One of rugby league’s most dominant dynasties over the past 20 years is facing its biggest crisis in more than a decade, as the Melbourne Storm’s five-match losing skid has left their long-running finals appearance streak on the brink of extinction following a 26-22 comeback defeat to the Canberra Raiders at GIO Stadium.
The Storm’s current slump marks the first time the club has dropped five consecutive contests since 2012, the same year they capped off the downturn with a premiership title. But even with Craig Bellamy at the coaching helm, few analysts are predicting a repeat of that unlikely turnaround this time around, after a string of key injuries and off-season departures have finally gutted the roster of the depth and star power that once made the purple-clad side the most feared outfit in the NRL.
Melbourne got off to a promising start to the 2026 season, opening with two dominant wins to reinforce expectations of another deep finals run. But the rot has set in quickly in recent weeks: opposition sides no longer approach matches against the Storm with the same title-tested trepidation they once did, and the club’s vaunted superstar spine can no longer produce game-changing plays, starved for space by a depleted forward pack and lacking dynamic wide threats that can turn broken plays into points.
Saturday’s clash actually marked an improvement from Melbourne’s prior outing, a humiliating home loss to the New Zealand Warriors. Fullback Sua Fa’alogo turned in a particularly sharp performance for the Storm, though his night ended early when he was forced from the pitch after a high tackle. Even with the improved effort, however, the Storm’s thin roster cannot compete with the league’s top contenders, leaving Bellamy needing to pull off an all-time coaching miracle to keep the club’s finals streak alive.
For Canberra, the narrow win marked back-to-back victories, with centre Simi Sasagi turning in the performance of a lifetime to carry the Raiders across the line. A versatile utility who has filled multiple roles for the club over his career, Sasagi has found a permanent home on the right edge this season, and he delivered his best form of the year when it mattered most.
The match got off to a chaotic start: the Raiders thought they had opened the scoring through Hudson Young just minutes in, only for a Bunker review to disallow the try, a call that sparked widespread outcry across social media. A minute later, Ethan Strange executed a sharp build-up play that put Sasagi over for the game’s opening try, before lock Corey Horsburgh extended Canberra’s lead to 12-0 inside the first 10 minutes.
But Canberra’s fast start was nearly derailed by a moment of disciplinary madness from Horsburgh. After opening the scoring, the fiery lock lashed out at referee Peter Gough over what he deemed slow ruck speed from the Storm, earning a penalty for dissent while the Raiders held possession. Melbourne capitalized immediately, crossing for a try through Fa’alogo. The incident was far from the first time Horsburgh’s temper has cost his side, after a sin-binning against Cronulla earlier this season opened the door for two Sharks tries; coach Ricky Stuart pulled the lock aside for a quiet word at halftime to address the outburst, though the mistake ultimately did not cost Canberra the win.
Sasagi stepped up to flip the momentum of the match when the Storm looked poised to pull away. With Canberra trailing and on the ropes, the centre pulled off a game-saving intercept to stop the Storm from opening up a 10-point lead, before throwing a pinpoint offload to send Strange over for a try that leveled the score. He notched a second critical intercept on another Storm attacking drive, finished the night with a team-high 182 running metres, and only missed out on a second assist when a forward pass call negated the play.
Canberra held on to lock in the win, but the side will now face an anxious wait over the fitness of veteran forward Josh Papalii, who was forced from the match with a left calf injury.