Ryan Papenhuyzen sent an injury scare through the Melbourne camp but fortune has finally smiled on the NRL’s unluckiest player.
The Storm went down but in many ways it felt like a win for the visitors at QCB Stadium as North Queensland racked up a 38-30 victory over their vastly depleted opponents.
Craig Bellamy rested eight regular first-graders to ensure they are fresh for the finals with Papenhuyzen only playing because he had missed so much time earlier in the season due to injury.
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1. Papenhuyzen limps off but nothing too serious
The Storm camp and the collective NRL universe held their breath when Papenhuyzen was taken from the field after just 14 minutes of Thursday night’s tussle in the tropics.
He had sprinted back to deny a 40/20 kick and been brought down in a harmless looking tackle after scurrying out of his in-goal area.
For a player who has broken his leg twice and spent a year out with a shattered kneecap in recent seasons, nobody deserves a change in luck more than the 2020 Clive Churchill Medallist.
The Storm medicos took the safe option by ruling him out for the rest of the game even though it looks like it was just a bad bruise to his knee.
Papenhuyzen may even get a full week’s rest in the final round instead of playing the Broncos to be right for the finals.
“It’s on the side of his knee,” Bellamy said.
“The medical staff don’t seem to think it’s too bad but he’ll go for a scan tomorrow.”
2. Creaky Cowboys claim crucial win
North Queensland id enough to get the two competition points but nowhere near enough to prove they can make a dent in the finals.
The tone was set early when they conceded a soft try to rookie Storm prop Lazarus Vaalepu before responding via Kyle Feldt.
A Murray Taulagi strike put the hosts up but Alec Macdonald and Tyran Wishart showed more desire in attack than the Cowboys could muster in defence for a 16-12 lead.
Feldt, who announced during the week he is off to St Helens to finish his career, put the Cowboys up at half-time before Valentine Holmes touched down soon after the restart for an eight-point buffer.
From there the Cowboys should have run away with the result against a Storm side that was a shadow of its usual self but Wishart locked the scores up with a penalty and converted try.
Cowboys hooker Reece Robson capitalised on a Storm fumble to establish a 30-24 margin on the hour mark and another in-goal error gifted Jeremiah Nanai the match-winner with 10 on the clock.
3. Fifth spot has its advantages
The Cowboys travel to Homebush next Saturday to face the Bulldogs next Saturday in what could be a shoot-out for fifth spot.
There is usually not a lot of difference between fifth and sixth with each team getting a home final in round one but this year getting the higher rank will definitely have its advantages.
The team that ends up sixth is all but certain to face the dangerous Sea Eagles and any side with Tom Trbojevic striking from the back will be formidable.
Finishing fifth means you get to play whoever emerges from the grab bag of persistently inconsistent mid-table group of the Dragons, Dolphins, Broncos, Knights and Raiders.
If the Cowboys play like they did against the Storm, they will end up in sixth and at least be at home when they match up with Manly.
Due to Canterbury having a much better for-and-against than the Cowboys, they could virtually seal fifth spot if they knock off the Sea Eagles this Friday night, meaning the Accor Stadium game next Saturday night will be virtually meaningless for the Cowboys and the Dogs as well unless the Roosters, Sharks or Panthers slip up in their respective matches over the final two rounds.
Murray Taulagi scores a try. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
4. Storm rapidly replenish depth
When the Storm kicked off last season without Jesse and Kenny Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi and Brandon Smith, their depth looked uncharacteristically shallow.
It took less than a season for Craig Bellamy to show that they would be able to soldier on with a mix of fresh faces coming through the club’s pathways and a few key recruits.
Names like Tyran Wishart, Alec Macdonald, Grant Anderson and Joe Chan are now established first-graders even though they are never guaranteed a spot in the game-day 17.
And when the Storm’s stars are having a rest, they get a rare chance to shine as the go-to guys.
Wishart was dynamic in a rare start in his favoured position of hooker, booting a 40-20 and darting over for one try and showing great instincts to add another.
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Macdonald also touched down after cleverly keeping his forearm off the ground to avoid a double movement.
For some of the players getting a chance to step up on Thursday night, it was their NRL debut as was the case for Keegan Russell-Smith, Tristan Powell and Ativalu Lisati, who will end up being the next reinforcements who become regulars in 2025 and beyond.
And for some it was an opportunity to ensure their spot in the side for the playoffs and the way the Storm are tracking, that will mean playing in a Grand Final and possibly even finishing the year with a premiership ring.
5. Severe blow for Seve
You’ve got to feel sorry for Marion Seve.
The veteran Samoan international has been plying his trade at NSW Cup level, stuck behind Nick Meaney and Jack Howarth in Melbourne’s pecking order, not even getting a look-in even after Reimis Smith switched to the Super League mid-season.
Bellamy gives his stars a rest for the penultimate round of the year and Seve lasts just 16 minutes before suffering a syndesmosis injury while he was tackled trying to score.
Adding insult to injury, the putdown was ruled a knock-on.
His season is now over. Without a contract for 2025, his 47th appearance at NRL level could be the final one of the 29-year-old journeyman’s career.
Canterbury Bulldogs
v
Manly Sea Eagles
NRL : Head To Head
Fri, 30 Aug 2024, 18:00
Penrith Panthers
v
South Sydney Rabbitohs
NRL : Head To Head
Fri, 30 Aug 2024, 20:00
Parramatta Eels
v
St. George Illawarra Dragons
NRL : Head To Head
Sat, 31 Aug 2024, 15:00
Dolphins
v
Brisbane Broncos
NRL : Head To Head
Sat, 31 Aug 2024, 17:30
Cronulla Sharks
v
New Zealand Warriors
NRL : Head To Head
Sat, 31 Aug 2024, 19:35
Newcastle Knights
v
Gold Coast Titans
NRL : Head To Head
Sun, 1 Sep 2024, 14:00
Sydney Roosters
v
Canberra Raiders
NRL : Head To Head
Sun, 1 Sep 2024, 16:05
* Odds Correct At Time Of Posting. Check PlayUp Website For Latest Odds
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The Kick: Cowboys’ defence full of holes
If the Melbourne Storm’s second-stringers can shoot holes in the Cowboys’ defence, imagine what the full-strength finals sides will do.
“You can’t flick the switch in September.” Billy Slater warned on Nine commentary. And he’s right.
The Cowboys have been a dubious defensive conveyance all season.
“It’s a lack of concentration. We’ve seen it all year,” Andrew Johns added.
Worryingly and not surprisingly, it’s not just one area of their defence which is concerning – it’s all of them.
They drop off tackles in the middle of the ruck, their edge defenders make haphazard reads and they have the NRL’s shakiest fullback when it comes to stopping tries in Scott Drinkwater.
Jeremiah Nanai conceded two tries on his own with defensive lapses in the first half alone against the Storm as the Cowboys coughed up nine line breaks in all.
Seven years ago the Cowboys squeaked into the finals and went on an astonishing run to the GF.
History won’t be repeating.
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