Melbourne Storm host Penrith Panthers in Ivan Cleary's 500th NRL game
asserted
Storm → host → game
The Penrith Panthers are trying to bounce back from back-to-back losses as they take on the Melbourne Storm in Ivan Cleary's milestone 500th game as a coach.
asserted
they → try → coach
Submit a comment or question
Live updates
Live: Storm vs Panthers at AAMI Park
New: Filters
Choose what information you see below by using filters
41' Can Melbourne fire a shot in the second half?
asserted
Melbourne → submit → half
The Storm have first use of the ball after half-time, trailing Penrith 22-0.
asserted
Storm → have → Penrith
Key Event
HALF-TIME: Panthers walloping Melbourne 22-0
This is a good old fashioned shellacking as the Storm simply can't keep pace with the Panthers.
asserted
Storm → wallop → Panthers
That is a huge difference, perhaps aided by a ridiculous 82-metre gap in terms of kick return metres.
asserted
That → aid → metres
The Storm can't bend the defence back when they have the ball and can't stop the Panthers' forward momentum when they're defending.
asserted
they → bend → momentum
Storm miss their last chance
asserted
Storm → miss → chance
The Storm try a trick shot with a midfield chip and chase, get a penalty, then Munster tries again with a grubber out to the left, where a diving Moses Leo can't quite bat it back for Jack Howarth.
asserted
Leo → try → Howarth
Leo faceplants hard into the mud for his troubles too.
asserted
Leo → faceplant → troubles
It's a Harry Grant Special, but he's knocked it on
asserted
he → knock → it
Jack Howarth plays the ball 10 metres in from touch, Harry Grant picks it up from dummy half, fakes open and goes blindside, grubbering for himself and speeding past the retreating defence to regather and score.
But here comes the bunker!
asserted
bunker → play → defence
Grant bobbled as he contested with Brian To'o and knocked it into the Penrith winger's hand.
37' Liam Martin goes to the sin bin
Sua Fa'alogo tries to grubber through and chase it, but Liam Martin closes the gap and hits him as he chases.
Martin tried to disguise it, but he's penalised for a professional foul and sent for a 10-minute break.
Key Event
It's a hat-trick for Brian To'o!!
The Storm's fifth-tackle option falls apart and I thought Casey McLean knocked on in the aerial contest for Harry Grant's banana kick, but the play is allowed to continue as Tom Jenkins flies up field.
asserted
Jenkins → bobble → field
The Panthers waste no time in attacking, remembering they have the extra man, and Nathan Cleary sweeps around to the right close to the tryline, firing a bullet cut-out pass to Brian To'o, who goes outright second on the Panthers' list with an acrobatic finish through contact from Moses Leo.
asserted
who → waste → Leo
26' Oryn Keeley is sent to the bin
asserted
Keeley → send → bin
The Storm back rower was just put on report for apparent contact with referee Grant Atkins, and sent to the sin-bin for being too slow in the ruck for the third straight tackle according to Atkins.
uncertain
rower → put → Atkins
We're playing rugby league, we're not playing touch footy.
asserted
we → play → footy
It's wet, it's slippery, of course it's not going to be the cleanest game, but it goes both ways."
asserted
it → go → ways
Atkins says he hears him, but the Storm have been "significantly slow".
Key Event
asserted
Storm → say → Event
Welcome to Try-Scoring 101 with Brian To'o
The Storm try to spread it to the left and Sua Fa'alogo tries to hit Moses Leo with a cut-out pass, but it's not on as Brian To'o shoots the gap and pinches the ball out of the air, going 60 metres to score his 101st try.
asserted
To'o → welcome → try
Penrith creates a try out of nothing
Isaiah Papali'i makes an ill-advised dummy-half raid down a short blindside on the last, gets caught, but manages to fling an offload out the back.
asserted
Papali'i → create → back
The Panthers keep it alive and Nathan Cleary hits Liam Henry, who bursts into a gap.
asserted
who → keep → gap
It looks like Harry Grant has stopped him short, but the late-arriving support from Sua Fa'alogo is nowhere near good enough and Henry rolls over the tryline.
asserted
Henry → look → tryline
Grant was also holding his shoulder after that effort, but he's playing on.
asserted
he → hold → effort
The rain has arrived
asserted
rain → arrive → ?
The forecast was for heavy rain tonight in Melbourne, and it hasn't taken long for it to hit AAMI Park.
asserted
it → take → Park
How will this affect the teams' play?
asserted
this → affect → play
15' Trading errors
Liam Martin fumbles in a tackle, and then Jack Howarth runs himself into a corner on a left-side shift and panics as he is corralled by defenders close to the sideline and dumps a ball over the top of a tackle, but bounces it straight into the hands off Martin.
asserted
he → fumble → Martin
12' Oryn Keeley pinged for a "late" shot
The Melbourne back rower hits Jack Cogger a fraction of a second after the Penrith pivot passes the ball and Grant Atkins blows a penalty for a late hit.
Pretty harsh call that.
8' Shawn Blore off for an HIA
The Storm back rower looks completely shocked to be told to leave the field for a head injury assessment.
asserted
rower → ping → assessment
The television replays show him hitting his head pretty hard on the ground as he made a tackle.
asserted
he → show → tackle
Key Event
Brian To'o has his 100th try!
asserted
To'o → have → try
Nathan Cleary sends a high kick into the middle of the field where Liam Martin takes a mark up above his head and the rest of the pack.
asserted
Martin → send → pack
He flings it back to Lindsay Smith, who fires a glorious ball out to Brian To'o on the right wing and he outpaces Moses Leo to the tryline.
asserted
he → fling → tryline
2' Moses vs Munster
The Storm field the kick deep in the corner of their own defensive half and after Jack Howarth is monstered by the defence, Cameron Munster gets into it with Moses Leota.
asserted
Munster → field → Leota
The play continues, and the Storm can't get beyond their 30m line.
asserted
Storm → continue → line
Key Event
The Storm kick us off
And Moses Leota flies into the Storm defence, where it looks like Trent Loiero hits him with a shoulder charge, but no whistle.
asserted
Loiero → kick → charge
Here come the teams
The Panthers first, followed by the Storm, with all 19 players giving Tui Kamikamica a hug on their way up the tunnel.
And then they form a guard of honour for their great mate, who runs out with his son with a huge smile on his face.
asserted
who → come → face
New halfback for the Storm
Former Panther Trent Toelau was initial named as Jahrome Hughes's halfback replacement, but instead Tyran Wishart is elevated off the bench.
asserted
Wishart → name → bench
Who saw this coming?
asserted
this → see → ?
Before the season, not many people would have expected a round 25 clash between the Storm and Panthers to be a clash between the team running 11th and a team coming off back-to-back losses.
asserted
clash → expect → losses
…and 2 more, not listed.