Newcastle Knights beat Storm
NRL update; Newcastle Knights beat NRL Table topping Melbourne Storm.
WHO: Melbourne Storm v Newcastle Knights
WHAT: Round 25 of the 2008 Telstra Premiership season
WHERE: EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
WHEN: Saturday, August 30th @ 5.30pm
ON TV: Fox Sports 2 LIVE from 5.30pm
CHECK IT OUT: Melbourne Storm’s website with all the latest stats, profiles, updates, schedule and training times, alerts, news etc…. www.melbournestorm.com.au
IN BRIEF
Melbourne continued on their merry way with a resounding 40-6 win over the Penrith Panthers at CUA Stadium on Monday night.
The win kept the Storm at the top of the NRL ladder, two points clear of Manly and Cronulla with two games to go.
Newcastle won their fourth game from their past five starts with a 38-24 win over the Cowboys at EnergyAustralia Stadium.
The win kept them just inside the top eight.
FAST FACTS
• Melbourne has won their past five games against Newcastle
• Newcastle has scored 29 tries in their past five games
• Newcastle has won their past three games at EnergyAustralia Stadium
DID YOU KNOW?
Rugby League 2008 World Cup Director Colin Love AM will be hosting a World Cup 2008 Preview Cocktail Party on Thursday, September 4th at Crown Casino.
Also in attendance will be Melbourne Storm superstars Billy Slater, Israel Folau and Greg Inglis who are bound to make a huge impression during the World Cup tournament.
The preview will highlight the blockbuster game between Australia and Great Britain at the Telstra Dome on November 8th.
The party will be held in the River Room on Level 1 of the Crown Entertainment Complex, with formalities starting from 7.00pm.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Total: Played: 20, Storm: 10, Knights: 10
At EnergyAustralia Stadium: Played: 10, Storm: 3, Knights: 7
FOR AND AGAINST 2008
Points for: Storm: 526, Knights: 497
Points against: Storm: 261, Knights: 446
Tries for: Storm: 95, Knights: 90
Points differential: Storm: +265, Knights: +51
LAST ROUND MATCHES
Storm def. Panthers 40-6 @ CUA Stadium, Penrith
Knights def. Cowboys 38-24 @ EnergyAustralia Stadium
LAST EIGHT CLASHES
| YEAR | RESULT | VENUE |
| 2008 | Storm def. Knights 18-4 @ | Olympic Park |
| 2007 | Storm def. Knights 44-0 @ | Olympic Park |
| 2007 | Storm def. Knights 22-12 @ | EnergyAustralia Stadium |
| 2006 | Storm def. Knights 24-16 @ | EnergyAustralia Stadium |
| 2006 | Storm def. Knights 52-6 @ | Olympic Park |
| 2005 | Knights def. Storm 37-18 @ | EnergyAustralia Stadium |
| 2005 | Storm def. Knights 48-10 @ | Olympic Park |
| 2004 | Storm def. Knights 28-18 @ | EnergyAustralia Stadium |
THE STORM STORY SO FAR
WORLD CLUB CHALLENGE: STORM 4 (Try: Hoffman) def. by RHINOS 11 (Try: Donald; Goals: Sinfield 3; Field Goal: Sinfield) at Elland Road, Leeds
ROUND 1: STORM 32 (Tries: Slater 3, Johnson, Tagataese; Goals: C. Smith 5, Turner) def. WARRIORS 18 (Tries: Vatuvei 2, Ropati; Goals: Witt 3) at Telstra Dome, Melbourne
ROUND 2: STORM 16 (Tries: Aitken, White, Falou; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. by SHARKS 17 (Tries: Kearney, Gallen, Simmons; Goals: Covell 2; Field Goals: Kimmorley) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 3: Storm (Try: Slater; Goal: C. Smith) def. by ROOSTERS (Try: Kenny-Dowell; Goals: FitzGibbon 3) at Sydney Football Stadium
ROUND 4: STORM 28 (Tries: Quinn 3, Folau, Hoffman; Goals: Smith 4) def. BRONCOS 8 (Tries: Robinson, Stagg) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 5: STORM 26 (Tries: Slater 2, Inglis, Quinn, Hoffman; Goals: Smith 3) def. SEA EAGLES 4 (Try: Barney) at Olympic Park
ROUND 6: STORM 23 (Tries: Chambers, Turner, Slater, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 3; Field Goal: Cronk) def. RAIDERS 16 (Tries: Best, Plum, Purtell; Goals: Carney 2) at Canberra Stadium
ROUND 7: STORM 12 (Tries: Inglis, Folau; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. COWBOYS 10 (Tries: Williams 2; Goals: Thurston) at Dairy Farmer’s Stadium
ROUND 8: BYE
