wow
what a result
the Storm & Broncos turned on a cracker for the locals too
the NRL.........unstoppable =D> =D> =D>
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/20 ... 1_nrl.html
MELBOURNE'S NRL superstars put on a show in front of a terrific turnout last night as the Storm survived a late rally from Brisbane to win their final trial match.
A crowd of 11,752 packed into North Hobart Oval to see the two biggest clubs in the competition slug it out, with the Storm chalking up a 34-30 win in an entertaining affair.
However the victory came at a cost, with Ryan Hinchcliffe stretchered from the field with seven minutes remaining after copping an ugly tackle from Petero Civoniceva.
Coach Craig Bellamy was also far from impressed with his side's final 20 minutes, with Melbourne coughing up a 34-16 lead as the Broncos ran in three late tries in seven minutes to set up a thrilling finale.
Fullback Billy Slater playing his first match since shattering his collarbone in the Four Nations tournament last November scored two tries and was denied a third when the referee incorrectly judged he had knocked-on his own brilliant chip over the Brisbane defence.
Cooper Cronk also crossed once in each half and had a hand in the Storm's other two first-half tries.
Captain Cameron Smith was solid in his first hit-out of 2012, with the star trio rested in the final 20 minutes.
Bellamy refused to use the absence of his best three players as an excuse in the latter stages, declaring there was plenty of work to be done ahead of Melbourne's season opener in a fortnight.
"We played pretty well for 60 minutes of it, there was a lot of improvement on last week," he said.
"The last 20 minutes was a bit disappointing.
"I am a bit concerned about our defence, we had 27 [points] put past us last week and 30 tonight. I would like to think we are a pretty strong defensive side but our last two weeks haven't shown that.
"We all know how to tackle and we know our systems.
"We need to be a bit more responsible for our defensive actions."
The Broncos emerged with their own injury concerns, with Australian representative Jharal Yow Yeh put on ice at half-time with a right shoulder knock and Andrew McCulloch needing nine stitches for a gash on his head.
Despite the loss, Brisbane coach Anthony Griffin was still pleased with the effort.
"It was a funny game, it was a bit scrappy for both sides defensively but it was a solid hit out," he said.
"I didn't think we were too bad. I thought our defensive movements were pretty good, they were just very good with the execution of their fifth play and their kicking game. I think five of their six tries were from kicks or fifth plays."
What couldn't be argued with was the turnout of the Hobart public, with fans voting with their feet to bring more NRL action to the state.
"Near 12,000 in Hobart for a rugby league game is magnificent," said Smith. "Credit has to go to the North Hobart Football Club and the Storm, we have really pushed this game strongly throughout the week ... thankfully the public has got behind it.
"We would like to bring a premiership game down here and after seeing what has happened today, hopefully the independent commission can get behind it."
