The second of today’s Anzac day NRL Round 7 matches is between Melbourne Storm and New Zealand Warriors. The opening kick is set to commence at 7pm AEST with the game being played in Melbourne at AAMI Park where the home team the Storm are the current favourites for the match and have been well supported. View our match preview and teams for the game between Melbourne Storm and New Zealand Warriors.
WHERE AND WHEN: AAMI Park, Thursday @ 1900
Melbourne Storm $1.16 vs New Zealand Warriors $5.50 at Sportsbet Australia
Melbourne Storm $1.14 vs New Zealand Warriors $5.75 at Luxbet Australia
Melbourne Storm:
Billy Slater, Sisa Waqa, Will Chambers, Junior Sa’u, Mahe Fonua, Gareth Widdop, Cooper Cronk, Jesse Bromwich, Cameron Smith, Bryan Norrie, Kevin Proctor, Ryan Hoffman, Tohu Harris
Interchange: Jason Ryles, Junior Moors, Kenneath Bromwich, Lagi Setu, Slade Griffin, Maurice Blair, Justin O’Neill (three to be omitted).
New Zealand Warriors:
Kevin Locke, Bill Tupou, Ngani Laumape, Konrad Hurrell, Glen Fisiiahi, Thomas Leuluai, Shaun Johnson, Sam Rapira, Nathan Friend, Russell Packer, Feleti Mateo, Ben Henry, Todd Lowrie
Interchange: Elijah Taylor, Ben Matulino, Jacob Lillyman, Pita Godinet, Jerome Ropati, (one to be omitted).
Injuries concern New Zealand Warriors
Melbourne are preparing for injured Warriors’ skipper Simon Mannering to lead his team in their Anzac Day clash at AAMI Park as pre-match mind-games between the two NRL clubs continue.
Former Storm forward Todd Lowrie kicked things off by suggesting premiers Melbourne “feared” the Warriors, having won only two of past six games between the two teams in Melbourne, but this was brushed off by Storm coach Craig Bellamy.
Lowrie has reportedly told his new team all he can about Melbourne’s usual game plan for the Warriors.
“We’re shaking in our boots,” Bellamy joked on Wednesday.
“We obviously respect every team we play here and the Warriors have had a pretty good record here.
“I wouldn’t say we fear them but we respect them.”
Bellamy said he would only tweak his unbeaten team’s plans if he saw something in the Warriors they could take advantage of, and not because of Lowrie.
Mannering wasn’t named in the Warriors side due to a calf injury but he travelled to Melbourne and completed their final training session under the supervision of medical staff.
He was being given until game day to prove his fitness with Ben Henry named his second-row replacement.
“We’ll be preparing as if he’s playing,” said Bellamy.
“He’s a really important player for them, being their skipper, so we’re preparing for their best possible team.”
While the Storm are unbeaten, the Warriors are languishing in 15th spot with just one win to their name.
Bellamy said he’d seen enough in their past three games to suggest they were on the rise.
“Their last three weeks have been a huge improvement on what they did in the first few weeks when they were certainly down on form.
“They were very unlucky against Souths and Canberra.
“What I’ve seen of them, their form’s a lot better than their position on the table.”
The Storm haven’t responded well to long breaks between games, although a number of their players were involved in the representative matches last weekend.
Bellamy hoped the emotion of an Anzac Day match and an expected full-house at AAMI Park would help his players get quickly into the game.
Prop Sam Rapira is the stand-in Warriors’ captain while veteran centre Jerome Ropati makes a long-awaited comeback from a knee injury, with former Storm centre Dane Nielsen sidelined with rib damage.
