Laurie Daley would have been shattered when he saw Stephen Crichton suffer a shoulder injury on Friday afternoon, but by the end of the night he’d found his replacement with Casey McLean putting on a clinic in Penrith’s huge win over the Storm.
It’s unclear how long Crichton will be sidelined for, but McLean is ready to step up for the Blues if required after he scored a stunning solo try and set up another for the unstoppable Tom Jenkins in the 50-10 victory.
It’s the first time a team has scored 50 points against the Storm since back in 2003 and also means they’ll need to defy history if they’re to win the entire competition.
No team has raised the trophy after giving up 50 points in a match in the history of the league.
McLean is only 19 and has already represented New Zealand, but he’s eligible to play for NSW under the new Origin rules.
He put on a cracking move to set up Jenkins for his 11th try of the season and did it all himself on the stroke of half-time when he stepped off his left foot, fended away from Jahrome Hughes and crashed over to finish off a 35-metre move.
His footwork and speed are incredible, but the scary thing for the rest of the NRL is that he’s only one of several superstars in this team who became the first side to win their opening five matches by 20 or more points.
Liam Martin scored in game 150, Nathan Cleary crashed over and even Brian To’o was jumping over people to score off a Dylan Edwards kick.
This is a team that won four premierships in a row, but this current crop is the best we’ve ever seen and it’s hard to see them losing a game this season if veteran Scott Sorensen keeps setting up tries with audacious flick passes.
And Jenkins is on record-breaking pace after becoming the first man to score 12 tries in the opening five rounds.
STORM WARNING
Melbourne’s hot start to the season seems like a lifetime ago after Craig Bellamy’s men slumped to their third loss on the trot, and things could get a whole lot worse with skipper Harry Grant coming off with a leg injury in the second half.
Grant is comfortably the best player in his position and the Storm simply can’t afford to lose him for any period of time, with the club hopeful it’s only bone bruising.
No team would have beaten Penrith on Friday night, and the Storm weren’t exactly awful as they got through most of their sets and looked threatening when they had good ball.
But after blowing second-half leads in recent weeks, they were blown off the park before the break with the hosts scoring five tries as they punished the Storm on the edges.
Losing streaks around the Origin period are inevitable for a team with so many rep stars, but they can’t afford that this year with just two wins from the opening five rounds.
Injuries haven’t helped with several key forwards missing, but they don’t look anything like the juggernaut they’ve been for two decades, with tough games against the Warriors, Raiders and Rabbitohs on the horizon.
FREDDY, SET, GO
The loss of Mitch Kenny to suspension for a hip-drop tackle was meant to weaken Penrith’s attack, but the inclusion of Freddy Lussick only seemed to make them more potent.
Coach Ivan Cleary has spoken up his off-season recruit for the past few months and the praise was justified after Lussick slotted in and starred at dummy-half.
The former Warrior looked like he’d played 100 games in the spine as he drilled two long kicks to pin the Storm back, while he also burrowed over from close range for a first-half try.
