Knights Target Melbourne Breakthrough In Storm Vs Knights Round 14

storm vs knights brings Newcastle to AAMI Park on Friday night with a four-game winning streak and a long Melbourne drought still hanging over the visit. The Knights are fourth with eight wins and four losses, while the Storm sit 13th with five wins and eight losses.

Holbrook on AAMI Park

Justin Holbrook called it a major test and made the target plain. “We know it's a big assignment,” he said of the Storm, adding, “They're unusually lower than what they're expected to sit on the table, but they've got world-class players in their side.”

He also put the venue on the record. “It is always a hard place to go and play for any opposition,” Holbrook said of AAMI Park. “We understand that.”

The Knights coach did not frame Friday night as a season verdict, but he did draw a direct line to what a win would mean. “It's a good test. It's not everything - we're halfway through the year - but it's a game that we want to go down there and win. If we do, I'm sure we'll get some good credibility out of that.”

Newcastle's fourth-place push

Newcastle's form is the sharpest part of the build-up. Four straight wins have pushed the club into fourth place, and the trip to Melbourne is the next check on whether that run holds against a side that made the past two grand finals.

The numbers also explain the pressure on both teams. Newcastle have eight wins and four losses, while Melbourne's five wins and eight losses leave them 13th on the ladder, a position that does not match the talent Holbrook pointed to in the Storm line-up.

Best, Smith and the Storm losses

Selection has trimmed both sides. Newcastle will be without centre Bradman Best from the starting line-up because of a calf injury, and playmaker Sandon Smith will also miss the 6pm game with the same issue.

The Storm are missing Xavier Coates, Tyran Wishart, Nick Meaney and Tui Kamikamica. That leaves Craig Bellamy without four names as Melbourne tries to protect a home ground edge Newcastle have not cracked since 2015.

For the Knights, the task is simple: extend the winning streak and end an 11-year wait in Melbourne. The club then moved quickly into roster planning, announcing the re-signing of Dylan Lucas the day after the preview, with the back-rower set to stay until the end of the 2030 season after extending for a further three years.