NRL 2024
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Melbourne are as well placed to win as they can be.
Their form is excellent. Since they beat Penrith, they've beaten the Dolphins 48-6, lost to the cowboys with a B side, but only just, beat the Broncos 50-12, the Sharks 37-10, and the Roosters 48-18. That's exceptional. And most importantly their big 4 were huge last week.
The Panthers haven't been at their best. They lost to the Storm, lost to the Raiders, beat the Bunnies 34-12, the Titans 18-12, the Roosters 30-10 and the Sharks 26-6. Still good, but not to their usual standards. As you say though, 5 GFs in a row means this is nothing new to them, and i think we all expect them to fall straight back in to that familiar and so successful pattern.
What Melbourne will also be wary of is that Brisbane turned up last year with a similar form line and played 65 minutes of amazing footy and still came 2nd. Bellamy is not Kevin Walters though.
I hope it's another great GF.
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While Bellamy has followed a similar formula with this team compared to his last by building the million dollar spine and building the side around that . He’s playing a very different game plan to the last team .
This spine is very different, smith and Cronk were very measured and calculated playing to a formula . This spine loves to play a bit more ad lib footy so the game plan to suit that, is very fast and hectic , more fun to watch .
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Storm deserving of their lead IMO.
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@antipodean said in NRL 2024:
Storm deserving of their lead IMO.
All went downhill for them after I wrote that.
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Storm can't keep up. Penrith are running downhill and Melbourne will be thanking their lucky stars that halftime has come.
Call me out if I'm wrong but I think Penrith run away with this in the 2nd half. They've been keeping the powder dry this whole time.
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Five final appearances and four titles in a row is an impressive feat in the modern era.
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@antipodean said in NRL 2024:
Five final appearances and four titles in a row is an impressive feat in
the modernany era and any sporting comp.FIFY
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Best rugby team I have ever seen.
In the cap era, to lose the elite players they have, and still win 4 in a row? In a comp that proved 2 in a row was a unicorn? Unbelievable.
And tonight all they did was defend like demons and wait for someone to make a play. And today that was Liam Martin. What a performance.
Seriously how are they still so good? How is their linespeed and hard shoulders still so good? How are they so accurate? What a team
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For Melbourne they got swamped. They couldn't break the shackles that Penrith put them in
Grant and Munster were enormous but no one else could do anything against that swarming defence.
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@antipodean said in NRL 2024:
Five final appearances and four titles in a row is an impressive feat in
the modernany era and any sporting comp.FIFY
St George won 11 in a row mid 50s to 60s , you would think that will never get beaten
My old man played against that team, Sydney premiers played the Auckland premiers ( ellerslie) in 59, st George won 11-10
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@mariner4life said in NRL 2024:
For Melbourne they got swamped. They couldn't break the shackles that Penrith put them in
Grant and Munster were enormous but no one else could do anything against that swarming defence.
I actually thought storms defense was enormous given penriths possession and field position , but yeah couldn’t get their usual attack going ,
also made a few but not too many crucial eras at times when it felt like they were getting back into it . And then handed back momentum .
5 in a row for a reason , just so bloody good .
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Hangover just easing, fun night watching grand final. Don’t really need to add much that hasn’t been said, just well done Penrith what a beast of a team.
I wasn’t sure they could maintain dominance last time they lost key squad members but are still delivering. They do get shaken next year with a few more outs, can they keep this up?
Think Melbourne still beats everyone else in the league with that performance, these two teams just at a different level
Anyway on to the internationals -
@bayimports said in NRL 2024:
They do get shaken next year with a few more outs, can they keep this up
As long as they still have the best fullback in the league, the best winger in the league, the best lock in the league and most importantly the best halfback in the league, then they are pretty much nailed on for the top 4. Throw in high quality rep players like Martin and Leota, and that is an unbelievable core.
JFH is a pretty big loss i think, he suits their structure down to the ground. And even though Luai isn't quite as good as he's made out to be, he is exactly what they want in their 6, and i reckon is a huge culture guy. To lose another two rep players should kill them, but i feel like i have said that every year (incidentally, can you imagine this team with Crichton, Burton, Kikau, Leniu and Korisau in it?).
They have signed Blaize Talagi who could play that running 6 role.
Really interesting to read that Ivan gave them a bit of serve a couple of weeks ago. They had cruised the regular season, and then were a bit too complacent in their first finals game. That's actually a terrifying thought for the rest of the comp that they really only turned up in the last couple of weeks, and dominated the GF.
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Also interesting they took a Bulldogs reject in Alamoti and did what Melbourne have done to average players and made him a star in the GF.
Casey Maclean will only get better (as will his younger brother), so more youngsters coming through.
They should be top 4, but doing 5? wow, not sure -
Luai is a huge loss, an extremely underrated player who people just hate because of his antics. If Cleary's gonna have his usual 10 weeks off next year, then Penrith won't be winning as many games during the season without Luai guiding them round.
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Luai is a big pick up by the Tigers. Starting to find his way this year on his own, but as mariner says culturally he is massive.
From what I have heard about JFH, he was similar and could help motivate the on and off warriors hopefully
