eventually fall victim to a team that is desperate to return some pride into the performances. As of late, they have been extremely disappointing to say the least. Returning to their home ground should also help. Back to the Panthers though, they will keep themselves right in this game up until the end so expect the winning margin to be smaller than you think. They are not afraid to try things at certain times and with uncertainty over some of their futures, they won't even begin to think of giving up.

Suggested Bet

Storm @ $1.29 (with Betfair)


Closer than you think = Storm 1-12 @ $3.10 - It's all mentioned above in the "Verdict". The Storm have to take a few steps backwards if they're to go forward in this game and that may mean going back to basics and things that were working for them at the beginning of the season.


First Try Scorer = Will Chambers @ $11 - If it wasn't for Brett Morris (98m intercept) last week, there would have been a lot of punters queuing up to collect after I suggested to get on him for the first try.  This week he is against Michael Jennings who isn't the best defender so expect the Storm to head that way early.

Good luck!

Scooby

@scoobystips