Junior Report: Round 18

Melbourne Storm U21s had a strong outing over the weekend, recording a dominant 34-6 victory over the Cronulla Sharks.

Head Coach Mark Russell was pleased with his side’s performance, particularly their defence, which has been a key focus in recent weeks.

 "It was pretty pleasing to hold one of the best teams to one try, and showed the boys' mentality around defence," said Russell.

Storm came out firing, crossing for two tries in the opening 10 minutes. They maintained the pressure and went into the break leading 12-0. The momentum continued in the second half, with the U21s going on to close out the match.

Amaziah Murgha and Hugo Peel were standout performers, each grabbing a try for the side.

Russell also praised the forward pack for their defensive efforts, “The whole ruck group, our forward pack, has been outstanding.”

The Storm U21s now shift their focus to this weekend’s clash, where they’ll host the Canterbury Bulldogs at Gosch’s Paddock, with kick-off set for 2pm.

Despite the Bulldogs being sixth on the ladder, Russell emphasised "where they sit on the ladder doesn't represent the club or the side that they are."

Storm head into the match as favourites but know they'll need to work hard to get the result.