Melbourne Storm Squad Players NRL Round 20

Team players and squad members for the Melbourne Storm NRL Round 20 to face the NZ Warriors in Auckland

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has made one change to the 17-man squad from last night’s game against the Dragons for this Sunday’s Round 20 clash against the New Zealand Warriors. The game will be played at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland from 2.00pm (NZST).

 

Anthony Quinn has been named to start on the wing in place of Brett Anderson. Quinn missed the Dragons game after suffering from concussion sustained in the Round 18 clash against Wests Tigers.

 

Front-rower Jeff Lima comes back into the starting line-up in place of Adam Blair who returns to the interchange bench.

 

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.

 

Under-20’s squad for Sunday’s game:

 

Starting team:

 

1. Gareth Widdop

2. Mack Fawcett

3. Sam Joe

4. Michael Faamausili

5. Malo Feterika

6. Luke Kelly

7. Liam Foran

8. Pulou Vaituutuu

9. Jay Aston

10. Louis Fanene

11. Kevin Proctor

12. Zeb Tawha ©

13. Vili Faingaa

 

Interchange:

14. Will Naitoro, 15. Aidan Guerra, 16. Theo Stuart, 17. Matt Croker.

 

Coach: Brad Arthur

Cronulla Sharks a Chance of NRL Top 4 2008

Its oh so close, the Cronulla Sharks under Ricky Stuart are a chance at not only securing a Top 8 berth (already done) but are capable of grabbing a home final or even a top 2 spot as this years NRL finals approach.

Toyota Park would be an ideal launch pad for a Grand Final assault in the weeks following for the solid, gritty Sharks.

In a year with few setbacks, the discipline of Paul Gallen seems to be on the improve and Greg Bird is expected back in the weeks ahead.

Cross your fingers Shire folks, the Cronulla mob could be a real chance after so much pain over their Rugby League lives.

NRL Table

With the NRL competition getting closer each year, it's no surprise that the 2008 NRL Table and Ladder is seriously close.

After 10 Rounds of Rugby League, it's really only South Sydney who are out of touch with the rest of the field, excusing the byes - the Rabbitohs only have 1 single win from the 10 round passed so far.

With St George Illawarra, while they have been slightly off the pace - they have beaten all the major heavy weights in the NRL competition and are still a slim chance of sneaking into the NRL Top 8 if they have hold things together under Nathan Browns final year. Should they get into the finals, 2009 should see big things happen for the Dragons as Wayne Bennett assumes control and should instill at least some confidence in the club that has struggled in recent times.

The other interesting performer in 2008 NRL is the new boys, the Gold Coast Titans. Playing out of the new Skilled Park in Robina, the Titans led well by Scott Prince are playing a nice brand of football under coach John Cartwright and continue to surprise many as they sit atop the NRL Table and remain in front of the hot Melbourne Storm who have been heavily affected by State of Origin duties this year.

As the year rolls on we should see a packed ladder situation continue, with even Canberra continuing to impress at home with several key injury woes also making their lives hard. Led well by the youngster Todd Carney, the Raiders could be real contenders in the next 5 years with quality coaches and players at last lining up to head to the ACT to get involved in what was once a huge club that performed well every single Rugby League year.

Can Penrith get up the NRL Ladder

The Penrith Panthers have tried everything in the search of better NRL Results. Their coach Matt Elliott has employed Rugby League referee's, wrestling coaches and NRL Toyota cup kids to try and get his team winning.

But training and on-field Rugby League success are two different things. The Panthers have trouble with discipline and this has continued in 2008. Will they leaving their winning run too long? Can they get it together before the season slips away? Coach Matt Elliott has plenty on his hands and the signing of Petero Civoniceva alone won't get the Panthers on top of the ladder. They need a hell of a lot more, nobody's sure what though!

NRL Table Turned on Head

The NRL Table is getting hard to pick for the 2008 season, as Round 2 got underway last night, the South Sydney Rabbitohs who last year snuck into the Top 8 - were forced to an 0-2 record - their NRL Results taking a beating at the hands of the Bulldogs who played some nice footy to get their Rugby League year back on track and keep coach Steve Folkes safe for another week at least.

Brisbane and Sydney in NRL clash

In an exciting NRL clash for Round 2, the Sydney Roosters come face to face with Rugby League arch-rivals the Brisbane Broncos. Both sides looking sharp in Round 1, having wins over solid opposing teams.

Naturally NRL Results will be the first quest for them and then preserving players and ensuring no injuries are received in what should be a blockbuster.

NRL Results come in

The first round of NRL Results is now in, from Round 1, 2008 of the new Rugby League season. Crowd attendances and figures were also healthy as the public came out in droves to watch and cheer on their NRL teams.

While so usual big name sides had wins, other footy sides such as the Newcastle Knights, the Cronulla Sharks and the Gold Coast Titans had nice upset victories and the major upset was the Sydney Roosters accounting for the South Sydney side that was such a strong force in 2007.

Injuries have hit clubs hard already after only 1 round, with several players including Benji Marshall, Sonny Bill Williams and Steve Price shot down in the first match of the year - depth proving to be oh so important in Rugby League these days.