Storm put a total lock on Manly; too assertive, too hard, and too hungry at the contact. They unnerved the visitor early and it was as if the latter knew they were fortunate to be there at all. They never allowed the Eagles to settle, the only query that they led by just six at the break, due in part to Smith’s failure to convert, but the dominance got paid later as they simply starved the visitor of ball. Smith closed quick on anything that moved, Hoffman tremendous trampling anything that didn’t, Slater uncontainable, notwithstanding he was awarded one that wasn’t, and Chambers too, always dangerous.
The Bulldogs backed their minor prem accreditation by stamping certain and abrasive defence on Souths. They won by 24 but their all team clout resulted in only a handful less tackles than the opponent; Ennis, Graham and Tolman all 40 odd. Sure the loss of A Reynolds really threw Souths for structure but the reality is their bigs made mistakes and they were blown by the electricity that is in the Bulldogs in the moments that count. Those came from Inu’s knack of being right place right time (not forgetting he’s looked up before against Storm for the Warriors), Perret’s stunning finish down the edge with no space, and Barba’s instinctive grubber with even less space. They’re not fulproof and as at their previous they looked around in the last 15 minutes taking a few lazy options. They couldn’t repeat that here, 18 in front or 18 behind, Storm don’t even need to gate crash those. Again, despite his huge outing Kasiano’s labouring at the inside channels wont have gone un-noted. They’ll match up in the pack, and while they fail on the experience count and face several hugely gifted individuals here, you just wonder if they’re even better than Storm at making something out of nothing.
Their extraordinary improvement makes the history between the two irrelevant until this season when they’re 1-1, the Dogs getting the last by 16 in Mackay. That was during Origin when Storm faltered but the latter look very different now, perhaps as sharp as they’ve ever been at this point of the season. Still, the Bulldogs are 10 straight at ANZ, a ground Storm have seen twice in three years (defeating Souths in 2011 but going down to the Dogs in 2010). Despite the oft mentioned extra incentive for Storm, if the Dogs present with the enthusiasm and speed that has marked their season and if they stay with them early they can get it.
Bulldogs by 3