Monday only NRL Round 3 match is between Melbourne Storm and Newcastle Knights with the opening kick to commence at 7:00pm. The game is to be played at AAMI Park which see’s home team Melbourne Storm hold favouritism in the market. View our NRL live scores, odds and results for the game between Melbourne Storm and Newcastle Knights.

WHERE AND WHEN: AAMI Park, Monday 24 March 2014 Kickoff 7:00pm

Odds Comparison:

Melbourne Storm	1.28	1.28	1.27	1.28	1.28	1.29
Newcastle Knights	3.70	3.75	3.90	3.75	3.70	3.70

Preview:

For the second week in a row, the Storm produced a field goal in the dying minutes of the match to snatch a one-point victory.

In round 1 they came from 20 – 0 down to defeat Manly 23 – 22 in golden-point time whilst last week, against an enthusiastic Panthers outfit who dominated the first half, they toughed out a 18 – 17 win.

The Panthers took it up to the Storm last week and headed the home-side in most match stats at the conclusion of the game including time in opposition half and completed sets but, as they always seem to do, the Storm found a way to win.

It was Cooper Cronk’s first game back from injury and one that will see him better again for having had the run.

It hasn’t been the ideal start to 2014 for the Knights who have been the focus of off-field incidents and suffered numerous injuries including one to pivot Jarrod Mullin that will see him out for several more weeks to come.

Despite these setbacks and losing both of their games, the effort and commitment has still be there from the Knights.

It was only late in the second half, when Newcastle were down on numbers, that the Panthers got the better of them and a try in the final minute of last week’s match against Canberra, saw them go down 26 – 20.

This week they travel to Melbourne and will fondly remember their last visit to AAMI Park which resulted in a 18 – 16 win in last year’s semi-finals.

It was the third time the two sides had met last season with the Storm winning the competition matches by 2 and 13 points.

Newcastle always gives the Storm plenty to think about in their clashes and this game may be closer than the market suggests however, it should still result in a Melbourne victory.

Teams:

Melbourne Storm:

1. Billy Slater 2. Sisa Waqa 3. Will Chambers 4. Mahe Fonua 5. Young Tonumaipea 6. Ben Hampton 7. Cooper Cronk 8. Jesse Bromwich 9. Cameron Smith 10. Bryan Norrie 11. Kevin Proctor 12. Ryan Hoffman 13. Ryan Hinchcliffe 14. Kenneath Bromwich 15. Tohu Harris 16. Jordan McLean 17. George Rose

Newcastle Knights:

1. Matt Minto 2. James McManus 3. Dane Gagai 4. Joseph Leilua 5. Akuila Uate 6. Michael Dobson 7. Tyrone Roberts 8. Kade Snowden 9. Kurt Gidley 10. Willie Mason 11. Beau Scott 12. Robbie Rochow 13. Jeremy Smith 14. Travis Waddell 15. Chris Houston 16. Alex McKinnon 17. Adam Cuthbertson 18. David Fa’alogo

News:

Newcastle may be winless but Storm coach Craig Bellamy needs no reminding about what the Knights achieved last time they came to Melbourne.

While unbeaten Melbourne will start strong favourites in Monday night’s round three home game against the Knights, Bellamy is wary after watching Newcastle’s 26-20 loss to Canberra last week.

“I know the Knights are a really good side,” Bellamy said on Wednesday.

“They didn’t lose by much the other day. They’ve got a lot of really dangerous players.

“We only have to think to our last game last year. They came down here and won the semi-final game (by 18-16) and went to the preliminary final.

“I’m not taking anything out of what happened in the first two games.”

The Storm have started the season with nail-biting one-point wins over Manly and Penrith and Bellamy says those results could prove especially valuable when the mid-season strain comes during the State of Origin period, with the likes of skipper Cameron Billy and Billy Slater involved.

“To be able to come out on top after the games have been so close is hopefully a good sign for us,” he said.

“It’s always nice early to have some wins on the board, especially in our situation.

“We always a bit of a tough period going through Origin with our key position players carrying a huge workload through that period.

“These wins early are really valuable for us.

“We try to be as good as we can be for that first game and hopefully that can get us off to a good start for the season.

“We’ve still got a long way to go, a lot of improvement.

“Hopefully we can just start doing a little build as we go through this next four to six weeks.”

The Storm have built on the recent re-signing of skipper Smith to a four-year contract extension by this week retaining New Zealand international front-rower Jesse Bromwich for the same period.

“He (Bronwich) is right up there now with the top front-rowers in the game,” Bellamy said.

“For us to keep him is a huge bonus. There were plenty of other clubs trying to get him.

“In the first two games, he was probably the difference.”