‘The Warriors basically had the wood on us’: Storm put incredible streak on the line in front of bumper home crowd

It’s one of the most dominant head-to-head records in professional rugby league history, but Storm coach Craig Bellamy insists his side’s 16-game winning streak over the Warriors hasn’t been mentioned ahead of the sold-out clash at AAMI Park. The Warriors haven’t beaten the Storm since 2015, with Cameron Munster the only player from that day set to run out on Sunday afternoon, albeit he won’t be wearing the No.1 jersey again. It’s one of the most stunning records in the NRL, but Bellamy says history counts for nothing given there was a time when the Warriors used to play very well against the Storm. Their offloads and unconventional attack troubled Melbourne’s grinding defence, with the Warriors producing a famous upset against the minor premiers in the first week of the 2008 finals which led to a number of wins away from home against Bellamy’s side. But it’s been one-way traffic for the past decade, with the Storm looking to continue their dominance against a side that’s riding a three-game winning streak of its own. “It doesn’t get spoken about at all,” Bellamy said of the streak, with Xavier Coates’ stunning late try helping the Storm keep the streak alive last year. “It doesn’t seem that long ago that the Warriors basically had the wood on us. I don’t know what the games were, but they regularly beat us at home going back a while ago. “I wouldn’t have guessed that (current streak). That’s not going to help us tomorrow. We need to help ourselves tomorrow.” The Storm announced on Friday that the game was officially sold-out and was the fastest selling regular season game in club history. Bellamy has had to warn some of his younger players that a sold-out crowd might not be a good thing with thousands of Warriors fans set to make it feel like an away game at times. The NRL has taken advantage of no AFL games in Melbourne with the competition in South Australia for Gather Round, with Storm fans set to dominate the city as they look to build on last week’s thumping win over the Sea Eagles. “We’re absolutely thrilled to see Sunday’s game at AAMI Park sold-out,” Storm chief executive Justin Rodski said. “It’s a testament to the incredible support of our members and fans, and the excitement around what’s shaping up to be one of the biggest games of the season so far. “With Sunday being the only footy in town this weekend, all eyes are on Melbourne Storm, and we can’t wait to put on a show in front of a packed and sold-out AAMI Park.”