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Storm 30 Warriors 22
Storm - Olam, Meaney 2, Grant & Munster tries; Meaney 5 conversions
Warriors - Ford, Fonua-Blake & Watene-Zelezniak 2 tries; Johnson 3 conversions
Fulltime
40th minute - Grant runs from dummy half and kicks ahead, but Kosi has the bounce. Pompey breaks into Storm half, but the ball goes loose and the game ends.
Tough loss to the Warriors and one they'll count the cost of tomorrow, with several injuries.
39th minute - Johnson tries to kick behind Warbrick, but he gathers and runs it back.
38th minute - Warriors are still trying to break out of their half. Ale gets there...
37th minute - Warriors kick off, NAS has a big run and Storm reach halfway quickly.
Munster kicks to Pompey and Niukore eventually grabs the loose ball. Warriors have a clearing penalty.
36th minute - TRY to Grant
Grant runs from dummy half close to the tryline, spins out of a couple of tackles and DWZ can't hold him up, as he clinches the win for Melbourne. Meaney converts, MEL 30-22
35th minute - Warriors go left and Montoya slides over halfway. Walker kicks high and it hounces, but Hughes is nailed in a tackle.
Munster races through a midfield gap and is cut off by DWZ.
34th minute - Curran wraps up Welch, but Meaney crosses halfway. Hughes kicks high and DWZ catches safely.
33rd minute - Niukore reaches halfway and Johnson puts Ford on a run. Johnson kicks along the ground to Coates.
32nd minute - Johnson kicks high to Meaney. No players left on the Warriors bench, as Sironen is off for an HIA, while Tevaga's injury is an Achilles.
31st minute - NAS takes Walker in a high tackle, but escapes the whiste. Walker is shaken and replays are compelling, but no penalty.
30th minute - Grant crosses halfway and puts Hughes into space. Grant runs again.
Hughes kicks high and Kosi catches ingoal for a seven-tackle set.
29th minute - DWZ rises to claim a high catch. CNK has failed his HIA.
Warriors haven't made much ground on this set and Johnson kicks long along the ground.
28th minute - Johnson kicks to Coates. Strong run from Warbrick.
27th minute - Pene with a couple of big runs and MUnster kicks high to Pompey. The ball goes loose, but DWZ is there to tidy up.
Curran crosses halfway...
26th minute - Johnson kicks high and Meaney races upfield, but slips.
25th minute - Tevaga has limped off now, so he's gone for the night. Pompey crosses halfway...
24th minute - Strong run from Warbrick, Meaney crosses halfway, but Coates is wrapped up. Munster kicks high, Coates takes it and kicks infield, but DWZ gathers.
23rd minute - Montoya and Kosi with early carries, but Ford is rocked back in the tackle. Johnson kicks long to Coates.
22nd minute - Niukore makes an important tackle on Olam. NAS storms towards the line, Munster kicks to the line, Coates leaps and taps back infield, but into touch.
Warriors survive, NAS is down.
21st minute - Hughes grubbers to the tryline, DWZ gathers the bounce, but Walker has impeded Grant, so penalty to the Storm.
20th minute - Munster dummies and is almost through. Sims crashes towards the tryline.
19th minute - CNK may be back later in the game, as a Category 2 concussion. Pompey kicks off and Welch runs hard for the Storm.
Warriors are penalised in a tackle on halfway and they're on the backfoot immediately.
17th minute - Warriors are hanging on...
TRY to Meaney
No, they're not. Hughes kicks to the corner, DWZ and Kosi collide in midair, and Meaney pounces on the loose ball to score.
Replays suggest Smith may have had a touch, but it's confirmed as a try.
16th minute - CNK comes off worse from a tackle on Sims, copping a hip to the head. He could be off for an HIA and Warriors are running out of men.
Storm go right, where Meaney is dragged down. Six more tackles.
15th minute - Johnson chips towards Coates, who leaps high for the catch. Olam beats several tackles, as he heads upfield.
Grant snipes and Storm have six more tackles.
14th minute - Kosi juggles a kick catch and Welch is penalised for a high tackle. Replays suggest it's an air swing and it's overturned.
Niukore crosses halfway.
13th minute - Walker is back on the field, Fonua-Blake spins out of a tackle, but Montoya can't release the final pass. Johnson's ground kick is covered.
