Six again: Josh Addo-Carr rewrites record books as Storm thump Souths

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Six again: Josh Addo-Carr rewrites record books as Storm thump Souths

By Christian Nicolussi
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Storm superstar Josh Addo-Carr bagged a remarkable six tries as he showed little sympathy for the injury-ravaged South Sydney club he grew up supporting.

The Rabbitohs were missing more than 670 games worth of NRL experience heading into Thursday night’s clash against Melbourne, including the suspended Latrell Mitchell and injured skipper Adam Reynolds. But few would have expected such a blow-out scoreline as the home team crashed to a 50-0 defeat.

Even fewer people would have anticipated Addo-Carr scoring six tries. Not since Newtown’s Jack Troy in 1950 had a player crossed the line for six tries in a game.

No player in Storm history had scored more than four tries in a match, a tally Addo-Carr had notched by half-time. He brought up his fifth in the 67th minute and launched the ball into the empty Stadium Australia stands.

History was then made in the 72nd minute as Melbourne notched the half-century.

“It’s great for him and the whole team – a lot of work is done before Josh can use his pace to get into the corner,” Storm coach Craig Bellamy said.

“We’ve got [an even] longer turnaround now. There will be a fair bit of spruiking and he’ll have his shirt off.″⁣

If anybody questioned Addo-Carr’s standing as the best winger in the game, they would have gone to bed on Thursday night knowing they had seen a man in his prime.

Storm winger Josh Addo-Carr enjoys a night to remember at Stadium Australia.

Storm winger Josh Addo-Carr enjoys a night to remember at Stadium Australia.Credit: Getty

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As Bellamy said, “He’s the first winger picked in Origin and the first winger picked in the Australian side”.

Addo-Carr produced tremendous speed off the mark to pounce on a Justin Olam kick to score his first. On another occasion he caught a Nicho Hynes pass behind him and beat Damien Cook in a foot-race to the left corner.

Canterbury fans would have enjoyed the South Sydney carve-up, knowing Addo-Carr will be wearing their colours next season.

Bellamy said Addo-Carr had discovered his voice during his time down south, and had developed into a wonderful leader.

The few Souths supporters who braved the wet and chilly conditions knew their team needed a miracle when they trailed 26-0 at half-time. The premiers then somehow stepped it up a gear as Souths ran out of steam and struggled to hold on to the ball.

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Souths coach Wayne Bennett was naturally disappointed by the result and expected much more from the 17 players who were fit enough to take the field.

“We got what we deserved, we’ve been heading that way the past couple of weeks,” Bennett said. “We’ve pulled a few games out of the fire, but Melbourne are too good for that.

“We might not have won the game, but we’re better than that.”

Bennett would have feared the worst when Cook clutched at his right knee after being stripped of the ball by Cameron Munster, then Cody Walker yelled out in pain as his left ankle was trapped in a tackle by Jahrome Hughes.

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Thankfully both players were back on their feet and finished the game. Bennett quipped: “They didn’t play hard enough to get injured.”

Walker had a crack at the back and his athleticism denied a couple of Melbourne 40-20s that would have gifted the Storm more attacking opportunities.

Mitchell will serve the fourth and final game of his dangerous-contact suspension next week when Souths face Cronulla in the Magic Round. Reynolds is more than likely to skip the Sharks game, while Cameron Murray is out for more than a month with an ankle injury.

Munster kicked five from 10 and cursed his teammates every time they scored further than five metres wide of the post. When he did land one from the sideline right on half-time, the Storm players mobbed him like they had won the grand final.

Munster will be more than happy to hand back the goalkicking duties to fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen, who is expected to return next weekend against St George Illawara.

The Storm refused to concede a try. It was special. Almost as special as their six-try hero.

MELBOURNE STORM 50 (Addo-Carr 6, Hughes, B Smith, Jennings 2 tries; Munster 5 goals) bt SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS 0 at Stadium Australia. Referee: Grant Atkins Crowd: 7501

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