Storm score 28-8 triumph over Broncos - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Storm score 28-8 triumph over Broncos

By John Salvado 05/04/2008 12:00:38 AM Comments (0)

Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett called on the NRL to make a stand on the controversial chicken-wing tackle after Melbourne prop Adam Blair was placed on report for wrenching the arm of Michael Ennis.

The incident soured an otherwise impressive 28-8 victory for the Storm, who snapped a two-game losing streak and ended Brisbane's perfect start to the season.

Broncos skipper Darren Lockyer finished the match on the bench again nursing his sore knee, although club doctor Matt Hislop said the joint was not unstable and the surgery remained intact.

Blair was reported by referee Jared Maxwell in the 54th minute after pinning and twisting the left arm of Ennis, who was in considerable pain.

"What I'd like the league to let everybody know in no uncertain terms is that the game is not going to tolerate what we've spent the last 12 months going through, or the last three years, until it became farcical in the end," said Bennett.

"The game is not about wrestling holds and technique, the game is about tackling technique.

"And if you don't tackle somebody properly then the game has either got to rub you out with suspensions or rub the tackle out.

"Because I tell you what's going to happen - in a month's time everybody's going to be doing it, as happened with the grapple tackle."

Storm coach Craig Bellamy admitted the Blair incident did not look good, but he again insisted that the Storm did not teach their players to deliberately target opponents' arms in the tackle.

"If you think we teach our players to grab their arms in the tackle or tackle the opposition's arm, that would be ridiculous," he said.

"But Blairy is in a situation there where if he didn't get a hold of that arm he was gone.

"(Ennis) was sort-of behind him when he grabbed hold of it.

"The referee has taken action and we'll just see what comes of it."

"I have no problem with the league taking a stand, but I'm telling you now we don't practice that tackle," added Bellamy.

"It would be ridiculous to say that we go out with a tackle technique of grabbing people's arms as the first contact.

Winger Anthony Quinn scored a hat-trick of tries for the Storm as the Broncos lost for the first time in four matches.

With Queensland coach Mal Meninga watching from the stands, Melbourne fullback Billy Slater made another bid for a Maroons recall with a flawless display.

Slater set up the Storm's first try for Quinn with a perfectly timed wrap-around pass in the eighth minute and had a hand in many of the home side's best attacking moves.

Melbourne went 12-4 ahead in the 20th minute when Bronco-to-be Israel Folau outjumped Denan Kemp to claim a Cooper Cronk bomb.

Winger Reece Robinson finally got the Broncos on the scoreboard with a four-pointer in the 31st minute.

But Melbourne went to the interval leading 18-4 after Robinson made a hash of another Cronk bomb, allowing Ryan Hoffman to score.

Lockyer got his team back into the contest by setting David Stagg up for a try in the right-hand corner five minutes after the Blair incident.

Quinn iced the match for the Storm with near-identical tries in the left-hand corner in the 67th and 73rd minutes, with centre Will Chambers supplying the final pass on both occasions.

Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith had a great night with the boot, converting four of the Storm's five tries, while Ennis was nought-from-two for Brisbane.

The comprehensive victory meant Melbourne had now outscored Brisbane 142-22 in their last five matches at Olympic Park.

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