Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith said their hard-fought 12-6 victory over Canterbury was just what his team needed as they racked up their seventh straight win to start the NRL season.
The Storm equalled their best start when they overcame the Bulldogs in an arm-wrestle at AAMI Park, the win matching their 2007 campaign.
The visitors rattled the home side early through their big forwards and the teams went to the break 6-6 with a try apiece, scored by Kangaroos aspirant Ryan Hinchcliffe and Bulldogs forward Greg Eastwood.
A try by Ryan Hoffman three minutes into the second half gave the Storm the six-point buffer but the Bulldogs dominated possession and territory as the clock wound down, unable to find the tryline.
“It will be good for our team down the track,” said Smith, who battled a virus in the lead-up to the match.
“It was good for some of our younger guys to have a bit of a tougher game; a game where they have to hang in for the whole 80 minutes and the opposition team are pushing on your tryline for a lot of minutes of the game.
“The boys stood up and really competed.”
The Bulldogs, coming off a round-six loss to South Sydney, could have dropped their bundle after the Hoffman try but, instead, they lifted.
They had plenty of chances camped inside Melbourne’s 20m, hammering at the Storm defence.
Corey Payne came within centimetres of the tryline, stopped by the post pad as well as Billy Slater, and then five-eighth Josh Reynolds was brought down just short.
Their last chance came in the final minute when winger Bryson Goodwin raced to touch down but, again, Melbourne defenders were on the spot.
Bulldogs coach Des Hasler lamented his side’s poor decision-making, with inexperience showing through in their dismal choice of attacking options.
“We played enough footy to win the game but they’re (Storm) a good, experienced side and they hung on,” Hasler said.
“We’ve just got to execute better – let’s not dress it up too much.”
Melbourne have had no trouble getting across the tryline this season for a total of 39.
But coach Craig Bellamy has always believed defence wins matches and is the cornerstone of the Storm game plan.
“I feel a lot better about our side when they go out and defend really well like they did,” Bellamy said of his side’s tackle count 348 compared to the Bulldogs’ 300.
“That sort of game is mostly like the games you’re going to play at the end of the season … I was really proud of the way they defended and it’s a good sign for our team that, if it turns into a slug-fest, we can handle that as well.”
