World News Storm weather Asofa-Solomona blow to tame Tigers Blog

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Melbourne will likely be without the strong Nelson Asofa-Solomona for an extended period after the prop added to Craig Bellamy’s injury concerns by limping off the field during the Storm’s 40-28 win over the Wests Tigers.

Asofa-Solomona had to leave the field midway through the first half at Leichhardt Oval on Saturday due to a suspected thigh injury.

But the absence of the great mainstay hardly mattered as the Storm won their fifth game in a row to maintain their dominance at the top of the NRL rankings.

Backup hooker Bronson Garlick also was unable to finish the game after succumbing to back spasms midway through the first half of a game from which the Tigers emerged with a lot of respect.

Benji Marshall’s team were in the game until Solomona Faataape was sent to the penalty box for an intentional foul in the 46th minute – the 13th for the Tigers in 2024 – and the Storm were able to pull away.

The Tigers will finish the round at the bottom of the NRL rankings, but they were almost flawless in the opening 10 minutes.

They were rewarded when Charlie Staines galloped in to open the scoring, but Eli Katoa immediately struck back for the Storm.

Fonua Pole dug under the posts to restore the Tigers’ lead before Melbourne began to take control of proceedings.

The Storm were keen to exploit the Tigers’ left side, where the limping Justin Olam in the middle and Faataape on the wing were weak spots.

A counterattack from Tyran Wishart took the pressure off before they flicked the ball to the right and Ryan Papenhuyzen cut past Olam to score.

Next, Will Warbrick exposed the Tigers’ weaknesses on the same side, pushing aside Olam and Faataape, finishing in the corner and giving the Storm a 16-12 halftime lead.

The Tigers should have been the first to score after the break to save the game, but when Faataape brought down Warbrick in an aerial battle, he was sent to the penalty box.

Referee Peter Gough ruled that Faataape had committed a deliberate foul and on the next set Grant Anderson broke through the Tigers’ defence.

Flyweight Lachlan Galvin, Staines and Jahream Bula finished in the second half and gave the crowd of 10,311 reasons to cheer.

But a double from Sua Faalogo and a try from the impressive Wishart ensured the Storm survived a late comeback.

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