12th minute - Warriors scrum on their 20 and they earn a clearing penalty. Warriors now in Storm half and have a set restart.
11th minute - NAS breaks a tackle and gallops upfield, but his offload goes astray. Storm are challenging, but that's an easy call.
10th minute - Warriors kick off and Welch has the hitup.
Eighth minute - TRY to Meaney
DWZ rushes off the wing to try for an intercept, but the long pass puts Coates into space and when he's challenged by CNK, he stabs a kick into the goal area, for Meaney to dive and score.
Meaney converts, WAR 22-18
Seventh minute - Storm kick off and Afoa brings it back. CNK reaches halfway and Johnson has to wriggle out of a tackle to get his kick in, low to the Storm goal-line.
Fifth minute - TRY to Watene-Zelezniak
Niukore runs over King and play stops briefly, while King recovers. The Warriors go right and slick passing from Johnson and CNK puts DWZ into the clear to dive over in the corner.
Johnson leaves his sideline conversion across the face of the posts, WAR 22-12
Fourth minute - Harris won't be back tonight, with his knee injury. Johnson kicks to Cotates, who runs into Afoa.
Smith drops the ball and Warriors are hot on attack, with six more tackles.
Third minute - Olam slips a tackled and Grant snipes over halfway for the Storm. Hughes kicks high to CNK, who leaps to take the catch.
Second minute - Warriors are plus-40 in second halves this season. Johnson kicks high to Meaney, who is safe.
First minute - Pompey kicks off for the Warriors and Pene brings it back. Walker is still off for eight more minutes and Katoa has failed his HIA.
Hughes kicks to Kosi.
Halftime
40th minute - Munster dummies, but is eventually brought down. King makes a mistake playing the ball near the posts, so Warriors will get to clear.
Halftime siren goes, but they will play the scrum. Lussick runs off the back and takes the tackle to end the half.
39th minute - Katoa is hit in a tackle in midfield and he's groggy. Walker is sent to the sinbin for 10 minutes.
Warriors have to survive with 12 men until halftime and beyond...
38th minute - Johnson slips as he kicks and Warbrick gathers the bounce. Harris is being helped off and Atkins eventually stops play for him to leave.
37th minute - NAS has another big run and offload, and the Storm are off and running.
Munster kicks to the goal-line, but DWZ gathers. Harris is down.
36th minute - Warriors kick off and Pene runs it back.
35th minute - TRY to Munster
The pressure had to tell sooner or later, as NAS makes another punishing run and Grant finds Munster, with a clear passage to the posts. Costly error from Johnson.
Meaney converts, WAR 18-12
34th minute - Hughes kicks to the corner for Warbrick, but Kosi knocks it dead. Warriors just hanging on here.
Johnson is penalised for an incorrect retart and Storm have more close range possession.
33rd minute - Storm on attack from the Warriors 20. NAS offloads, but Munster is scragged.
32nd minute - Johnson kicks long and flat to the Storm goal-line. Meaney is almost away, but Niukore has him by the shirt.
Warriors are penalised in their own half.
31st minute - Hughes kicks, but its blocked and Walker falls on the loose ball.
30th minute - Storm scrum on halfway and they immediately have six more tackles. Ford is penalised and Storm will venture deep into Warriors territory.
29th minute - Ale reaches halfway, but Pene dislodges the ball in a tackle.
28th minute - King reaches halfway for Storm, but Munster is wrapped up by Harris. Grant kicks and DWZ has the bounce.
27th minute - Meaney is stopped short of the tryline, but Grant's kick goes straight to Afoa under the posts. Johnson kicks low to Coates inside his 10.
26th minute - Storm ball on their 30, and NAS has another big carry and offload. Storm pour onto attack.
25th minute - Johnson forced to swallow a tackle, but Harris reaches the Storm 20. Walker's kick is gathered by Katoa and Niukore is penalised in the tackle.
24th minute - NAS tries to offload, Lussick tries to grab it, but it's knocked away, ruled a Storm knockon.
23rd minute - Harris reaches halfway and Johnson kicks high to Coates. Big run from Warbrick into the heart of the Warriors defence.
22nd minute - Asofa-solomona enters the game for the Storm. Afoa runs the kickoff back for the WArriors.
