Warbrick’s season over, Storm on the ropes as Roosters do just enough
One of the most touching scenes involved the visiting team on Friday night.
The Sydney Roosters took an eternity to overcome a spirited Melbourne Storm 14-6.
Just when the Storm thought their casualty ward could not get any bigger – think Cameron Munster (knee), Jahrome Hughes (hamstring), Tui Kamikamica (heart), Eli Katoa (concussion) and Xavier Coates (achilles), just to name a few – Will Warbrick was forced from the field in the 26th minute with a suspected ruptured achilles.
The giant winger went down clutching at his lower left leg when Billy Smith skipped past for a try. Warbrick knew he was in trouble and was in tears by the time he was assisted from the field on the back of a medicab.
If the Roosters fans inside Allianz Stadium were not moved, the sight of his Storm teammates all running over to console him before he exited the pitch would have won them over.
The Roosters had to survive a few nervous moments after Stefano Utoikamanu crashed over approaching the hour.
Referee Gerard Sutton blew one of the most controversial penalties of the year for a high shot by Nat Butcher on Alec MacDonald. TV commentators were stunned, and asked if Butcher was guilty of “combing his [MacDonald’s] hair”.
Had Melbourne had a few of their stars on the pitch, they could have converted a few of their half chances. Tyran Wishart’s final pass for Sua Fa’alongo should have resulted in points, while Nick Meaney also spilled the ball late in the game with nobody in front of him.
Finals football seems unlikely for the Storm and coach Craig Bellamy. They are a mathematical chance, but even then they would only be making up the numbers in the first week of September.
Warbrick will not play in the club colours again given he will join the New Zealand Warriors next year.
For the Roosters, it was not pretty but still two competition points that kept them well entrenched in the top four. Maybe they were guilty of struggling to get up against a side missing so many headline acts.
In another positive, the Chooks will also welcome the return of skipper James Tedesco (concussion) for next Friday’s trek to Newcastle.
The home side started well when a Daly Cherry-Evans kick was tapped back by Mark Nawaqanitawase, and the ball hit the chest of Siua Wong.
The Roosters forced a dropout only a minute earlier through a wobbly but effective kick by Victor Radley.
Storm winger Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown produced one of the great hits of the night when he came in off his wing and hit Hugo Savala with everything he had.
Bellamy could not hide his frustrations when Warbrick was ruled to have knocked on when chasing through for a Wishart kick. Replays suggest Warbrick may have forced the ball back before Daniel Tupou also knocked the ball back.
The Roosters kicked a 40/20 the next set through Cherry-Evans, and soon doubled the lead when Billy Smith was able to get across the line. That was when Warbrick went down with nobody around him.
Easts’ journey continues. The Storm are in trouble. Warbrick’s year is definitely done.
