Melbourne Storm Captain Harry Grant Defiant Amid Finals Doubts
With their NRL finals aspirations already dismissed by some critics following a fourth consecutive defeat, a defiant Melbourne Storm captain Harry Grant asserts that the "finish line" remains distant. The Storm are aiming to avoid a 14-year low of five straight losses when they travel to Canberra to confront the Raiders this weekend.
Unfamiliar Territory for the Storm
Opening the season with a 2-4 record, Melbourne finds itself in uncharted waters, languishing in 13th position on the ladder. Only three teams in the competition have conceded more points, highlighting defensive struggles that have plagued their campaign.
The Test hooker acknowledged that Melbourne's performances, particularly on defence, have fallen short of expectations. Grant emphasised the necessity for the team to "show more grit" during challenging moments when outcomes are not favouring them.
Premature Talk of Missing Finals
Grant firmly believes that discussions regarding the Storm potentially missing the finals are premature. He expressed confidence in the squad's ability to navigate out of their current slump through collective effort and improvement.
"We're six games into a 27-round season and the finish line's a long way away, so we've just got to keep improving and making sure we're accountable and we'll get our performance right," Grant stated. "People can have their opinions, but that doesn't mean too much. We're eliminating all the outside noise — we've got the answers in the club here, we've got the answers with the playing group, with the coaching staff, but it's just about applying it."
Inspiration from Recent Form Reversals
Melbourne can draw encouragement from several recent turnarounds in form across the league. Their upcoming opponents, the Canberra Raiders, were in a similar predicament with four consecutive losses before securing a dramatic 36-34 victory over South Sydney in the previous round.
Additionally, last season Penrith experienced a five-game losing streak between rounds two and six, yet managed to recover strongly, narrowly missing a grand final appearance. Grant noted that such examples provide valuable inspiration.
"You can certainly take inspiration from other teams and where they've been and past Melbourne Storm teams have been in this position as well," Grant added. "But at the end of the day it's a different team, it's a different environment and it's us that's in it and it's us that make it happen."
Support for Teammate Joe Chan
Young second-rower Joe Chan faced criticism from coach Craig Bellamy during the Storm's 38-14 loss to the Warriors, being substituted early in the second half. Grant defended Chan, describing him as a "great asset" to the team and emphasising the importance of collective responsibility.
"Everyone's been in those shoes at times as a player, and we just need Joey at his best," Grant said. "It's not one player, it's collective ... he's a great asset to the team so it's important that he gets back to that this week."
As Melbourne prepares for a crucial clash against Canberra, the focus remains on internal solutions and incremental improvements to revive their season and silence the doubters.