20th minute - TRY to Fonua-Blake
Storm kick off and Grant tries to steal the ball from Johnson, but knocks on. Warriors on attack 10 metres out and the prop steps off his right foot between Sims and Welch to score by the posts.
Johnson slots the conversion from in front, WAR 18-6
19th minute - Warriors inside the 20 and look left, where Kosi stumbles short of the line. Walker with a short pass to Ford and Lussick earns a dropout with a kick to the goal area.
18th minute - Meaney reaches halfway and Munster kicks deep to Kosi. Warriors win a penalty, when Grant flops on Lussick in the tackle.
17th minute - Warriors kick off and Welch runs it back.
15th minute - Munster kicks from his half and has a 40-20, that's brilliant.
TRY to Olam
Storm hot on attack now and they shift left, where Loiero keeps his arm free and offloads to his centre to score out wide. Meaney converts, WAR 12-6
14th minute - Miukore reaches halfway, Warriors have gone 70 metres and Johnson kicks high to Meaney.
13th minute - Now, the Warriors fans are finding their voices. Fonua-Blake takes another hitup from the kickoff.
11th minute - Storm kicks short, but DWZ snares the catch.
TRY to Watene-Zelezniak
Fonua-Blake rumbles towards the posts and tries to offload, but holds it. Warriors go right, where Johnson creates space with a long pass to CNK and Watene-Zelezniak has a mile of space to score.
Johnson converts, WAR 12-0
10th minute - Fonua-Blake reaches halfway and the Warriors carry strongly to the 20. Johnson kicks along the ground to the ingoal and Hughes slips over to concede a dropout.
Ninth minute - Warriors have a penalty in the tackle and Johnson kicks to their 40.
Eighth minute - Last tackle for the Storm, they go right and Munster kicks high, Warbrick taps it back, but Smith spills it.
Seventh minute - Harris takes the ball to the line and tries to put Niukore through a gap, but his teammate can't handle the pass. Storm scrum on the Warriors 40.
Sixth minute - Storm kick off and Fonua-Blake returns the ball.
Fifth minute - TRY to Ford
Warriors shift left and a delayed pass from Walker puts the defence in two minds, presenting a small gap to the second-rower for the opening score. Johnson slots the conversion from left of the posts, WAR 6-0
Fourth minute - Warriors tap and Fonua-Blake heads towards the posts. Johnson dishes off to Ford and Warriors have six more tackles.
Third minute - Dylan Walker reaches halfway for the Warriors and Tevaga makes a halfbreak. Johnson kicks high and the ball spills forward, Munster gathers from offside position, so penalty to the Warriors.
Second minute - Katoa reaches halfway for the Storm, but Olam dies with the ball on the last tackle.
First minute - Grant Atkins will referee tonight, Storm kick off, Fonua-Blake with the first hitup.
Johnson kicks from his 40, high to Coates.
8:52pm - Pre-match Anzac ceremony begins, with lights out in the stadium. Goosebumps.
8:32pm - Jimmy Regan reporting from the venue that weather conditions are perfect for footy... but not too many Warriors fans in attendance. They will find their voice later, if their team hits the lead, no doubt.
8:21pm - AAMI Park is a sellout for tonight's clash, the first time the Storm have sold out before gameday.
The Storm have made a late change to their starting line-up, with Tariq Sims promoted from the interchange into the front row and Nelson Asofa-Solomona slipping back to the bench. Maybe Craig Bellamy is protecting his big enforced from the wrath of Watene-Zeleniak ;-)
No changes to the Warriors.
Remember, you can watch the game free-to-air on Three and Three Now.
*****
Kia ora, good evening and welcome to Newshub's live coverage of the NRL Anzac Day clash between Melbourne Storm and NZ Warriors at Melbourne's AAMI Park.
These two rivals have become one of the traditional match-ups of this round that means so much to fans on both sides of the Tasman - but the Warriors haven't fared so well in recent years.
No-one can forget the 70-10 drubbing last year, when the visitors conceded 54 unanswered points after halftime.
This year's Warriors seem a completely different beast, as they enter this showdown actually ranked above the Storm on the NRL table, with five wins from seven games.
Victory tonight would see them jump to second on the ladder, behind only Brisbane Broncos, while a loss would see them in a tight playoff struggle.
Join us at 9pm for kickoff, or catch live coverage on Three or Three Now.
