NRL Analysis: How Melbourne defend in systems

The Melbourne Storm's elite defensive systems were on full display in an NRL Round 20 shut-out of the Sydney Roosters.

Easts are currently playing with the best attack in the NRL but struggled to generate many positive looks against a Storm defence that worked hard from the inside and stayed high on the edges.

The efforts of Melbourne's markers herded Sydney's ball carriers into edge defenders that worked aggressively off their line to cut down the time and space of the attack.

On other occassions, those same aggressive edge defenders played very passively and used the sideline as an extra defender, retreating backwards and buying themselves time to recover.

In good-ball, Melbourne's edges stayed high to buy space in behind the line for some of the better cover defenders in the NRL. It occasionally leaves Melbourne vulnerable to the harbour bridge cut-out pass but at worst, the Storm will force you to take the most difficult route to the try line.

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