Braith's switch a signal of intent
Sydney Roosters coach Brad Fittler has signaled his will to win by moving captain Braith Anasta from lock forward to five eighth for the season opener on Sunday 15 March.
Anasta will continue his successful NRL combination with Mitchell Pearce in a bid to extinguish the chances of bitter rivals South Sydney Rabbbitohs spoiling the party.
[17 SEPTEMBER, 2008]
NRL Semi-final v Broncos Game NotesWHO: Melbourne Storm v Brisbane Broncos
IN BRIEF
The Brisbane Broncos scored an impressive 24-16 win over the Sydney Roosters at the Sydney Football Stadium. The win earned them the right to a home semi-final at Suncorp Stadium.
FAST FACTS
DID YOU KNOW?
In just his second season of NRL, Folau has already scored 35 tries and kicked five goals in his 49 games so far.
He’s also won a premiership, was named in the 2007 World XIII, played for both Queensland and Australia (the youngest player in Test history to do so), and won the Dally M Rookie-of-the-Year Award in 2007.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
LAST EIGHT CLASHES
THE STORM STORY SO FAR
2008 TRY SCORERS (STORM)
2008 GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
2008 FIELD GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
2008 POINTSCORERS (STORM)
MELBOURNE STORM MEDIBANK PRIVATE INJURY UPDATE
SQUAD FOR SATURDAY'S GAME Starting team:
Interchange:
Coach: Craig Bellamy. |
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Chris Couch Media Manager
Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WHO: Melbourne Storm v South Sydney Rabbitohs
WHAT: Round 26 of the 2008 Telstra Premiership season
WHERE: Olympic Park, Melbourne
WHEN: Sunday, September 7th @ 7.00pm
ON TV: Fox Sports 2 LIVE from 7.00pm
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 suffered a setback in their quest for a third straight minor premiership with a tight 17-16 loss to the Newcastle Knights at EnergyAustralia Stadium last weekend.
The loss saw the Storm drop from top spot to second on the ladder.
After letting the Sydney Roosters slip out to a 22-0 lead, South Sydney almost pulled off the comeback of the season last round, going down 22-20 in a nail-biter.
The loss saw the Rabbitohs remain in 14th position.
FAST FACTS
• Melbourne has won their past six clashes against South Sydney
• Melbourne has averaged a 31-9 winning scoreline at Olympic Park this year
• South Sydney has conceded the first try in 11 of their past 12 games
DID YOU KNOW?
After 11 season, 258 games in a Storm jersey, 111 tries and 104 goals, club legend and foundation player Matt Geyer will be playing his last home-and-away game at Olympic Park.
Geyer will be retiring to the Gold Coast after this season where he will take up a position as a club ambassador in Queensland.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Total: Played: 13, Storm: 11, Rabbitohs: 2
At Olympic Park: Played: 6, Storm: 6, Rabbitohs: 0
FOR AND AGAINST 2008
Points for: Storm: 542, Rabbitohs: 449
Points against: Storm: 278, Rabbitohs: 624
Tries for: Storm: 98, Rabbitohs: 79
Points differential: Storm: +264, Rabbitohs: -175
LAST ROUND MATCHES
Storm def. by Knights 17-16 @ EnergyAustralia Stadium
Rabbitohs def. by Roosters 22-20 @ Sydney Football Stadium
LAST EIGHT CLASHES
| YEAR | RESULT | VENUE |
| 2008 | Storm def. Rabbitohs 15-10 @ | Bluetongue Stadium |
| 2007 | Storm def. Rabbitohs 12-8 @ | Bluetongue Stadium |
| 2007 | Storm def. Rabbitohs 26-10 @ | Olympic Park |
| 2006 | Storm def. Rabbitohs 38-14 @ | ANZ Stadium |
| 2005 | Storm def. Rabbitohs 48-6 @ | Olympic Park |
| 2005 | Storm def. Rabbitohs 38-12 @ | Sydney Football Stadium |
| 2004 | Rabbitohs def. Storm 28-26 @ | Sydney Football Stadium |
| 2004 | Storm def. Rabbitohs 50-4 @ | Olympic Park |
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
ROUND 25: STORM 16 (Tries: Inglis, Folau, Manu; Goals: C Smith 2) def. by KNIGHTS 17 (Tries: Hilder, Royal; Goals: Gidley 4, Field Goal: Hilder) at EnergyAustralia Stadium
