Melbourne Storm

Injury woes helped Storm sensation's union switch

The 24-year-old winger always had it in his mind to return to the 15-man game which he played as a youngster in Fiji and decided the time was right when the Queensland Reds came knocking with a substantial offer.

Vunivalu reportedly signed a deal in late November worth $1.8 million with the Reds and Rugby Australia.

While he didn't comment on the size of the deal, he said hamstring issues, which ruled him out of the Storm's painful preliminary final loss to Canberra last year as well as the World Cup Nines, helped him make the decision.

A lot expected of Nelson Asofa-Solomona

Nicknamed Big Nasty, Asofa-Solomona hadn't played in a month before their preliminary final win over Cronulla due to an ankle injury.

Coming off the bench, he used his 201cm, 123kg frame to plenty of damage through the middle against the Sharks while making 21 tackles.

But Storm assistant coach Jason Ryles warned the New Zealand Test prop would be better for the hit-out and he expected an improved performance at ANZ Stadium.

Storm into final four

In a dramatic start to this year's final series, the Rabbitohs appeared to have clinched a preliminary final when Cameron Murray controversially stormed over with nine minutes to go.

But Munster set up a line break for Billy Slater and then stepped up to nail a 31-metre field goal to send a raucous crowd of 17,306 at AAMI Park into raptures.

The Rabbitohs now wait on the winner of Sunday's elimination final between Brisbane and St George Illawarra to keep their season alive next week.

Warriors fall to table-topping Storm

The premiers haven't always been pretty on a winning run that stretches seven matches but they did enough again at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday.

In a far cry from their 50-10 win over the Warriors on Anzac Day, Melbourne relied on defensive scrambling, slightly better control and some fortunate referee calls to join South Sydney and St George Illawarra on 13 wins.

A superior points differential puts them on top and on target to repeat their minor premiership win in 2017.

Rd.9 Hostplus Team Update

After a sustained period of strong form in the Intrust Super Cup, PNG flyer Justin Olam is in line to make his NRL debut on Sunday. A debut for the 24-year old would see him follow in the footsteps of Storm legend and PNG native Marcus Bai.

The turnaround proved too short for Curtis Scott who will miss the match with an ankle injury but should be available for selection in Round 10. While Young Tonumaipea injured his hamstring at training on Thursday and is expected to miss 3-4 weeks.

Bennett questions controversial Slater 'drop-kick' try ruling

Slater drop-kicked the ball for himself close to the line to set up the Storm's opening try in what the NRL has since deemed to be an initial correct ruling by the on-field referee Ashley Klein.

Klein sent the ruling to the Bunker which confirmed the try. Klein then explained to Brisbane captain Darius Boyd that Slater was entitled to drop-kick the ball and didn't have to necessarily kick for the posts.

NRL referees boss Bernie Sutton explained why the correct ruling was made (see video below).

Benji and Brooks brilliant as Tigers stun Storm

It's the second time in three weeks that the Tigers have beaten the Storm, both efforts based on courageous defence and new-found grit.

It is the first time the Storm have lost consecutive away games since 2015.

While Marshall grabbed the headlines, hitting the match-winner from 25 metres out, Brooks was the one getting pats on the back from his coach.

Ivan Cleary said he felt his No.7 put in "one of his best" performances and stepped up when it mattered.

"Late in the game, Benji and Luke came up with some big plays," he said.

Sharks score hard-earned win over Storm

It turned out to be a very Good Friday for the Sharks. It was their first win at home for 2018 as they broke even for the season - two wins and two losses.

Even more tellingly they managed to frustrate an uncharacteristically error-prone Melbourne, who did not cross the Sharks line all night, though Ryan Hoffman was held up in the 33rd minute.

The last time the Storm were held try-less was also at the hands of the Sharks, 11-2 in round six last year at AAMI Park.

Thurston's warning to Cowboys ahead of Storm showdown

The Cowboys appeared to be on their way to a victory after the first quarter of the game but the Broncos responded with three quick tries which could easily have been six as North Queensland opened up like a can of sardines.

The Cowboys travel to Melbourne for a Thursday night clash with their grand final opponents from 2017 and Thurston said it would be carnage unless the defensive effort was better across the park.

Bellamy lauds stand-in fullback Munster

Munster was the star of the show in Melbourne’s 36-18 win over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in Perth on Saturday night, making the most of his return to the No.1 jersey in the absence of Billy Slater.

The Queensland Origin five-eighth will move back into the halves when Slater returns from injury to play his 300th game, potentially next week, with his coach confident he can have a similar impact to what he had against the Bulldogs.

“He didn’t even have a touch there for a while but when he had a few he caused some problems,” Bellamy said.