The Melbourne Storm have booked a spot within the preliminary finals and a relieved Craig Bellamy conceded his aspect “needed to come back with a display like that” on Friday evening after their horror loss to the Broncos.
The Storm had been shell-shocked after their 26-nil loss to Brisbane in final week’s qualifying last loss.
They made up for it with a slender 18-13 win over the Roosters to “live on another day” and whereas it was nonetheless nicely beneath their finest, it was sufficient to maintain their season alive.
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Speaking to the media after the win, Bellamy stated his aspect “made hard work” of the sport and had been “chasing our tails for a fair bit of it.”
The greatest lead they held was 10-nil till the Roosters scored on both aspect of half time.
But the Storm landed the killer blow within the last two minutes when a pinpoint cross-field kick from Cameron Munster arrange Will Warbrick.
Ironically although, it was the Storm’s decision-making and kicking recreation that Bellamy believes they should enhance in earlier than subsequent week’s conflict with the Panthers.
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“Some of our options at times were poor and I think their kicking game was much superior to ours so that’s something we’ll need to have a look at next week,” he stated.
But the mastercoach was in a position to recognize his aspect’s grit within the thrilling semi-final — and their skill to reply to final week’s scare.
“Really proud of how we stuck in there,” Bellamy stated.
“It wasn’t pretty without a doubt, but we needed to come back with a display like that after last week.
“We were all disappointed in how we performed last week and it’s not just the players — we help prepare so there’s some things we probably didn’t do well either.
“Really impressed with how the club fought back after being disappointed last weekend… We live to fight another day.”
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It was a recreation that was gripping from the primary play to the final, however a few choices from referee Ashley Klein will probably be what’s talked about most.
Klein missed a blatant knock-on from Harry Grant earlier than Melbourne marched up the opposite finish of the sphere and scored.
Even Bellamy admitted “Harry did drop that ball.”
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Then within the dying levels of the sport Grant was hit excessive however the Roosters participant wasn’t penalised.
“I thought nearly every game this year that would’ve been a penalty but at the end of the day it wasn’t,” Bellamy stated.
In regards to the inconsistencies, Bellamy believes the sport can’t “sweep it under the rug” however he did not need to put the blame solely on Klein.
“If we get beat by a point we might be talking more about it but we don’t want to sweep it under the carpet,” he stated.
“At the end of the day if there are different rules in the finals then just let us know but like I said I didn’t look at them closely.
“I thought Harry did drop that ball and it was a big call, but having said that it’s hard to blame the referee for everything. He’s got touch judges and guys in the bunker.
“At the end of the day I can’t really control any of that, I don’t really want to.”
Source: www.foxsports.com.au