The Melbourne Storm left the NRL world stunned with a breathtaking round one performance against the Eels and club legend Billy Slater was seen sharing a special moment with new fullback Sua Fa’alogo after full-time. There were doubts to whether the Storm could keep Craig Bellamy’s incredible undefeated round one record going with the coach making a number of big changes to the line-up after a string of departures at the end of 2025.
Despite the Eels causing a scare in the opening minutes, Harry Grant, Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes responded with a masterclass against a hapless Eels outfit as they ran 52-4. Grant was particularly impressive with the No.9 scoring two tries and controlling the ruck as the Eels struggled to deal with his speed.
Melbourne Storm legend Billy Slater (pictured right) was seen sharing a special moment with new fullback Sua Fa’alogo after full-time as they discussed his performance. (Images: Getty Images)
The win also marked Fa’alogo’s debut as the first-choice fullback since Ryan Papenhuyzen’s exit. There were a lot of eyes on the 22-year-old who has excited fans in his short stints wearing the No.1.
And after a quiet 40 minutes to start the game, the fullback exploded in the second-half with two tries. One included a lovely moment of magic where he reacted to a ball on the ground and chipped it forward.
Fa’alogo answered some of the doubts surrounding his game having got involved as much as possible. The promising superstar recently admitted he had bean leaning on advice from former Melbourne fullbacks Papenhuyzen and Slater ahead of round one.
And the 22-year-old showed his desire to succeed in the No.1 jersey after the broadcast showed him speaking to Slater after the game. There is arguably no one better to lean on than the former Storm fullback is considered by many as the best No.1 the game has ever seen.
Speaking about the moment, Fa’alogo told Channel Nine he was just asking Slater about what he could improve after the 80 minutes. “Just giving me feedback about my game. He has been helping me a lot leading into the game this week,” Fa’alago said on Friday night.
“Leading into the game this week. Especially when I moved over…he was the one I watched from the Storm,” he admitted when saying Slater was his idol as a junior. The Samoan-born fullback already made a statement to start the season, which is a scary warning for the rest of the competition.
Fa’alogo ended up with 194 running metres to go along with two tries, five linebreak assists and a try assist. Only last week, Fa’alogo said he was still asking Papenhuyzen and Slater questions ahead of the season.
Parramatta Eels concede 50 in first round
No team in NRL history has gone on to win the comp after conceding 50 points in a game. Unfortunately, the Eels will have to create history if they are going to change this after being obliterated in the first round.
In a brutal blow for Parramatta fans, it’s the second year in a row in which they’ve effectively been kicked out of the premiership race in the first round. Last year it was the Storm winning 56-18 in Round 1 against the Eels. It makes Melbourne the first team in NRL history to crack the 50 in the opening round in back-to-back seasons. And Parramatta are the first team to concede 50 in the same fixture in consecutive years.
Sua Fa’alogo (pictured right) was one of the stars for the Melbourne Storm in their 52-4.
(Daniel Pockett via Getty Images)