Two critical try-saving efforts from Melbourne in the final stages of its 18-10 win over South Sydney staved off any prospects of a fightback from the Rabbitohs on Friday night.
The visitors were clinging to a lead at Accor Stadium late in the piece and managed to hang on thanks to individual plays from Nick Meaney and then Harry Grant.
Speaking post-match, coach Craig Bellamy praised his side’s defence on the edge.
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“It’s been a while since we’ve seen as good a defensive effort [as we did] for 80 minutes tonight,” Bellamy said.
“It was tremendous. It’s something we’ve always prided ourselves on at the Storm, we want to be a good defensive side first and foremost.
“With respect, this year we haven’t been that. Tonight there were a lot of desperate efforts out there.”
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After Campbell Graham scored to reduce the margin to eight points, Alex Johnston almost pulled off a crucial play.
However, while hurtling toward the tryline on the left wing in the 74th minute, Johnston was wrapped up by Meaney, forcing the ball loose and Johnston’s face to hit the turf.
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The winger was helped to his feet, revealing a beaten-up face. He was judged a category one concussion, meaning he will be stood down for 11 days.
“That’s a huge play, Nick Meaney,” Cameron Smith said on Nine’s coverage.
“Great fullback tackle.”
Fellow Melbourne great Billy Slater added, “He had to work really hard to get across there, too, Nick Meaney”..
“I spoke about competing to get back into the game for the Bunnies. Well, that’s just competing to keep the Bunnies away, Nick Meaney. He’s saved the game for his team there.”
Moments later, Grant came to the rescue as Izaac Thompson looked certain to score.
As Thompson sprinted towards an open tryline, benefiting from a tip-on, Grant lunged at his legs.
While it was evident that Thompson had managed to ground the ball on the left edge, referee Todd Smith sent the decision upstairs where it was revealed that Grant had pushed the winger’s feet outside the field of play.
“Once again the Storm scramble,” Andrew Johns said on Nine.
“With the game on the line, the extra effort to get there just in case.”
Speaking afterwards, Grant was proud of his team’s efforts when under threat.
“They are the little effort areas… that this club was built on,” he said.
“For us to be turning up in pressure moments is really pleasing. We let a few opportunities slip, so on the flip side we had to turn up in dee, but it’s pleasing that we did.”
Storm forward Christian Welch was proud of the two late plays.
“It was pretty ugly but it was pretty gritty,” Welch told Nine.
“We had some really good defensive efforts [with] Nick Meaney and then Harry Grant coming up in that last line of defence. It’s a big thing we’ve been working on, but I thought our defence was really good there.”
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