We kinda have nothing to lose. And I hope the players take that message in with them on game day.
I think we all (mostly) realise that a Storm win is the expected outcome. And we are not alone in expecting to lose to Melbourne ninety nine times out of a hundred, that is how almost every realistic informed fan in the NRL going up against the cheats feel.
Even Penrith Fans will have a slight doubt in the minds eye against Melbourne whether they need to or not. Melbourne are the real thing, a generational empire, a monster, they are best of the best, sorry Riff, you have only been good for five minutes by comparison.
Our biggest asset is that the last time we played them, we had them bleeding badly when we went crazy horse on their asses. Our players won't have forgotten that.
Every time they score we will hit back, and hopefully please Jesus, we will strike a counter blow and go toe to toe this time. We have the momentum behind us to brawl it out with them in the corner of the ring, we do not need to wait this time for a coaching twelve step program to try to win at the pre planned on a white board time.
None of this hang in there with them and when the bench comes on we run them over.....this time....we have the personnel to grind it out after scoring points, and to strike hard every time we have front foot ball.
Obviously if we do that, Johnson will see little opportunities open up for himself when the Storm adjust to focus on Martin, and he is good enough to not pass to TMM and just take the try himself.
We have form, we have confidence, if they hit us, we smack them right back.
With
SJ coming in it is obvious he gets the ball on the last inside our half.
Equally it is obvious that the majority of attacking ball in the red zone is set up for
Te Maire Martin to play 'half back'.
Not a really hard dynamic to understand or switch too, it is what we have been playing for three weeks already, even with Egan in there last week.
Martin should get two touches on average in the red zone, one for a probe in the lower tackles and he should be first receiver on the last in the red zone for his short kicking game which is red hot right now (in goal kick from Martin for a repeat set, or he sees an opportunity and we run him at the Storm, something they are not used to....no one is....which is why it has been going so brilliantly).
Johnson can control everything else including setting up block plays in the early tackles on attack to stretch the Storm on their left edge before a fast ball to Martin.
I am getting really excited about
SJ returning already, I can see how we could be that team we all want this year with Shaun back.
Bottom line, everything I typed as a dreamers game plan and any other possible game plan, is only as good as the Defence.
Defend better than their attack, and any idiot could draft an a game plan to beat them.