Post Match NZ Warriors v Melbourne Storm - [Round 6, 2026]

CWC · Apr 12, 2026

FormerlyJamesW said:
I'm super curious as to why the storm is crumbling. Attitude? Personale? Injuries?

It seems that bellyache is scratching his head over it too.

I think people underestimated the effect of losing 2 in a row, get flogged for a fortnight, then get 50 put on them, flogged for another week while confidence is down, then the 1 team you owned for 11 years suddenly going beastmode on you and destroys you in front of your home crowd

Did Bellamy own it or did he just blame the assistants and players?

CWC · Apr 12, 2026

BabylonPink said:
Apart from their spine. Which is much weaker without papz but still super elite. They lost probably there best forwards in Kamikamica and Katoa too , no NAS.
Outside of nick meaney they seem to struggle for consistent players.

Their FB is fast af still so definitely the pack getting murdered causing the issues, when our pack aims up and the edges holds we’re pretty awesome TBH

Inruin · Apr 12, 2026

FormerlyJamesW said:
I'm super curious as to why the storm is crumbling. Attitude? Personale? Injuries?

It seems that bellyache is scratching his head over it too.

Injuries definitely a part of it. Eli and Kamikamica big losses in rhe pack.

I think the big one that is missing is Paps at fullback.

They didn't look like they had their usual bag of set trick plays either.

jonesy101 · Apr 12, 2026

Big point of difference as well is that there is zero margin for slowing the ruck now. It's been noticeably ramped up this season and the Storms usual go-tos are getting pinged big time. Harry Grant got so frustrated by it in the first half he lost the plot and was lucky not to get binned.

FormerlyJamesW · Apr 12, 2026

CWC said:
Did Bellamy own it or did he just blame the assistants and players?

Honestly, he looked like he didn't have a clue in the presser. Top down analysis required...etc..

It was..... odd.

sup42 · Apr 12, 2026

WAH MAN said:
So Taine made metres.
143m off 20 carries.
Roger made 144m.
Ford made 162m

Everybody else made less than Taine. Though he ballsed up twice on attack and gets ragdolled to start our sets. Between Roger, Lofi, Dal and Ali it's ok.

Webster is really clever.

I know most of us appreciate that.

But the way he has Taine take the fourth or fifth hit up so effectively using his speed and evasion out of dummy half in space the space that tackles four and five provide - to counter for the loss of your CNK type donkey from the back - is classic coaching to each players strengths.

And that is why I have pivoted from CNK at fb to Taine, because the one thing that CNK seemed to have as his Unique selling point is no longer irreplaceable.

sup42 · Apr 12, 2026

BabylonPink said:
Apart from their spine. Which is much weaker without papz but still super elite. They lost probably there best forwards in Kamikamica and Katoa too , no NAS.
Outside of nick meaney they seem to struggle for consistent players.

Yep and so if you look at the Storm vs the other teams, quite often they look like a team of midgets too.

They have lost their impact on the ball in favor of trying to play fast under the new rules, it almost looks like an over adjustment (almost, it wouldn't be an issue if they had Katoa out there still, he was a one man wrecking machine - shades of peak Kikau).

Cces · Apr 12, 2026

Shawn Blore &;Josiah Pahulu will help strengthen the Storm pack now they're close to NRL fitness but gone are the days of them bringing rep forwards off the bench.
Not great succession planning from the Bromwich, Kaufusi, Welch & NAS era

John Nick · Apr 12, 2026

Garry Saloon said:
I reckon this was our third or fourth best performance this season. Quite a lot of errors. But it was incredibly hearty, it was against the Storm. Our line defence and big hits were just awesome. It stopped the losing streak. ... It'll be the most fondly remembered win out of the first four this year.

Agreed

3rdstriker · Apr 12, 2026

FormerlyJamesW said:
I'm super curious as to why the storm is crumbling. Attitude? Personale? Injuries?

It seems that bellyache is scratching his head over it too.

