The Melbourne Storm coach was unimpressed with his team’s performance against the Rabbitohs.
NRL fans have been left in disbelief at the effort from Latrell Mitchell and an injury-hit Rabbitohs having pushed Melbourne Storm to golden point as Craig Bellamy was seen losing his temper in the coaching box. The Storm entered the clash against South Sydney Rabbitohs as heavy favourites with the likes of Harry Grant and Cameron Munster backing up from Queensland’s State of Origin win.
And Grant ducked over the try line after only a few moments, before Jahrome Hughes scored to send shockwaves through the Rabbitohs team. The Storm looked like they could run up a cricket score against the Rabbitohs with Wayne Bennett’s side missing a host of stars after a horror run of injuries for the club.
However, Mitchell showed why he is one of the most feared players in the game having put on a masterclass to drag the Rabbitohs from the brink and into the contest. Mitchell set up three tries for Alex Johnston with similar cutout passes as the Storm failed to contain the Rabbitohs fullback.
But it was the fourth try to Tyrone Munro that left fans in awe. The Storm had just taken the lead 24-20 after Tyran Wishart scored following a sensational solo run from Sua Fa’alago.
The Rabbitohs appeared to have run out of steam with the Storm holding them out with a few minutes left. But the Rabbitohs managed to get the ball back after a Storm mistake with five minutes to go.
Charging down the field, Latrell got the ball 40 metres out from the Storm try line and noticed Ryan Papenhuyzen was out of position. The fullback put in a long grubber behind the defensive line and it bounced up nicely for Munro.
The play levelled the score at 24-all, but Mitchell wasn’t able to slot the conversion from the sideline. Unfortunately for the Rabbitohs, Papenhuyzen slotted home the winning drop goal during golden point to end a valiant effort from a battered and bruised South Sydney side.
Rabbitohs centre Jack Wighton was full of praise for his side after the game. “We fought right to the end there but fell short,” Wighton said. While they lost the game, the praise belonged to Johnston and Mitchell. Fans were in awe of Mitchell’s ability to stand up when his team needs him the most with the NSW Blues star backing up after a tough Origin appearance. Mitchell is also going a long way to shut down his critics that doubted he was the best option for fullback at the Rabbitohs.
Craig Bellamy unleashes in coaching box
While the Rabbitohs managed to claw their way back into the contest with a few minutes left, Bellamy was left fuming. The Storm were uncharacteristically ill-disciplined in the final 20 minutes against South Sydney and turned over the ball a number of times.
With the Storm leading 24-20 with five minutes left, Melbourne lost the ball pushing the past through the hands of the outside backs. This handed the Rabbitohs the ball and an attempt to level the game. And the broadcast panned up to coach Bellamy who was unleashing what appeared to be a tirade into the walkie talkie after the error.
Fans were left stunned and worried for the Storm players who were potentially in for one of Bellamy’s stern talks in the dressing room. While Bellamy cut a more relaxed figure after the game, fans were left stunned at the coaching box blow-up.
While Bellamy was left utterly frustrated with his team’s performance in victory, he reserved plenty of praise for Bennett’s side who were valiant in defeat. “We lost patience but having said that, you’ve got to give Souths a lot of credit for coming back,” said Bellamy. “I think we were really fortunate to get out of it at the end.”
The Storm jumped to third on the ladder after the victory, with the Warriors going down to the Panthers, while the Rabbitohs dropped to 15th as they wait for some of their stars to return. While the Rabbitohs are struggling for results, Johnston moved only six behind the benchmark of 212 tries that Ken Irvine set in 1973.
“I said to him at half-time, ‘Have you got another try?’ He said, ‘I’ve got another couple in me’,” Bennett said of Johnston, who scored his final three tries after the break. “He’s pretty pleased with himself and we are too.”
