Adam SutcliffeMelbourne Storm Wests Tigers NRL Round 18 Campbelltown Brett Hodgson Fairwell 2008
July 14th 2008 13:04
In front of 16,653 fanatical Tigers NRL fans, there may have been a sprinkling of Storm fans amongst them, Melbourne knew they were going to be in for a tough night.
To make matters harder for Melbourne, Wests captain and favourite son Brett Hodgson was playing his final game at the ground where it all began for him all those years ago before he heads off to England next year to play for Huddersfield in the Super League competition.
The Tigers players and supporters were desperate for a win for the diminutive fullback.
But it was Melbourne that got off to the start they were looking for. A typical Billy Slater line-break (there’s a reason he’s the best in the business at this) and 70-metre run in the 10th minute got his team into great field position. Inglis subsequently scored his first of the night on the left hand edge from the resultant set of six.
The lead was short lived however with Wests winger Taniela Tuiaki scoring in the left hand corner after a fine cut-out pass from Benji Marshall four minutes later.
But the Storm hit back almost immediately with Inglis crashing his way over the line for the second time in the game, this time halfback Cooper Cronk providing a signature short pass to get him over.
The next 20 minutes was end-to-end action without anyone bothering the scorers, that was until a Dene Halatau line-break from a Marshall inside pass set up Hodgson to score under the posts in his last game at Campbelltown, tying up the scores at 12-apiece.
Just before half-time an all-in push-and-shove erupted in true Tommy Raudonikis fashion (the former Western Suburbs Magpies coach was being honoured on the night) when Marshall gave Cronk a shove that Storm backrower Michael Crocker took exception to.
After half-time it was a different Melbourne Storm that took to the field, the NRL Results were set to swing their way,
Five minutes in and Slater took a catch any of the AFL’s serial high-fliers would have been proud of, climbing over the top of Hodgson to take an unbelievable catch before putting the ball down to send the Storm ahead once again.
In case he hadn’t already shown how good he is in the first-half, Inglis produced a moment of brilliance after 58 minutes that will have left no-one in doubt as to his talent. Beating three Tigers defenders with the kind of footwork John Travolta would have been proud of in his heyday, Inglis then passed as he was being tackled to Sika Manu who only had to fall across the line to push the score out to 24-12.
A Geyer long pass out to Inglis 10 minutes later saw the star-of-the-show catch the ball with his back to the try-line, do a pirouette and then beat two defenders in the two metres of space he was given on the outside to cross in the corner.
Beau Ryan scored for the Tigers in the final eight minutes after a cut-out pass from Robbie Farah gave the Tigers some respectability on the scoreline, but they were never going to get the two points from there.
The only injury concern for the Storm was a sickening collision between Ben Te’o and Anthony Quinn that left the Storm winger with a bloodied face and mild concussion. However, there’s no doubt he’ll be available for the Storm next Monday night when they take on the Dragons at Olympic Park.
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
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