ROUND 9: STORM 18 (Tries: Folau 2, Quinn; Goals: C. Smith 3) def. KNIGHTS 4 (Try: Mullen) at Olympic Park, Melbourne
ROUND 10: STORM 12 (Tries: Chambers, Manu; Goals: Smith, Turner) def. by DRAGONS 36 (Tries: Nightingale 2, B. Morris, J Morris, Lett, Soward; Goals: Soward 6) at ANZ Stadium
ROUND 11: STORM 15 (Tries: Chambers, J. Smith; Goals: C. Smith 2, Field Goals: Cronk) def. RABBITOHS 12 (Tries: Vagana 2; Goals: Luke) at Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
ROUND 12: STORM 46 (Tries: Geyer 2, C. Smith, Folau, Turner, J. Smith, Crocker, Cronk; Goals: C. Smith 7) def. BULLDOGS 0 at Olympic Park
ROUND 13: STORM 0 def. by TITANS 18 (Tries: Delaney, Meyers, Jeffrey; Goals: Rogers 3) at Skilled Park
ROUND 14: BYE
ROUND 15: STORM 48 (Tries: Inglis 3, Turner 2, J Smith, Slater, Geyer, Folau; Goals: C Smith 6) def. COWBOYS 20 (Tries: Henry, Williams, Webb, Cashmere; Goals: Thurston 2) at Olympic Park
ROUND 16: STORM 22 (Tries: Manu 2, Tomane, Cronk; Goals: Turner 2, Cronk) def. by EELS 24 (Tries: Tautai, Williams, Reddy, Inu; Goals: Burt 4) at Parramatta Stadium
ROUND 17: STORM 30 (Tries: Inglis 2, Slater, Manu, Quinn, Turner; Goals: Smith 3) def. RAIDERS 14 (Tries: Monaghan, Carney, Chalk; Goals: Carney) at Olympic Park
ROUND 18: STORM 30 (Tries: Inglis 3, Slater, Manu; Goals: C. Smith 5) def. TIGERS 18 (Tries: Tuiaki, Hodgson, Ryan; Goals: Hodgson 3) at Campbelltown Sports Stadium
ROUND 19: STORM 26 (Tries: J Smith, Lima, Geyer, Turner, Folau; Goals: C Smith 3) def. DRAGONS 0 at Olympic Park
ROUND 20: STORM 6 (Try: Manu; Goal: C Smith) def. by WARRIORS 8 (Try: Fai; Goals: Hohaia 2) at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
ROUND 21: STORM 44 (Tries: Folau 2, Inglis 2, Turner, Quinn, Hoffman, Geyer, J Smith; Goals: Cam Smith 4) def. TITANS 4 (Try: Ropana) at Olympic Park
ROUND 22: STORM 16 (Tries: Geyer, Folau, Cronk; Goals: C Smith 2) def. SEA EAGLES 10 (Tries: Hall, Williams; Goals: Matai) at Brookvale Oval
ROUND 23: STORM 30 (Tries: Quinn 2, C Smith, Cronk, Slater; Goals: Smith 5) def. ROOSTERS 6 (Try: M Aubusson; Goal: Roberts 1) at Olympic Park
ROUND 24: STORM 40 (Tries: Inglis 3, Turner 2, Quinn, C Smith, Lima; Goals: C Smith 4) def. PANTHERS 6 (Try: N Smith; Goal: Gordon) at CUA Stadium, Penrith
2008 TRY SCORERS (STORM)
Inglis 15, Folau 12, Slater 11, Quinn 10, Turner 9, Manu 6, Geyer 6, J. Smith 5, Cronk 4, Chambers 3, Hoffman 3, C. Smith 3, Lima 2, Johnson, Tagataese, Aitken, White, Crocker, Tomane
2008 GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
C. Smith 66, Turner 4, J. Smith, Cronk
2008 FIELD GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
Cronk 2
2008 POINTSCORERS (STORM)
C Smith 144, Inglis 60, Folau 48, Slater 44, Turner 44, Quinn 40, Manu 24, Geyer 24, J. Smith 22, Cronk 20, Chambers 12, Hoffman 12, Lima 8, Johnson 4, Tagataese 4, Aitken 4, White 4, Crocker 4, Tomane 4
MELBOURNE STORM MEDIBANK PRIVATE INJURY UPDATE
Ryan Hoffman (ankle): 1 week
Danny Vaughan (knee): season
Ben MacDougall (knee): season
Dane Nielsen (shoulder): season
Will Chambers (knee): season
THE STORM AHEAD
Round 26: Sunday, September 7th v Rabbitohs @ Olympic Park, 7.00pm
TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP LADDER
| POSITION | CLUB | POINTS |
| 1 | Storm | 36 |
| 2 | Sea Eagles | 34 |
| 3 | Sharks | 34 |
| 4 | Roosters | 30 |
| 5 | Broncos | 29 |
| 6 | Raiders | 28 |
| 7 | Dragons | 28 |
| 8 | Knights | 26 |
| 9 | Eels | 26 |
| 10 | Warriors | 26 |
| 11 | Panthers | 25 |
| 12 | Wests Tigers | 24 |
| 13 | Titans | 24 |
| 14 | Rabbitohs | 20 |
| 15 | Bulldogs | 14 |
| 16 | Cowboys | 12 |
SQUAD FOR SATURDAY'S GAME
Starting team:
1. Billy Slater
2. Steve Turner
3. Matt Geyer
4. Israel Folau
5. Anthony Quinn
6. Greg Inglis
7. Cooper Cronk
8. Jeff Lima
9. Cam Smith
10. Brett White
11. Michael Crocker
12. Jeremy Smith
13. Dallas Johnson
Interchange:
14. Aiden Tolman, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Sika Manu, 17. Antonio Kaufusi, 18. Scott Anderson.
Coach: Craig Bellamy.
