Junior Rep Report- Round 13 (Men's U21's)

The Melbourne Storm U21s travelled to Sydney over the weekend and delivered a dominant performance, claiming a commanding 52-12 victory over the Manly Sea Eagles in Round 13.

The U21 squad put together a clinical 80-minute display, with Head Coach Mark Russell describing it as a "complete performance", praising the group's relentless attitude.

Melbourne came out firing in the first half, scoring five tries to take a convincing 24-6 lead into the break with Hugo Peel crossing the line twice in the opening half.

The momentum continued in the second half, with Storm maintaining their intensity in both attack and defence. Their defensive effort was particularly impressive, limiting Manly to just two tries all afternoon while adding another five of their own to cap off a comprehensive victory.

Front-rower Jak Goulding was once again a standout, finishing the game with 100% tackle efficiency, over 100 running metres, and more than 70 minutes played.

“He led from the middle — he was outstanding,” said Russell post match.

This week’s squad also featured players promoted from the SG Ball team, including hooker Jai Bowden, who made an immediate impact with his creativity around the ruck.

Amaziah Murgha made his Jersey Flegg debut and scored a try to top off his first game at U21 level. 

“It’s positive that we've got kids coming from SG Ball, to come and play and do a good job,” Russell added.

The impressive win now sees Melbourne sitting on top of the ladder after 13 rounds of the season.

Despite facing some adversity with flight delays, the team remained focused and delivered one of their most complete performances of the season. The U21s will return to action this Friday at 3:30pm at AAMI Park, hosting the Penrith Panthers in a curtain-raiser ahead of the NRL match.

Originally published on melbournestorm.com.au