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Warrick Nicolson | 07/02/08
VIDEO - Premiership hangover? Our pre-season wrap with Cameron Smith
STATE OF PLAY
The 2007 Premiers lost just seven of their last fifty-four matches which is an astonishing statistic.
So it should come as no surprise they are the reigning champions and have featured in the past two Grand Finals (winning both corresponding Minor Premierships).
Can they repeat as premiers and make it a hat-trick of minor titles? Absolutely.
Last 3 Finishes:
2005: 6th
2006: 2nd
2007: 1st
ROSTER ROUND-UP
They have lost a number of players from the top squad (Matt King, Clint Newton, James Aubusson, and Ben Cross) but the nucleus remains in tact for another premiership assault in 2008.
Cameron Smith and Greg Inglis are two of the Top Ten players in the game today and halfback Cooper Cronk has developed into a Test-quality player in the space of just two seasons.
With just those three at numbers six, seven and nine, the Storm would be well placed for a premiership defence, but boom teenager Israel Folau can get better and Billy Slater, Ryan Hoffman and Dallas Johnson are all representative class – so the Storm have an embarrassment of riches on the books.
With King off to the UK and Matt Geyer likely to move to a utility role off the bench, the Storm will be heavily scouting the trial form of rookie Will Chambers, former Stormer Ben MacDougall and Dane Nielsen who joined from the Sharks; as they determine who will take up the fourth spot in the three-quarter line.
Keep an eye on 17-year-old Joseph Tomane, as the Melbourne coaching staff have been very impressed with his off-season with the team.
Cronk and Inglis are entrenched in the halves and the forwards will welcome back Antonio Kaufusi from injury.
Michael Crocker could move off the bench and into Newton’s vacant #11 jersey but Coach Craig Bellamy may not want to tempt fate as Crocker’s and the Storm’s win/loss record with him coming off the bench currently stands at 14-0. Mind you they are also 9-0 with him in the starting line-up.
The prop rotation looks very healthy with Kaufusi joining Brett White, Jeff Lima and Adam Blair in the engine room.
The Storm boast an abundance of emerging backrowers alongside rep stars Hoffman, Crocker and Johnson.
Sika Manu, Sam Tagataese, Kevin Proctor and Newcastle junior Lucas Miller are an exciting group who should all get some time in the top grade during 2008. Former Country Origin player Daniel Abraham has also signed a contract with the Storm’s feeder club in an attempt to make it back into the NRL after being dumped by the Knights.
The club’s depth at hooker and in the halves isn’t great but that’s the price you pay for having elite players in those positions. Having said that, Liam Foran and Russell Aitken could do the job if called upon – much like 2007 pre-season nobody James Aubusson did deputising for Cameron Smith during Origin.
STRONGEST LINE-UP
1. SLATER, Billy
2. TURNER, Steve
3. FOLAU, Israel
4. QUINN, Anthony
5. CHAMBERS, Will
6. INGLIS, Greg
7. CRONK, Cooper
8. KAUFUSI, Antonio
9. SMITH, Cameron
10. WHITE, Brett
11. CROCKER, Michael
12. HOFFMAN, Ryan
13. JOHNSON, Dallas
14. SMITH, Jeremy
15. LIMA, Jeff
16. BLAIR, Adam
17. GEYER, Matt
FEARLESS FORECAST
Boasting players the calibre of Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Greg Inglis and Israel Folau (none of which have turned 25), to complement an above average forward pack, there is simply no reason to think the Storm won’t feature heavily in September this season.
They will once again be the benchmark that all teams measure themselves against but Melbourne may face a tougher road to premiership glory in 2008 with a few clubs on the cusp of a serious challenge.
PREDICTED RECORD: 20-4
PREDICTED FINISH: Runner’s Up
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