TAB Odds: Storm $1.26, Warriors $3.70
Storm: 1-Nick Meaney, 2-Will Warbrick, 3-Reimis Smith, 4-Justin Olam, 5-Xavier Coates, 6-Cameron Munster, 7-Jahrome Hughes, 8-Nelson Asofa-Solomona, 9-Harry Grant, 10-Christian Welch, 11-Trent Loiero, 12-Eliesa Katoa, 13-Josh King
Interchange: 14-Bronson Garlick, 17-Tariq Sims, 19-Aaron Pene, 20-Tyran Wishart
Warriors: 1-Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2-Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 3-Marcelo Montoya, 4-Adam Pompey, 5-Ed Kosi, 6-Dylan Walker, 7-Shaun Johnson, 8-Addin Fonua-Blake, 9-Freddy Lussick, 10-Jazz Tevaga, 11-Jackson Ford, 12-Marata Niukore, 13-Tohu Harris
Interchange: 14-Bayley Sironen, 15-Josh Curran, 16-Bunty Afoa, 17-Tom Ale
'Don't run to the wing, brother': Warriors star warns Storm enforcer before Anzac clash
Grant Chapman
NZ Warriors winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak admits he missed the worst of his team's Anzac Day massacre against Melbourne Storm 12 months ago.
The former NZ Kiwis captain had scored his team's opening try and the contest was still close just after halftime, when he chased a freak bomb from Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona near the Warriors goal-line.
Watene-Zelezniak collided with one of his own teammates and then Asofa-Solomona's knee as he fell, knocked out cold. Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen pounced on the loose ball to begin an avalanche of points, while the Warriors veteran was carted off the field, leaving a reshuffled backline ripe for the plunder.
The Auckland side surrendered 54 unanswered points during the second half, en route to a club-record defeat.
"I remember it being 16-10," chuckles Watene-Zelezniak now. "I remember the atmosphere was good.
"It was a really good game to be a part of. It was a special occasion, not only for us as players...
"We get to go out to battle, but we get to go home afterwards. The reason we can do that is what people did before us and now we have this beautiful country that we live in."
Watene-Zelezniak, 27, did eventually return home, but missed the following game - a miraculous extra-time bounceback win over Canberra Raiders - as he recovered from his concussion.
As he prepares for the Melbourne rematch, he's issued a friendly warning to Asofa-Solomona, his international teammate.
"Can't wait, big Nels," he insists. "Don't run to the right wing, brother."
After the Raiders win, those Warriors went on a seven-game losing streak and won just two more games through the rest of the season, as they finished just one spot off the bottom of the NRL table.
Despite missing the opening six rounds of the new season, Watene-Zelezniak insists these Warriors are a completely different proposition, as evidenced by their 5-2 record and unexpected place among the competition frontrunners under new coach Andrew Webster.
After an intense pre-season build-up, the winger tweaked a calf in warm-ups for the opening game against Newcastle Knights, replaced by Ed Kosi, who has become an automatic selection, even after Watene-Zeleniak's return.
If the veteran can't remember last year's Anzac calamity, Kosi probably wishes that was the case, after he turned in a dire performance that gifted the Storm several tries and left him mentally scarred for several weeks after. He was the only player dropped to reserve grade the following week, but would score a try double against Canterbury Bulldogs later in the season.
Watene-Zelezniak returned to the line-up against North Queensland last week, but displaced centre Viliami Vailea, with Marcelo Montoya moving infield from his wing spot.
"I think that's what will make us continue to do well into the year - that competition for spots," he says. "It puts everyone on notice.
"It put me on notice that the next person stepping in is doing his job, so you have to get your rehab right and make sure you're doing your bit.
"It's a credit to Marce and Kos, they're good players. Kos is doing so well for us and I'm proud of him - he makes me a better player by making sure I'm always on and doing my best."
Melbourne Storm have dominated this Anzac rivalry in recent seasons, but will enter this year's edition trailing the Warriors on the competition table, after losing key players in the off-season and beginning their campaign uncharacteristically slowly.
"I don't really look at past results," says Watene-Zelezniak. "We're a different team, different pre-season, different combinations.... everything is different this year.
"One thing that won't change is how good a team they are, so we have to be on our best game. Melbourne's been up there quite a few years... as a benchmark, so we'll have to do our homework, and see what Webby and the coaches have for our gameplan this week.
"We'll definitely be giving it a good crack."
