Storm run riot as Coates scores another stunner, Dragons condemn video

Thanks very much for being with us over the course of the weekend as we tentatively step back onto the football treadmill for the 2025 season.

The Storm have a bye next weekend, but we don’t, as ABC Sport brings you all the action across every game of the NRL and AFL in 2025.

Thanks again for your company this evening.

It already seems like a long time ago (and a long way away) that we started this season  in Las Vegas.

But now football’s back and we’re excited to bring it to you all season.

Thanks again, see you next week.

Harry Grant is speaking now.

“What I enjoyed, what was pleasing was you didn’t have to worry about anyone else’s job,” Grant says.

“I know we’ve put some points on the board, that was just playing our game. Everyone doing their roll inside our system.

“That second half probably could have been a lot better, but you knew Parramatta were going to have a response.”

He says that the Storm are in a really strong position with the squad that they have.

“We probably haven’t lost too many players from our top 17.

“It’s just about having that balance of staying hungry and going after something. It’s a clean slate for us.

“The way we started today, it’s one notch on the board but there’s plenty in front of us.

“We’ll take it week-by-week and move on with it and just enjoy the time ahead.”

Craig Bellamy has spoken about Ryan Papenhuyzen and how impressive his full back was today.

“That first half that was probably the quickest and slickest he’s looked since he’s come back,” he says.

“He’s had a horrific run with injuries.

“To come back how he has just goes to show the amount of work he’s willing to put in. His first half was outstanding.

“Hopefully, fingers crossed, he’ll have a good run with injuries.”

Here’s the Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy.

“Obviously it was a good win,” he says.

“You wouldn’t have thought that score would be the case.

“We had a good start, we were really building pressure nearly all that half.

“Second half, it’s hard for them to come out and go full out again.

“It sort of fizzled out a bit in the second half.

“I can’t be too critical. We started exactly the way we wanted to start.

“It was always going to be tough for both teams in those conditions. 35 degrees, that’s hot.

“The weather conditions took a bit out of the players.”

More from Jason Ryles.

“We had two debutants … that is not an excuse at all, but they need to play more footy with these guys and they’ll improve.

“It’s a process.”

Junior Paulo is also in the presser.

“You can’t give a team like them a headstart like that in the first half,” he says.

“There are positive to take away from the second half.”

Parramatta Eels coach Jason Ryles is speaking at the press conference.

“Our commitment to contact probably wasn’t there in the first half,” Ryles says.

“But we turned it around in the second half.

“A lot of things improved for us in the second half.

“We’ve had a lot of change, the program has changed and I’m trying to change a lot of things on the field.

“There were times where we had a lot of good periods. But then we fell away and got punished.

“They’re the Premiership favourites for a reason.

“There are some real, dare I say, positives to come out of it.

“I take full responsibility for the amount of change that I’ve brought to the club but things take time.

“We had a tough lesson tonight.”

We’ll have all the highlights from the press conferences imminently, so stick around for that.

Let’s be honest, Wests Tigers haven’t had many great weeks over the last few years.

So this was something of an unusual situation for new Storm recruit Stefano Utoikamanu.

“I was saying before when we were up by 40, it’s weird being on this side of it, instead of the other side,” the giant prop tells ABC Sport.

“It’s nice to be on this side.”

Given the way the Storm played this afternoon, you’d best start getting used to it.

An impressive performance from Melbourne, but they did lose a bit of focus in the second half – indeed, they lost the score in that second period too.

No guessing what Craig Bellamy will be focusing on then, as Ryan Papenhuyzen tells ABC Sport.

“You really want to soak it in and enjoy it but we just slipped off towards the end there,” Papenhuyzen says.

“It’s unfortunate we’ve got a bye next week and Bellyache’s going to watch that second half so I’m sure it’ll be another tough one.”

Craig Belamy has never been beaten in the first round of an NRL season.

The Storm are unbeaten in 23 round-one matches in a row.

And they did it easy today.

It was a very impressive first half display from the Storm, blowing into a unassailable lead.

Papenhuyzen, flowing locks and all, was superb in scoring twice, as was Xavier Coates.

All the big players stood up and did brilliantly.

The Eels showed some heart in the second half, but it was far too little, much too late.

Another second half try for the Eels in the second half.

It’s Isaiah Iongi who scores it.

Nicely worked to the left side, the Storm are not quite as pumped defensively as they might be and it shows as the Eels slip through.

A very good sideline conversion from Lomax and he gets the Eels ahead (in the second half).

It’s still in the mid 30s in Melbourne – very hot conditions – and the players are starting to feel it more and more.

Melbourne has taken some of its stars off.

Jahrome Hughes is off the pitch, so too Harry Grant.

That’s nice from Will Penisini.

An ineffective tackle from Nick Meaney as the Eels move the ball to the left side and Penisini crashes through in the corner.

That was pretty average from the Storm.

Sure, the job is well and truly done, but Craig Bellamy will not be happy with the way his side have put the foot off the gas and dropped its intensity.

The Eels have been better out there in the last 10 minutes.

Lomax nails the conversion from the sideline.

It’s 56-12.

You wait 15 minutes for a point in the second half, and then two tries are scored at once.

An offload to Jack Howarth inside the Storm half, he beats one, then a second, then two more with another step inside, then a pass to Jahrome Hughes takes out a fifth as the Storm score another thrilling try.

The conversion is made and it’s now 56-6.

There’s 23,369 fans in AAMI Park today.

That’s a round one record for a Storm match in Melbourne.

Will Warbrick takes it the length of the field!

An inside pass is picked off by the flying Olympic silver medallist and you aren’t going to stop the Kiwi from there.

A powerful run, another try – albeit against the run of play – and the second time in the round that a side has brought up the 50-point mark.

It’s fitting too, that Warbrick brings up the 50 points in his 50th game.

Things are not quite clicking for the Storm in this second half.

They have made three errors in their own half since half time and you can’t imagine that Craig Bellamy would be best pleased about it.

Harry Grant is asking for a penalty but there was nothing there.

Tago is looking very tender out there – but that’s a brilliant defensive effort from the hampered winger.

The Storm spun the ball wide left to the finisher extraordinaire Xavier Coates, who is tackled into touch brilliantly by Tago.

But he’s in a bit of trouble, the winger.

His right arm is hanging loosely by his side as a ball gets kicked his way and, given that caveat, there’s little wonder he fumbles it on the sideline.

The Storm have field position for the first time in the half.