Storm v Warriors
Kickoff: 4pm Sunday, 13 April
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Live blog updates on RNZ Sport
Last time NZ Warriors beat Melbourne Storm, only two of their current roster were even playing NRL first grade.
On 12 July, 2015, when the home team prevailed 28-14 at Mt Smart Stadium, neither Roger Tuivasa-Sheck nor Dallin Watene-Zelezniak were yet with the Auckland-based club and, sadly, they won't take the field on Sunday, when their team confronts a 16-game losing streak against the perennial premiership contenders.
A decade ago, the starting wingers were with Sydney Roosters and Penrith Panthers respectively, during the early stages of their careers, but both are currently sidelined with hamstring and wrist injuries.
Now-Warriors co-captain Mitch Barnett was still a month away from his NRL debut for Canberra Raiders, while other veterans like Bunty Afoa, James Fisher-Harris, Kurt Capewell and Te Maire Martin would only arrive on the scene the following season.
As the Warriors try to find a way to overcome history, they face the reality that very few of their number have enjoyed sustained success against the Melbourne juggernauts over the past 10 years - and none in a Warriors jersey.
Xavier Coats breaks Warriors hearts with a miracle try in 2024. Photo: Photosport
Previously, they sought counsel from former captain Tohu Harris, who played 117 times and won a 2017 premiership with the Storm, before crossing the ditch.
Obviously, his oil was not good enough to get them over the line.
In fact, during his tenure at the Warriors, they conceded 50 points three times against his old outfit, including a record 70-10 Anzac defeat in 2022.
With Harris' shock pre-season retirement, they have had to look elsewhere for inspiration and what better place than a man who has played in the last five NRL grand finals with Penrith Panthers. Surely Fisher-Harris offers the tactical insight required to shrug the monkey off their backs.
"I don't have the key, brother," the front-rower insisted.
"I just do my job."
The Warriors aren't the only ones to suffer at the hands of the Storm.
Since 2015, Melbourne have won more games (195) than any other NRL club, also reaching five finals and winning two of them.
The only team even close to that level of achievement - but especially over the past five years - are Penrith, who have an 8-6 head-to-head advantage over Melbourne since 2020, including three playoff victories en route to their four consecutive titles.
"That chapter is closed and this is a new chapter," Fisher-Harris said.
"We're just working on ourselves and our own team.
"It's a new year, they're a new Melbourne Storm and we're a new Warriors team. They've obviously been at the top of the game for a long time and they're very hard to beat at their home, but this is another opportunity.
"We're just trying to be better as a team."
Okay, Erin Clark, you must have some good memories of playing against the Storm over almost 100 games with Gold Coast Titans?
"No mate," he deadpanned.
"Obviously, there's all this talk about the Warriors blah, blah, blah not beating them, but we're a new team and a new year, so we can do something great this weekend.
"They've always been the benchmark, when I watched them as a kid. They've always been the team to beat."
Warriors coach Andrew Webster. Photo: Jeremy Ng/Photosport
Coach Andrew Webster, who served as Panthers assistant for the first two years of their championship run, is certainly not a huge believer in historical trends. If you've lost your last 16 attempts, surely victory is due.
"I'd like to say it is," he said.
"We've got a lot of respect for them as a club and they've been at the top for a long time, but we back our own ability too.
"It would be a big mistake to be beaten before we got to the start-line. We have respect for every opponent we face and they're premiership favourites for a reason, but we back our own ability and, one day, we want to be sitting in their shoes."
The Warriors can take some encouragement from their last visit to Melbourne, when they trailed 18-6 at halftime, but led with barely a minute left on the clock, before Storm winger Xavier Coates scored a miracle try in the corner to extend the slump.
"So much water has gone under the bridge since that game, that's for sure," Webster said. "I could be wrong, but I think the last 3-4 starts, we've pretty much been in front for periods of the game, but haven't been quite ruthless enough to finish it off.
"We know parts of our game work against them and now we've just got to piece it all together."
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