Have the Storm lost their aura?

[Jacks Fur Coat]

Cummins is murdering Newcastle here. Melbourne are getting away with slowing the ruck like old times. And Melbourne are doing plenty of diving for penalties and throwing their arms in the air begging for them. This is not the old Melbourne. Their aura is shot.

Its been a shocker, back to the bad old days with Melbourne running the show as they please.

[ism22]

Cummins is murdering Newcastle here. Melbourne are getting away with slowing the ruck like old times. And Melbourne are doing plenty of diving for penalties and throwing their arms in the air begging for them. This is not the old Melbourne. Their aura is shot.

Complete stitch-up.
- Newcastle to defend multiple repeat sets for no reason and Melbourne still can't score
- Finucane runs into a defender just before the Storm take out a defending player while he's in the air... the get awarded 2 from right in front
- Game over

Shyte game. Can see why less and less people are watching it. It p!sses everybody off and literally nobody in Melbourne is gonna love the NRL just because they get favourable treatment that allows them to win a few more games.

---

IMO Melbourne would have way more fans if they'd:
- Lost and struggled for a number of years with fans all huddling together in battle mode
- Built up junior ranks + feeders by setting up clubs in AFL heartland (Australia's 2nd largest city... they could have SOME local clubs + feeder systems instead of just flogging Brisbane's)
- Weren't treated so favourably coz it means they don't have fans outside Melbourne

Like imagine if GWS was setup, they got a star studded like-up from day 1 using players from all the top Melbourne clubs/feeders and they won the AFL every year due to favourable treatment by the refs. People would fukking hate them!!! Their initial battler status allowed them to grow within RL heartland while we've been committing suicide on pur fanbase by letting Melbourne punt everybody outta contention.

[milanja]

The storm are starting to adapt well to the new rules, Smith has got to be the greatest player to have played the game, whether he gets away with stuff or not, He is easily the most influential player the game has seen.

[Johnny Brass]

Cummins allowed Storm to have hand on the ball all night particularly Smith and then badger ended up any chance of a comeback just to get his melon on the telly.
Smith pestered Pearce all night as he usually does and put him off his game.
Storm were too strong and deserved the win.

[ism22]

The storm are starting to adapt well to the new rules, Smith has got to be the greatest player to have played the game, whether he gets away with stuff or not, He is easily the most influential player the game has seen.

Hahahaha yeah you've gotta admire something about it... in the same way that Time magazine made Hitler and Stalin their person of the year. I mean they were influential... I suppose?

[mattyh]

gee I'd love the roosters to sign Smith, Brandon that is, not sure where we'd play him, but I'd make space, kids an absolute gun, only player from Melbourne I have an ounce of time for....

[chopstiks]

At one point Smith didn't even try and hide his double duty refereeing as he ran with the ball.

[ism22]

gee I'd love the roosters to sign Smith, Brandon that is, not sure where we'd play him, but I'd make space, kids an absolute gun, only player from Melbourne I have an ounce of time for....

Yep he's a quality player. I'd reckon one of the hardest to tackle these days?

[mattyh]

Yep he's a quality player. I'd reckon one of the hardest to tackle these days?

block of cheese...so yep hard to tackle

[rented tracksuit]

The storm are starting to adapt well to the new rules, Smith has got to be the greatest player to have played the game, whether he gets away with stuff or not, He is easily the most influential player the game has seen.

Game management and footy smarts never age which is why he is so important to that side but I reckon he is strggling physically with the way the game is played now and I reckon the shorter season will be his saving grace as I can see the full 25 rounds at the new pace taking a massive toll on him.

[Johnny Tobin]

Complete stitch-up.
- Newcastle to defend multiple repeat sets for no reason and Melbourne still can't score
- Finucane runs into a defender just before the Storm take out a defending player while he's in the air... the get awarded 2 from right in front
- Game over

Shyte game. Can see why less and less people are watching it. It p!sses everybody off and literally nobody in Melbourne is gonna love the NRL just because they get favourable treatment that allows them to win a few more games.

---

IMO Melbourne would have way more fans if they'd:
- Lost and struggled for a number of years with fans all huddling together in battle mode
- Built up junior ranks + feeders by setting up clubs in AFL heartland (Australia's 2nd largest city... they could have SOME local clubs + feeder systems instead of just flogging Brisbane's)
- Weren't treated so favourably coz it means they don't have fans outside Melbourne

Like imagine if GWS was setup, they got a star studded like-up from day 1 using players from all the top Melbourne clubs/feeders and they won the AFL every year due to favourable treatment by the refs. People would fukking hate them!!! Their initial battler status allowed them to grow within RL heartland while we've been committing suicide on pur fanbase by letting Melbourne punt everybody outta contention.

What about when Edrick Lee was penalised for the high shot on the falling Vunuvalu? He didn’t even hit him and the cheat was acting like he was dying. Many times Storm players were holding their heads on the ground like they had been hit. The “hard man” Finucane is now just about in Aitken territory. Munster is the biggest diver in the game. The new Greg Bird. Plus he is constantly throwing up his arms and moaning for penalties behind the play the ball. It was an old fashioned Cummins carve up.

Storm are done. Anyone that disagrees check in with me at the end of the season.