The South Sydney Rabbitohs have gone down to the Melbourne Storm 28-16 in what was a disappointing result for the Red and Green.
A double to 21-year-old winger Fletcher Myers in just his second NRL game was certainly a highlight for the Rabbitohs faithful.
But it was unfortunately not enough to overcome the might of Melbourne, who asserted their dominance late in the first half with a trio of tries that ultimately put them too far ahead on the scoreboard for South Sydney.
The Storm were first get on the board, crossing the line through Will Warbrick on the end of a nice backline movement to the right side of the field.
A string of penalties against the Storm gave the Rabbitohs a number of opportunities inside Melbourne’s red zone. While they looked to move the ball around, they were unfortunately unable to capitalise on any of these early chances.
It was against the run of play that South Sydney were able to open their account in the 19th minute of the game.
Fletcher Myers came up with an extremely smart piece of play, picking off a Ryan Papenhuyzen pass to run 90m and score the first try of his NRL career in spectacular fashion.
Unfortunately for the Rabbitohs it was all Melbourne for the remainder of the first half, as Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Warbrick and Papenhuyzen all crossing the stripe to leave South Sydney trailing 22-4 at the break.
The Storm were quick to pick up where they left off at the end of the first half, with Grant Anderson and Papenhuyzen combining off a kick-return to score a runaway try just two minutes into the second half.
A classy grubber from Jye Gray forced a repeat set and gave the Bunnies more possession at Melbourne’s end of the field.
The ensuing set of six saw Myers cross for his second try of the game, capitalising on an outrageous through-the-legs pass from Taane Milne to score in the corner untouched, converting his own try from the sideline for good measure.
There was a sniff of a comeback late in the game, with a try to Cameron Murray in the 70th minute putting the Rabbitohs to within 10 points of their opposition.
But it was unfortunately not to be, with a penalty goal to the Storm in the final minute of the game sealing the result.
Match Snapshot
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Will Warbrick opened the scoring for Melbourne with a try in the 6th minute
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Fletcher Myers got South Sydney on the board with a length-of-the-field intercept in the 18th minute
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Nelson Asofa-Solomona crashed over close to the line to extend Melbourne’s lead in the 23rd minute
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Warbrick scored his second try of the half, capitalising on a deft chip kick to the corner from Jahrome Hughes
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Tyran Wishart sliced open the South Sydney defence with a show-and-go in the 34th minute, before passing to Ryan Papenhuyzen who scored under the posts to give Melbourne a 22-4 lead at halftime
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Grant Anderson scored the Storm’s first try of the second half in the 42nd minute
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Myers bagged his second of the match in the 54th minute thanks to a through-the-legs ball from Taane Milne
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Cameron Murray scored in the 70th minute, getting one-on-one with Papenhuyzen to push his way over from close range
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Melbourne sealed the result with a penalty goal to Nick Meaney in the final minute of the match.
Play of the Game
Both of Fletcher Myers’ tries were quite remarkable. But his first try is a clear standout, which is why he takes out tonight’s Play of the Game. With the Storm on the attack, Myers not only needed the presence of mind to pull of an unlikely intercept. He also needed to show a tonne of speed and endurance to go 90m to score, doing so with noted speedster Ryan Papenhuyzen hot on his heels. Not too bad for a 21-year-old winger in just his second game of NRL.
What’s Next?
The Rabbitohs will travel down the M5 to Campbelltown Stadium to play the Wests Tigers, after previously defeating the Tigers 42-29 in round 20.
