Storm paid the price for leaving Ferrari in the garage; the Broncos-Knights game is on: McKinnon

Last Friday, I saw the Storm play, and with 10 minutes left in the first half, the Broncos had all the run yet were only leading 6-0.

It was classic Melbourne, absorbing a lot of pressure without letting the score get away from them.

That is, however, only half of what Craig Bellamy’s teams are known for in finals games. The second side is that when they’ve guarded their guts, they go on the offensive.

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Manly superstar Tom Trbojevic joins the podcast to reflect on his illustrious career in rugby league.

But that wasn’t occurring at Suncorp last week, and I believe it was due to a lack of striking power in the centres, which they’ve always had.

Where had Justin Olam and Reimis Smith gone?

They both played in the Storm’s Round 27 victory over a second-string Brisbane side, but were omitted from the rematch in the first week of finals.

Olam and Smith are world-class centers on their day. Olam has been selected the Dally M Centre of the Year for 2021.

I’m not calling Bellamy into question. Why aren’t they playing, is my query. Because no one has said anything.

When you absorb pressure in major games, you must be able to make the opposition pay.

Look at Kalyn Ponga and Dom Young against the Raiders on Sunday; the Knights had 43% of the ball, but they took their chances.

I’m not sure why Olam and Smith aren’t playing, but if they’re fit and Bellamy believes they’re mentally prepared, they should.

Bellamy is a coach who can put them on the spot and then get two or three performances out of them.

To pose a threat to the Roosters, they need players with speed, power, and finishing ability.

If they are not in the squad solely for formal reasons, they have let their comrades down.

Speaking of players that should have started for Melbourne last week, I don’t understand why Ryan Papenhuyzen was brought off the bench.

In retrospect, it’s easy to say, but Papenhuyzen is a $1 million player coming back from a catastrophic knee injury, and putting him in the center was a recipe for disaster.

This season, Nick Meaney has undoubtedly been the best value-for-money performer, but Ryan Papenhuyzen remains Ryan Papenhuyzen.

If the intention was for him to play 50 minutes in the midfield, he was obviously fit enough to start at fullback. He’s a Ferrari, but he’s being driven like a RAV4.

For the Broncos and Knights, it’s not quite now or never, but their respective premiership windows won’t be open for long.

Sometimes players play so much above their valuation that it puts a club in a premiership window that they weren’t expecting to be in, but it can close just as quickly as it opens.

Because those players must be compensated, it becomes hard to fit everyone under the pay cap.

Bradman Best is performing at an incredibly high level, and his value will only rise. Greg Marzhew, Leo Thompson, Phoenix Crossland, and Tyson Gamble are all in the same boat.

These players are performing at such a high level that Newcastle’s window has closed.

In Brisbane, I see guys like Reece Walsh, Ezra Mam, Billy Walters, Jordan Riki, and Brendan Piakura.

The Broncos lose Tom Flegler and Herbie Farnworth to the Dolphins the following year, so you sit back and think, “Wow, this is a great team, but they need to win it all now.”

Because of Ponga, Walsh, and Adam Reynolds’ outstanding form, the water level rises and everyone follows.

Brisbane and Newcastle have large catchment regions, but they lack the production line of talent that the Panthers have to sustain their success for years.

I read that Sharks halfback Nicho Hynes had over 40 touches in the first half of their elimination match against the Roosters.

Unfortunately, making your touches count is more important.

Nicho was pushing so hard that he appeared to be attempting to shove a peg into a square hole, and he appeared unpredictable at times out there.

Tedesco told foxsports.com.au last week that he had a form slump this season because he was pushing too hard instead of playing instinctively.

Nicho was going at a million miles per hour against the Roosters when he needed to put down the whip and just relax.

Consider Broncos halfback Adam Reynolds: he chooses his time to pour himself into the game, positions people, and deliberately sets the field.

I feel Hynes was attempting to do everything himself because he lacked Will Kennedy, Matt Moylan, Teig Wilton, and others. So he reasoned that if no one else was going to do it, he would.

I’ve seen him do that against average teams, and it works, but against good teams, you need to get your teammates into the game and help them improve.

The Storm will win because their performance against the Broncos for 30 minutes demonstrated that they are semi-final ready.

Their greatest players had a bad night, but they stayed in the game for a while. They’ll make a few minor adjustments, and the rebound effect will boost their star players.

Melbourne also never had two consecutive terrible games.

Warriors-Knights

The Knights have won their last ten games in a row, and it’s a sign of a successful team when you don’t play your best but still win, as they did against Canberra.

Don’t underestimate the pressure of playing in front of a sellout crowd in Newcastle; an away game this week will be remarkable for this team.

They get to travel to New Zealand together and focus solely on the game.

My favorite recollections are of playing semi-finals on the road, which are two days away rather than one like in the regular season, and no resources are spared.

There’s a sense of calm about their preparation because you’re not nervous; instead, you’re confident since you’ve made the eight and know you’re there for a purpose.

I felt like the bullets were loaded and ready to go.