Imperfect Storm topple Titans to equal Roosters record of 19 consecutive wins

Take a bow, Melbourne and Craig Bellamy.

History was made on Thursday night when NRL competition leaders the Melbourne Storm posted their 19th consecutive win, a 34-20 victory over the Gold Coast Titans.

Not since the almighty Eastern Suburbs in 1975 has a rugby league team strung together so many wins in a row.

Next Saturday, the Storm look destined to break the record when they take on Parramatta, with Jahrome Hughes, Brandon Smith, Dale Finucane, Justin Olam and Nelson Asofa-Solomona all likely to back on deck.

Nobody expected Easts’ record to last this long. Then again, nobody expected Melbourne to be this good after the retirements of Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater.

“We didn’t put a whole heap of energy into it [the record]. We were aware of it, and I’m really proud of this group to be able to win 19 in a row,” Bellamy said.

“That’s hard to do in any era, but certainly in the era we’re in now ... it hasn’t been pretty at times, but that’s how footy goes.”

That famous Roosters side will forever be remembered for the likes of the late Arthur Beetson, Ron Coote, Barry ‘Bunny’ Reilly, Bill Mullins, Russell Fairfax and a young Ian Schubert, who started the Grand Final at fullback. Jack Gibson was their coach.

The Storm possess their own supercoach in Bellamy and gun players in Cameron Munster, Josh Addo-Carr, Harry Grant, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jesse Bromwich, all of whom will be talked about for years to come.

Who knows if this side will be beaten in the final two weeks of the regular season and then the finals.

Josh Addo-Carr crosses out wide as the Storm surged home in the second half against the Titans.Credit:Getty

Souths, Penrith and Manly are all excellent title hopes, but can they truly reel in this remarkable side?

Bellamy said during the past month his side had played like it was “waiting for September”, which he didn’t like, but also conceded his Origin stars were still recovering from the brutal three-match series.

Munster came into his own in the second half, and Bellamy said: “If he didn’t come up with the second half that he come up with, I’m not sure we would have got the points.”

Munster quipped there was no way he could repeat Bellamy’s half-time spray because it was not fit for “national television”. He added that the record meant a lot for the Storm but little for him, because too often he had the monkeys “banging the cymbals inside my head.”

Some of the Storm’s rested brigade, including Smith and Olam, enjoyed the action from the comfort of their hotel up on the Sunshine Coast.

Melbourne have won 19 in a row. Wow. In a competition where a side like Canterbury have won two all year.

Rather than moan about the yawning gap between the competition’s best and worst, the next couple of months should be a chance to truly appreciate an outstanding side on top of its game. The frightening thing is Melbourne were well below their best against the Titans.

At least the Titans’ loss means the finals hopes of Cronulla and the Wests Tigers are well and truly alive. The more Sydney clubs featuring in September the better.

Harry Grant crosses to score despite the attention of three Titans players.Credit:Getty

Addo-Carr scored a couple of tries for fun. If the great Easts players were sitting at home shaking their heads when their record was about to be matched, imagine the expletives they were muttering to themselves when laying eyes on Addo-Carr’s mohawk, or even Papenhuyzen’s funky mullet.

Papenhuyzen wore the No.1 and continues to work his way back to full fitness, just in time for the pointy end of the campaign.

Given Papenhuyzen’s struggles with a major concussion from Magic Round, does every fan now hold their breath whenever the little fullback with the funky hair is collected high?

The only disappointment for the Storm was a fresh knee injury for George Jennings, who did not even last until half-time.

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Christian Nicolussi covers rugby league for The Sydney Morning Herald.

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