Craig Bellamy captured in brutal reaction amid backlash around Storm 'liability'
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy's reaction said it all after his star centre Nick Meaney suffered a suspected jaw fracture at the hands of teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona on Thursday night. The Storm exacted grand final revenge over their fierce rivals Penrith after beating the four-time defending premiers 30-24 in a brutal contest that also saw Nathan Cleary knocked out in the opening five minutes.
But the Storm are counting the cost of victory, with Meaney facing a stint in the casualty ward after being wiped out by hulking prop Asofa-Solomona in a sickening first half incident. The Melbourne enforcer tried to put a massive hit on Penrith's Liam Henry in the 34th minute, but was undone by some late footwork from the Panthers forward and missed the tackle.
Asofa-Solomona had fully committed though and lunged head-first into Meaney, who was also attempting to bring down Henry from the other side. But he was left in serious agony as his Melbourne teammate's head cannoned into his jaw, leaving Meaney stricken on the turf before he left the field to undergo a head injury assessment (HIA).
"Nelson got him for sure ... surely he has to come off," Andrew Johns said about Meaney on Nine's coverage. There were initial hopes that the Storm centre would be able to return to the field after his HIA but Nine's Danika Mason revealed a short time later that the injury was far more serious than first thought.
"We've had confirmation from the Melbourne Storm that Nick Meaney has a suspected fractured jaw following that collision," she said. "This is a nasty injury and it has some complications going forward." The NRL Physio account suggested Meaney could be sidelined for between one to two months depending on the severity and whether he requires surgery.
Nick Meaney won't return for the Storm tonight - came off for a HIA & now news he has a suspected broken jaw.If fracture confirmed usual recovery time of 1-2 months pending nature of fracture (multiple fracture sites? surgery required?). pic.twitter.com/5ZBpYkQaJ6
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) March 20, 2025
Bellamy took a gamble by including Asofa-Solomona on Thursday night after the Melbourne enforcer missed last year's grand final and their round one clash due to suspension. He was facing another potential ban over an alleged hip-drop tackle in his playing return in the Queensland Cup but was ultimately cleared to play for the Storm. But the gamble backfired badly as Asofa-Solomona found himself at the centre of fresh drama.
The Kiwi Test veteran is one of the most imposing figures in rugby league and a handful for opposition sides in attack and defence. But ill-discipline and poor decision-making has landed him in plenty of trouble in the past and his over-eagerness to inject himself into Thursday night's contest proved very costly.
Asofa-Solomona could easily have gone into the tackle on Henry with more intent to wrap his arms around the Panthers forward, rather than trying to put the massive hit on. Instead, he ended up wiping out his own teammate and an exasperated Bellamy could be seen with his head in his hands in the coaching box as cameras flashed to him in the aftermath of the carnage.
The Storm were ultimately able to hang on for victory without Meaney. And they were given a boost on Friday as five-eighth Cameron Munster was cleared of a hip-drop tackle after being placed on report for a first half incident with Liam Martin. But the loss of Meaney is set to test the Storm's depth and Bellamy's patience with Asofa-Solomona, who fans described as a "liability" to Melbourne, following Thursday night's brutal incident.
Nelson is a liability at this point #NRLStormPanthers
— SydneyGooner (@InanchMehm40961) March 20, 2025
Well done Nelson...Nick's got a fractured jaw. You are a liability. #NRLStormPanthers
— Jan (@bimmyjartel) March 20, 2025
Our yearly appeal for a 'Craig Bellamy PPV Camera' for every Storm Game.#NRLStormPanthers pic.twitter.com/zojRkSsukw
— Roast (@thenrlroast) March 20, 2025
Well done Dennis. Thursday night is no good for us.Fingernail biting game.But a win is a win.Big Nelson may as well have been playing for Penrith.Notice Craig kept him on the bench in second half. He's a liability. Happy to see him go.
