Storm v Warriors match prediction - Warriors ambush Storm

Melbourne Storm skipper Cameron Smith praised the individual brilliance of Shaun Johnson after his side suffered a 16-12 loss to the New Zealand Warriors at AAMI Park tonight and their first loss of the season.

Young halfback Johnson chipped and chased his own kick, regathered and passed to James Maloney who ran sixty metres to win in the final minute after the visitors looked buried at 10-12.

It was a telling blow in a typically gritty encounter by these two sides. The Auckland side is now three from three at AAMI Park and move to fifth on the ladder. For Storm fans this was déjà vu all over again after last year’s 20-12 loss in the preliminary final. Johnson was the hero on that day too with some silky running and touch skills to create victory for his side late in the game.

Smith was in awe of Johnson’s who played his first Test match for the Kiwis on Friday night.

“He is a fantastic footy player and has all the skills to be a brilliant player for the Warriors and the Kiwis. We threw everything at the Warriors tonight but in the end it wasn’t good enough.”

Melbourne looked to have the match sewn up after a strong defensive match and then two well-constructed tries from Auckland-born winger Matt Duffie and fullback Billy Slater, the latter scoring his tenth try of the season in just eight games. Halfback Cooper Cronk’s kicking game continuously kept the Warriors in their own half until Manu Vatuvei and Kevin Locke scored through Johnson’s grubbering kicks in the 20^th and 50^th minutes.

Warriors skipper Simon Mannering enjoyed the match and felt it was befitting the occasion.

“It is always a great honour to play on Anzac day, not many footy sides get to do so. We seem to have close matches with the Storm and this really gives our side a boost going into our next match with the Broncos.”

The Warriors hoodoo continues.

Cricket: Big Bash League good for local game, but limit T20 internationals

After watching the first few rounds of the Australian Big Bash League I have changed my view on it – I think it has positives for Australian cricket.

A franchise competition, the League essentially expands on the Indian Premier League (IPL) concept whereby a mixture of rising stars, established domestic players and internationals play in different teams. The Big Bash is a home-grown IPL.

The value is having the likes of Brett Lee, Shahid Afridi or Shane Warne play in competitive situations with young Aussie talent – like 20 year old Nic Maddinson – and passing on their knowledge, skills and tips in big time cricket situations. Cricketing intellectual property and strategic thinking can propel a young gun into a bona fide international star. Maddinson’s star may soon shine.

So from a domestic, regional perspective, it has tremendous value. Crowds are ten-fold higher than the one-day or four-day matches. The marketing, particular involving Warne and Stuart MacGill – who both carved tremendous records for Australia – has been outstanding. Matthew Hayden versus Shaun Tait. Brett Lee versus Brad Hodge. These scenarios are marketers’ dreams.

Great, but limit the amount of T20 internationals played. Keep it a domestic concept. Above local T20 it becomes a bore, an annoying chore to watch. Sixes become ho-hum. Who is the current international T20 champions? Do you care? I am sure the players don’t. A T20 to open a tour would seem satisfactory, a low-result match which serves to blow off the rust to one’s game.

Tests, One-Day Internationals and T20’s will find a way to co-exist – let’s hope the ICC understands each format’s place and schedules accordingly.