Canterbury Bulldogs vs Melbourne Storm Verdict
The Storm are hit by Origin absentees, but they are still backed to defeat to struggling Bulldogs. Canterbury have failed to score a try in the last five rounds, so Melbourne can take the points even without their stars.
- The Storm have won 8 of the last 9 matches against the Bulldogs
- The Bulldogs have lost 5 straight matches scoring an average of 14 points per match.
- The Bulldogs have scored just 13.55 points per game against Melbourne in their last 9 matches.
- Sualauvi Faalogo has 4 tries in his last 5 matches.
Head to Head
Melbourne have won eight of the last nine matches against Canterbury since the 2019 season.
In each of the Storm’s victories they have held Canterbury to 18 points or less.
Canterbury Bulldogs Form - No Tries Or Points For Dogs
The Canterbury Bulldogs are in a downward spiral and everything they have built over the last few years is coming undone in one foul swoop.
Their success over the last couple of seasons has been built on defence, however, an average of 36 opposition points per game over their last 5, which have all been losses has experts scratching their heads. To make things worse, the moves they have made in attack have clearly not worked averaging just 14 points per game over their last 5 despite often having the better end of the pressure.
Lachie Galvin has actually been their strongest in attack, despite being under the most criticism, while Matt Burton has not been involved enough, running the ball less and failing to unleash his lethal kick throughout matches.
Melbourne Storm Form - Storm Back In Business
Just as Melbourne have started to get their mojo back Origin comes to steal it away. After their record-breaking run of 7 straight losses, the Storm have put up two massive victories, 44-16 over Wests and 34-8 over Parramatta at Magic Round last week.
In all honesty, I am still not sold on Melbourne, even if they were to have their Origin players in this week. They have played two of the worst defences in the league at the moment and tore them apart. But the Eels and Tigers are one thing and most of the rest of the league is another.
The positive for the Storm is the form of their spine, with Harry Grant, Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster combining for 6 tries over the previous two matches, along with 8 try assists and 8 line breaks.