Storm steal Souths win
The value of teenage winger Israel Folau was never more evident than in the closing stages of Melbourne’s 12-8 victory over South Sydney in Gosford.
The Storm had been underwhelming throughout and seemed destined for their third defeat of the season, until Folau plucked a James Aubusson banana kick in the 73rd minute before strolling over to give Melbourne a lead they would not surrender.
Melbourne were without Origin stars Dallas Johnson and Greg Inglis, while Cooper Cronk was also missing. The Storm clearly struggled in their absence, rarely threatening the South Sydney defence. The Rabbitohs opened the scoring in the 31st minute when Ben Rogers provided a stunning pass behind his back near the Storm the line, with Yileen Gordon finishing the movement. The lead extended shortly before the break when Rogers set up winger Nathan Merritt. Another missed Merritt conversion would prove costly.
The Storm bridged the gap to two points when Matt King used his height to tower over defenders to recover an Aubusson chip in the 59th minute. “Our defence was good, and they had to resort to kicks to get the tries, but they got enough in the end”, said Rabbitohs coach Jason Taylor.
Melbourne maintains its four point gap over Manly at the top of the NRL ladder, while Souths have missed a golden opportunity to edge back into the top eight.
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