Home fortress a thing of the past for Storm
Wed 16 Jul 2014, 06:40 AM
The fortress that was once AAMI Park has proven to be nothing of the sort in 2014.
Heading into the season the Storm had lost just 10 games in total at the venue since making it their home in 2010.
However Melbourne has already suffered four defeats at AAMI Park this season.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy he has been disappointed with his team's form both at home and on the road this year.
"It doesn't really matter where we play it has been our performance that has been the frustrating thing, the up and down," said Bellamy.
"That is the thing that frustrates you more than where it is at."
The Bulldogs were the latest team to break their Melbourne hoodoo last Saturday night, claiming their first premiership points on Melbourne soil since Round 10, 2005.
However the Storm's opponents this week have no such Melbourne hoodoo to break.
Canberra has won their last three games at AAMI Park.
The Raiders also took the chocolates in Round 7 earlier this year with a come-from-behind 24-22 win at GIO Stadium to make it three wins from their past four games against Melbourne.
"We have not got such a great record against them here at home," said Bellamy.
"It doesn't matter where we have both been on the table the last four or five years, they have got the better of us here so it is going to be a tough game for us.
"They had a good win last weekend. They've been pretty close the last few weeks without winning but they got a good win up on the Gold Coast."
Back-to-back defeats at the hands of the Dragons and Bulldogs have the Storm clinging to eighth spot on the ladder with eight wins and eight losses.
The 50-50 nature of their win-loss tally is a fact the Storm coach admits is a reflection of his side's inconsistency.
"That is probably a good way of putting it," said Bellamy.
"I think a couple of times we have been ahead of the ledger, a couple of times we have been behind the ledger so I think that sums it up pretty good actually."
The Storm will host the Raiders at 5.30pm on Saturday afternoon at AAMI Park.