I guess some Bellamys old-school ways can't be tolerated anymore and listening last night I think Bellamys well aware of this as he was like the microscope should be on us all.
Certain players will be just crushed under his dynamics.

kos · Apr 12, 2026

Cces said:
Shawn Blore &;Josiah Pahulu will help strengthen the Storm pack now they're close to NRL fitness but gone are the days of them bringing rep forwards off the bench.
Not great succession planning from the Bromwich, Kaufusi, Welch & NAS era

You are right on Pahulu
I watched nsw cup and thought why isn’t he playing first grade.
He played first grade at the Titans
He was impactful yesterday

FormerlyJamesW · Apr 12, 2026

View: https://youtu.be/NwDrY3qhtb8?si=kdMwCd7h8lBMo0U9

Joeys a believer…..

kos · Apr 12, 2026

3rdstriker said:
I guess some Bellamys old-school ways can't be tolerated anymore and listening last night I think Bellamys well aware of this as he was like the microscope should be on us all.
Certain players will be just crushed under his dynamics.

Yeah I think as a boomer it would be hard very hard to coach today’s young guys
Wayne Bennett os an exception
Maybe Bellamy with sensible guys like Cronk Smith etc gone is finding it harder to effectively manage the young guys
This where Benji and guys like Hannay seem to be making a difference - the age gap is the right band width

Matiunz · Apr 12, 2026

Still on a high after last nights game but some of the stuff around Metcalf is pretty crazy! We must have very short memories.
Form comes and goes(as do injuries and suspensions) and it’s a very long season, there will be plenty of use of each of Metcalf /boyd/cht and maybe even more.
It’s great to have that headache along with how we work out the puzzle of CNK/Taine, AKP/RTS/Pompey- squad depth is a great problem to have and is a far cry from having to shoehorn someone in to cover a gap

Noitall · Apr 12, 2026

Matiunz said:
Still on a high after last nights game but some of the stuff around Metcalf is pretty crazy! We must have very short memories.
Form comes and goes(as do injuries and suspensions) and it’s a very long season, there will be plenty of use of each of Metcalf /boyd/cht and maybe even more.
It’s great to have that headache along with how we work out the puzzle of CNK/Taine, AKP/RTS/Pompey- squad depth is a great problem to have and is a far cry from having to shoehorn someone in to cover a gap

TMM available again at some point too. Our depth is massive

WAH MAN · Apr 12, 2026

The Storm..................

Are no longer inevitable. They were for such a long time. But that was the way to change things.

WAH MAN · Apr 12, 2026

View: https://youtu.be/jcz7FlxFhnI?si=Jz_400JvaFttia0p

I don't much care if this has been said but watching from 8min 30sec in you will see:

Leka nails Hughes.
Chitty nails King.
Roger nails War Brick.
Demi nails Clarke.

I am happy.

*Edit. I forgot.

Fish eats Munster alive.

CWC · Apr 12, 2026

WAH MAN said:
View: https://youtu.be/jcz7FlxFhnI?si=Jz_400JvaFttia0p

I don't much care if this has been said but watching from 8min 30sec in you will see:

Leka nails Hughes.
Chitty nails King.
Roger nails War Brick.
Demi nails Clarke.

I am happy.

Watching the replay you’ll see Healey nailing 2 of their players

And again Laban needs to stop looking at the ref every time he did borderline play at the rucks lol, every single time

Noitall · Apr 12, 2026

CWC said:
Watching the replay you’ll see Healey nailing 2 of their players

And again Laban needs to stop looking at the ref every time he did borderline play at the rucks lol, every single time

You can see Demitric genuinely loves the physicality and a future captain the way he speaks, seems a hard case too. Poor old Laban seems to attract shit with Horsbrough clocking him and Utoikamanu deciding to go for him. I think Laban had Utoikamanu’s jersey dragging him out of the scuffle initially and Utoikamanu went looking for him amid the kerfuffle