— Jan (@bimmyjartel) March 20, 2025
Meaney broken jaw after head clash with Nelson 😩🤦🏻♀️
— Kristie (@Herro6MOTY) March 20, 2025
Time the let Nelson go bloke is a liability
— Daryl (@DHoriszny) March 20, 2025

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Madrid arrives on 24-race Formula One calendar in 2026
The 2026 Formula One season will kick off in Melbourne in March and again feature 24 races as Madrid arrives on the calendar. The Australian Grand Prix gets the new campaign up and running on the weekend of March 6-8 and it will once again conclude in Abu Dhabi on December 4-6. Advertisement Madrid, which last hosted an F1 race in 1981, enters the schedule on September 11-13. The new 'Madring' circuit, featuring both street and non-street sections, is under construction and will be the only new venue on the calendar in 2026. It replaces the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, which drops off the 24-race list after Max Verstappen's victory in May. It will also be one of two races in Spain with Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya remaining on the agenda for next season – at least – over the weekend of June 12-14. These changes come in a year that will see the introduction of new aerodynamics and power unit rules and the arrival of some new names on the grid, including a Cadillac team. Advertisement F1 president Stefano Domenicali said: '2026 will be a new era for Formula One where we will witness a brand new set of regulations for our sport, the cars and the engines that will be powered by 100 per cent sustainable fuel. 'We are excited to welcome Madrid to the calendar and to see huge automotive brands like Audi, Cadillac and Ford join the Formula One grid. The Monaco Grand Prix will be staged in June (David Davies/PA) 'It promises to be an unforgettable season, where once again we will come together at 24 amazing global venues to watch the best drivers in the world push themselves to the limit and produce incredible wheel-to-wheel racing for our millions of fans watching around the globe.' Advertisement Other changes include the Monaco Grand Prix, considered the sport's most prestigious event, moving from its regular end-of-May slot to June 5-7. The Canadian Grand Prix also switches from its usual June date to May 22-24, following Miami in the schedule, as part of the sport's continued drive to reduce carbon emissions. The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort will take place for the final time on August 21-23. Four-time world champion Verstappen's home race returned in 2021, having previously been absent for 35 years. The British Grand Prix at Silverstone – which this year celebrates its 75th anniversary – will take place on July 3-5. Advertisement Full 2026 F1 calendar: March 6-8 – Australia (Melbourne) March 13-15 – China (Shanghai) March 27-29 – Japan (Suzuka) April 10-12 – Bahrain (Sakhir) April 17-19 – Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) May 1-3 – Miami (Miami) May 22-24 – Canada (Montreal) June 5-7 – Monaco (Monte Carlo) June 12-14 – Spain (Barcelona) June 26-28 – Austria (Spielberg) July 3-5 – Great Britain (Silverstone) July 17-19 – Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps) July 24-26 – Hungary (Hungaroring) August 21-23 – Netherlands (Zandvoort) September 4-6 – Italy (Monza) September 11-13 – Spain (Madrid) September 25-27 – Azerbaijan (Baku) October 9-11 – Singapore (Marina Bay) Advertisement October 23-25 – United States (Austin) October 30-November 1 – Mexico (Mexico City) November 6-8 – Brazil (Interlagos) November 19-21 – Las Vegas (Las Vegas) November 27-29 – Qatar (Lusail) December 4-6– Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina)
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
League great slams NRL as Benji Marshall spray lands Tigers coach in hot water
League great Greg Alexander has leapt to the defence of Benji Marshall after the Wests Tigers coach's criticism of officials looks set to land him in hot water with the NRL. Marshall blew up over two controversial calls against Jarome Luai during Sunday's loss to Penrith, with the penalty for a late tackle on Panthers kicker Blaize Talagi particularly baffling. Luai was also pinged for an escort penalty during the second half of the 18-14 defeat that Marshall thought the officials also got wrong. But the NRL's head of football Graham Annesley insisted on Tuesday that both incidents were reviewed and the right calls were made. 'It's clear from the vision that Jarome Luai props on his left foot and turns his back to initiate contact with Liam Martin,' Annesley said about the escort penalty. 'Regarding the contact on kicker Blaize Talagi, the rules are very clear, and have been reinforced with clubs on multiple occasions over recent seasons. "Players have a duty of care to avoid dangerous contact with kickers who are in the process of kicking and in a vulnerable position. This is a player safety policy which has been in place for a number of years.' But a frustrated Alexander wasn't having a bar of that explanation and echoed the fan backlash by insisting that Luai made the tackle on Talagi as he was kicking the footy. Luai's shot was not late, high or dangerous and the former premiership winner lamented the fact that current rules tend to penalise defenders for what has long been celebrated as exemplary kick pressure. "The tackle wasn't late, it wasn't high. He was within his rights to make that tackle," Alexander said about the penalty against Luai. "Please tell me that we haven't ruled that out of the game. "Do we just allow a kicker to take all the time in the world to kick the ball? As long as he hasn't made contact with the legs of the kicker - which he didn't - then I think it's gotta be alright. Veteran NRL commentator Andrew Voss agreed it did not warrant a penalty. "If he was passing the ball, then there's no dramas," he added. With the scores locked at 10-10 at the time, the decision proved costly as Nathan Cleary's ensuing penalty goal put the defending premiers up by two, before Thomas Jenkins completed his hat-trick late on to help get Penrith home. Marshall was clearly infuriated in his post-match press conference and suggested the officials decided the outcome, in comments that look to have landed him in hot water. 