2008 TRY SCORERS (STORM)
Inglis 16, Folau 13, Slater 11, Quinn 10, Turner 9, Manu 7, 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 68, Turner 4, J. Smith, Cronk
2008 FIELD GOAL SCORERS (STORM)
Cronk 2
2008 POINTSCORERS (STORM)
C Smith 148, Inglis 64, Folau 52, Slater 44, Turner 44, Quinn 40, Manu 28, 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
Steve Turner (knee): 1 week
Danny Vaughan (knee): season
Ben MacDougall (knee): season
Dane Nielsen (shoulder): season
Will Chambers (knee): season
THE STORM AHEAD
TBA
TELSTRA PREMIERSHIP LADDER
| POSITION | CLUB | POINTS |
| 1 | Sea Eagles | 36 |
| 2 | Storm | 36 |
| 3 | Sharks | 36 |
| 4 | Roosters | 32 |
| 5 | Broncos | 31 |
| 6 | Dragons | 30 |
| 7 | Raiders | 30 |
| 8 | Knights | 28 |
| 9 | Warriors | 28 |
| 10 | Eels | 26 |
| 11 | Panthers | 25 |
| 12 | Wests Tigers | 24 |
| 13 | Titans | 24 |
| 14 | Rabbitohs | 20 |
| 15 | Cowboys | 14 |
| 16 | Bulldogs | 14 |
SQUAD FOR SUNDAY'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. Ryan Hoffman
13. Dallas Johnson
Interchange:
14. Jeremy Smith, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Sika Manu, 17. Antonio Kaufusi.
Coach: Craig Bellamy.
______________________________
Chris Couch
Media Manager
Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club
NRL Storm team for Qualifying final v Warriors
The game will be played at Olympic Park in Melbourne from 4.00pm.
Steve Turner has been named to start on the wing having not played for a fortnight with a knee injury.
Brett Anderson has made way in the squad for Turner’s return.
NRL squad for Sunday’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. Ryan Hoffman 13. Dallas Johnson
Interchange: 14. Jeremy Smith, 15. Adam Blair, 16. Sika Manu, 17. Antonio Kaufusi.
Coach: Craig Bellamy. |
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Chris Couch Media Manager
Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club | ||
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.
21 AUGUST, 2008]NRL star Antonio Kaufusi secures long term deal with the Cowboys
Kaufusi, originally from Bundaberg, only had one year remaining on his current Storm contract and was given permission by the club to secure his future elsewhere.
“It was important to make sure my future beyond next year was sorted out as soon as possible, especially now that I have a young family,” said Kaufusi.
“When the Cowboys showed an interest, it made sense that I signed with them considering I’m from Queensland and it’s a little bit closer to home.
“While they’ve struggled a bit this year, the Cowboys have some great players and with a bit of luck I can enjoy as much success there as I have in Melbourne.”
While disappointed to be losing Kaufusi to the Cowboys, Football Operations Manager Frank Ponissi conceded there were issues beyond the Storm’s control which contributed to his departure.
“Due to salary cap restrictions over the next few years we weren’t able to guarantee Antonio a long term deal past 2009,” said Ponissi.
“Even though he had a contract here for next year, when he got the opportunity to go back to Queensland on a three year deal we couldn’t stand in his way.
“He’s been a great servant to the club and he’s a quality player. He’s achieved State of Origin and international honours since he’s been here.
“Given he missed the 2007 grand final win, hopefully we can send him out on the ultimate high this year.”
Since arriving in Melbourne in 2003, Kaufusi has developed into a State-of-Origin and international player having represented both Queensland and Australia.
After playing for the Kangaroos against Great Britain in the 2006 Tri-Nations Series, Kaufusi played in Game I of the 2007 Origin Series.
It was during this game that he suffered a ruptured patella tendon, an injury that kept him out for the remainder of the 2007 season and costing him a place in the grand final winning team.
