I'd love to see the SL Champions go over to Aus next.



[size=50(Hopefully us) [/size

But if it is us we will still be the only club to go over there and win it

apart from donald being out and losing sinfield in the first half (100 times more disruptive than anything melbourne had to deal with) no one.



It was a tremendously competitive game, do you seriously believe 2 players would make the difference between such a close game and a murdering?



I thought wigan fans were more knowledgable.



More fool me.

To be fair, the monsoon at Elland Rd was a great leveller.

You need to learn how to win semi finals first.

We do have experience in winning in Australia however.

Getting a bit worried, are we, pal?



Never seen you before, but suddenly you're all over his message board like a rash.

can't believe you seriously wrote that. In cronk and Smith Melboune have two of the best players on the planet. Being without 1 is bad enough but having to play the best hooker in the world at 7 gave you a saving grace around the rook. Leeds are the best team in the comp over here but to even try and compare them to a Melbourne team, who have played one warm up game, with stars out of position and missing is ridiculous. Now who believes there own hype. Whether its rugby of football, leeds have the most fickle fans in the world

You need to think about what you are putting before running away with yourself.



Cameron Smith is not just the best hooker in the world, he is one of the best players in the world. He is that because he can adapt to other positions, and has played scrum half quite a few times before.



The Melbourne back up hooker actually played more games than Cameron Smith last year, and is rated in the top 4 in the NRL. That is hardly a disadvantage to them is it?



By contrast Leeds played a centre out of position on the wing, a relatively untried player at that. He was there because 1st choice Scott Donald was out. That said player then went on to blow 3 chances, two of which should have been cast iron tries for an half decent winger. That alone would have given a different result.



On top of this Leeds were also missing arguably one of the top 3 consistent backrowers in this country in Ablett. Then they had to contend with losing the single most influential player in Super League for two thirds of the match.



I will give you Melbourne only had one warm up game, although you forget to take into account the fact that due to this match they actually started training for this long before the Leeds players started. I will also give you they travelled along way and had to adapt. But don't give us any 5h1te about them been depleted in comparison.

did you watch the same game as every1 else? all that the storm did was lie on in a tackle for about 20 mins!



and how did leeds not break them down? they went over the line about 4 times but that ty winger dropped the ball!

No Problem



Compare the two team lineups from the respective Grand Finals & see who's missing from where.Then factor in injuries & players out of position.Think you might find Leeds had the edge even before we get to Home field - distance travelled - weather - games played.

But it's irrelevant isn't it really.

Storm Won - Leeds Lost again.

At least last year you had the soothing excuse that Manly played Leeds in good weather & came with an almost full strength team





Good luck against Quins

I have that same thought this year. That Melbourne team this year was the strongest yet to come to these shores for a WCC match.



Your compare the two team lineups from GF is worthless. Four of the storm players from then have left the club and been replaced. If you look at the respective GF line ups that were still at the club, Leeds had 3 missing and lost one in the 1st third of the game, and Storm had 2 missing.



All Irrelevant like I said. The only issue I had was trying to come out with rubbish that Storm were disadvantaged on the field.

your absolutely right, storm did lie on, but as the referee was using the surrender call which allows the extra lying on to take place, who is more stupid, Leeds for not taking advantage themselves or the fans moaning about it.



With referrence to them getting over the line, the score has to be made, regardless of attention of defenders or adverse weather. Yes Leeds had Donald out but to sit here talking about ifs buts and maybes is irrelevant. Nobody knows if donald would have made the scores.



For me the weather levelled the playing field and made the game respectable in its score. The bottom line is Leeds lost to a rusty Melbourne missing key players and also having player out of position. Leeds can cling to the theory that donald would have made the scores and they would have won the game, but the bottom line is both sides had personnel missing and players out of position. Melbourne for me were the better team and no amount of whinos whining will change that.

good post and IMO spot on

who won MOM?



It wasn't cam smith was it?



Clearly playing at 7 was very detrimental to this performance.

If we'd played it down under we'd have been thrashed.



If you win the grand final I hope they play it down under.

for the aussie media[ublic to take it seriously it needs to be rotated here and over there

world class player. Even out of position best player on the pitch. Imagine what hed have done to you playing at 9 the entire game.

What a pointless post....he was out of position and murdered you, what would the 1st choice scrum half who is far better than Smith there have done to you. Add in their first choice prop who was out and then out the best hooker in the world at 9 and you guys had....a centre on the wing. Give over.



How can you say the Melbourne team where the strongest team to come over. When we played the Broncos and saints played the Broncos and Roosters they all brought 1st choice teams over and left no-one out.

It's far from good post, as I pointed out on the other page. Melbourne were not playing players out of position and were far from depleted.

Cameron Smith is not normally a 7 you know

Kalum Watkins isn't a winger either, but he has played there enough times before, and Matt Diskin isn't a backrower. Just like Smith has played scrum half enough times to not be considered out of position.



The fact that Smith moving allowed the 4th regarded best hooker in the NRL to play, came far away from disadvantaging the Storm.

Everyone just needs to calm down. The hype is getting waaay out of control.

They had people out from the start...one of the best props in the game and one of the best scrum halves in the game. They then had to accomodate this by moving the best hooker to scrum half.



You lost your loose forward DURING the game and had a player with super league experience to wing from centre.



The two are incomparable

This does seem to be going around in circles. Let me add to the confusion OK.

Two of Melbournes 'bit players' in that game are yet to make their NRL debut



[url=http://www.theage.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/pack-leaders-eye-off-the-opener-20100304-plrn.htmlArticle in todays paper[/url

Though Jesse did say Leeds was "an eye-opener"