Preview: Storm v Knights
VENUE & TIME: AAMI Park, Sunday September 5, 4.00pm (NZT)
COVERAGE: Sky Sport
HEAD TO HEAD: Storm 12, Knights 12
LAST TIME: Storm 20 - Knights 14 at EnergyAustralia Stadium, Round 2, 2010.
MATCH ODDS: TAB NZ: Storm $1.09, Knights $6.50
WALKING WOUNDED: Melbourne welcome back Greg Inglis, Brett Finch, Sika Manu and Aiden Tolman, at the expense of Willie Isa, Luke Kelly, Gareth Widdop and Jesse Bromwich but Craig Bellamy was unable to consider Anthony Quinn and Chase Stanley. Cooper Cronk and Ryan Hinchcliffe are both also expected to play despite finishing last week's game with niggles.
Newcastle suffered a massive blow with skipper Kurt Gidley ruled out along with Shannon McDonnell, forcing the recall of Scott Dureau to partner Jarrod Mullen in the halves and Wes Naiqama's promotion from the bench to full-back. Prop Ben Cross is also in doubt with a fractured bone in his hand.
FORM: After consecutive wins heading in to last week's game the Storm were decimated by injury and illness both on the eve of the match and during it but competed desperately for more than an hour before being undone by Benji Marshall's brilliance. Still in with a mathematical shot of making the finals leading up to Round 25 the Knights looked done and dusted when they trailed 22-0 against the Dragons but a three-try run in a short period in the second half brought the game to life before the visitors did enough to steady the ship in the closing stages.
WHO'S HOT: He may have only now played eight matches since his debut in Round 14 but young winger Justin O'Neill has certainly grabbed his share of the spotlight with nine tries in that time. He grabbed another last week and is just one adrift of the club's leading scorer in 2010, Greg Inglis. Akuila Uate has had a season to remember on the wing for the Knights with 21 tries in 23 games, he and sub Richie Fa'aoso playing every game so far in 2010. Cooper Vuna has also been prolific with 16 four-pointers in as many games and will be looking to mark his final game in the NRL before joining the Rebels with a strong performance.
WE THINK: Without Gidley and possibly Cross, and coming up against a Storm team that will be hell-bent on ending the season from hell with a win to farewell a host of departing stars, the Knights have no hope in this one. Inglis, Brett Finch, Ryan Hoffman, Brett White, Jeff Lima and Aiden Tolman will all move on after the game and those six, as well as their team-mates, could turn in a performance akin to the one against the Warriors three days after the club's salary-cap cheating and penalties were revealed. Storm by 24.