'The game is so hard and demanding. And I actually feel sorry for our players because they didn't actually get to decide tonight," the Wests Tigers coach said. RELATED: 'Cringey' Galvin promo infuriates fans as Raiders hero cops huge snub Slater under fire for Ezra Mam move as QLD axe skipper DCE 'It was a wrong call. I agree with protecting the kickers, but he didn't take his legs out. They didn't put him in a dangerous position. It was simultaneous when he kicked it and he made contact there. Like, that's not a penalty. "And I thought it actually cost us because we're in a cycle there where they got field position, kicked the goal, got the ball back, went down, got a penalty and then scored, so anyway, I've had my rant.' And it could prove costly for Marshall and the Tigers, with CODE Sports reporting that the NRL is reviewing the comments to determine whether any form of sanction will be handed down. That's two horrible calls by officials this week when it's come to putting pressure on the kicker. You want Luai to do that every 5th tackle play if he could #NRLTigersPanthers — Jay Keegan (@JayMK1994) June 8, 2025 Free 2 points there because of a perfect tackle by luai, game is so far gone. #NRLTigersPanthers — Tiger96🐅 (@tiger959505) June 8, 2025 Jarome Luai has done absolutely nothing wrong then 🤦♂️ #nrltigerspanthers — Alex Sutton (@TosBetting) June 8, 2025 This game is unwatchable. Nothing wrong with that tackle from Luai.#NRLTigersPanthers — Rewster (@Rewster7) June 8, 2025


Chicago Tribune
4 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
After getting two hits, South Elgin's Justin Pold pitches inning in relief. Perfect. ‘Just meant everything to me.'
Coming into the season, senior second baseman Justin Pold faced elevated expectations for South Elgin, especially since he had such a solid performance the previous spring. High school baseball, however, is more of a sprint than a marathon. And when it takes time for things to start clicking, the engine can stall pretty quickly and then start to spiral. In Pold's case, he pinpointed one of the causes. 'I would say the strikeouts have been hard on me,' Pold said. 'Last year, I had like eight. This year, I have around 18. I just have to put the ball in play, and hopefully, the results will come.' Pold hung in there, put the ball in play and saw the results Monday, sending the Storm off to a quick start against McHenry in the Class 4A Kane County Cougars Supersectional in Geneva. Although Pold doubled in the first inning and followed with a two-run single in the second for a 4-0 lead, the Warriors battled back for an 8-6 victory at Northwestern Medicine Field. Pold, an Elgin Community College recruit, also made a rare pitching appearance for South Elgin (23-11). He came on in relief and got out of a jam in the sixth to keep the Storm alive. Nathan Kmiec contributed a two-run single, while Jacob Robertson also doubled and scored before adding an RBI single. Kmiec had already made it 2-0 when Pold stepped up in the second. And Pold's single to right field built a 4-0 advantage. 'It just meant everything to me,' Pold said. 'I was confident going in and got good results.' It's been a key facet for the Storm in this late-season run, with different contributors every game. 'Next man up,' South Elgin coach Jim Kating said. 'We've done a pretty good job of that in the last two-thirds of the season. I'm very proud of my kids, how they came out. 'We had nothing to lose. We weren't supposed to be anywhere close to where they're at. That's what I enjoyed, the mental toughness and the wanting to win.' As has been the case all season, the Storm persevered. It didn't matter who was struggling. 'This team is built off of friendships,' Kmiec said. 'We have all these friends on the team picking each other up. In practice, we're on each other. We felt like we could win it the whole time.' Going into the sixth, the game was tied 5-5, but McHenry (33-4-1) scored three unearned runs to take the lead. Pold stopped the bleeding to keep South Elgin within striking distance. 'That was energetic for sure,' Pold said. 'I only pitched four times before that, so I was not expecting to come in. We needed everyone for sure. 'I feel the momentum definitely shifted to us in the sixth and seventh innings. We just had too many errors. If we clean that up, I think that's our game.' The Storm ran out of steam trying to continue the coaching career of Kating, who's retiring, for one more weekend. He's the only coach in program history. 'We wanted to do this for him,' Pold said. 'He's been a great coach. He's been everything for us.' Kating said it hasn't set in yet that it's over, but he's appreciative of everything the program has accomplished in his 18 seasons at South Elgin. He tried to soak it in Monday. 'In the fifth inning, I kind of looked around and said, 'This is fun,'' Kating said. 'This is competition. This is what high school competition is supposed to be like. 'Hopefully, they take some of the stuff they experienced and turn it into life experiences.'