“I’ve had the most amazing adventure since moving to Melbourne,” said Kaufusi.
“Since being here I’ve married my partner Bree, we had our first daughter, and I’ve also gone on to play for both my state and country. These are memories that will stay with me forever.
“It would have been wonderful to have played in that 2007 grand final team but it wasn’t to be unfortunately.
“Hopefully I can make amends for that this year before I leave.” |
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Chris Couch Media Manager
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Written by: Tanya Paolucci
The Melbourne Storm’s precision play against the Sydney Roosters saw them take out tonight’s match 30-6 in wet conditions at Olympic Park, giving them the outright premiership lead in the process, with Manly getting the chance to make up the points on Sunday.
With a top two finish within the sights of both teams, the clash between the Storm and the Roosters was expected to be a fiery encounter.
But the Roosters had an unpleasant trip to Melbourne, unable to match the home team’s attacking pressure and remained scoreless in the end of the first half and with only one try for the match.
Despite having defeated the Storm in their previous two clashes, the Roosters could not match Melbourne’s class in the trying conditions at Olympic Park.
From the opening seconds, Melbourne looked to be hard at the ball and wanting to play attacking footy. And why wouldn’t they? The Storm had won 54 of their past 55 games when leading at half-time, so going out hard was definitely something they would consider as in their best interests.
The Storm opened up the scoring with a try from Anthony Quinn, which was the result of a brilliant high kick from Cam Smith.
Smith continued his good start by converting Melbourne’s first try to put the Storm out to a 6-0 lead in the eighth minute.
Strong attack from the Storm allowed Quinn to strike again in the 17th minute after receiving a quick release from Matt Geyer to take him over the line.
That same try saw the Roosters’ James Aubusson taken from the field with concussion after two heavy collisions.
Kicking from virtually the same position as his previous effort, Smith converted again, pushing the Storm out to a 12-0 lead as the wet conditions began to set in on Olympic Park.
Like Melbourne’s winter weather, the Storm’s score kept raining down with Cam Smith managing to pounce on a lose ball to put the ball easily down over the line.
Smith finished off what he started by converting an easy kick from directly in front of the posts.
The Storm looked ruthless in the opening half with a commanding 18-0 lead with close to ten minutes still remaining before the main break.
But it wasn’t just the Storm’s attacking form that made them such a formidable opponent. Melbourne’s defensive pressure down the field and in close quarters made it a huge challenge for the Roosters to put any points on the board.
Smith’s attacking movements towards the Roosters defence earned him a penalty in front of goal. Smith easily scored from directly in front and put Melbourne’s score out to 20-0.
If the Roosters wanted to make any mark on this game, they needed to do something about the Storm’s attacking pressure and apply some of their own. At so many occasions in the opening half the Roosters were close to scoring, but silly mistakes combined with the Storm’s defensive pressure costs them time and time again.
With just over ten minutes remaining in the match, any chance of a comeback from the Sydney team was quickly slipping away.
Fortunately for the Roosters, a rare mistake from the Storm with the wet ball allowed Mitch Aubusson to pick up the crumbs and take the ball over the line for Sydney’s first score.
Roberts was able to convert his only kicking opportunity with only five minutes remaining the match to add some respectability to the scoreline.
But it wasn’t long before the Storm punished the Roosters again with Cooper Cronk being able to take a clever pass from Inglis to score Melbourne’s fourth try.
Smith kept up his perfect record for the match before a piece of Billy Slater magic capped off the Storm’s night.
Wonderful execution from Folau out to Slater set him on an electric run to score yet another try for Melbourne just as the siren sounded.
The win for the Storm again showed their opposition and their fans just why they are a major contender for the premiership with the final score showing 30-6.
STORM 30 (Tries: Quinn 2, C Smith, Cronk, Slater; Goals: Smith 4) def. ROOSTERS 6 (Try: M Aubusson; Goal: Roberts 1 ) at Olympic Park
Melbourne Storm prop Antonio Kaufusi has today penned a three-year deal with the North Queensland Cowboys, with the forward moving to Townsville for the start of the 2009 season. The move is sure to help the Cowboys move up the