TWL Rd 6 Preview: Wahs eye drought-breaker against similarly stalling Storm

Which team can arrest their recent slide to take the points in Melbourne on Saturday night?

WARRIORS V MELBOURNE STORM – 9.35PM (NZT)/7.35PM (AEST) SATURDAY, APRIL 11 @ AAMI PARK, MELBOURNE

The Storylines

Two teams who were quick out of the blocks are striving to arrest alarming form slides.

The Warriors’ 3-0 start has unravelled somewhat after dismal defeats to Wests Tigers (32-14) and Cronulla (36-22), their poise and defensive cohesion falling away dramatically.

Melbourne put 92 points on Parramatta and St George Illawarra during the opening fortnight of 2026, but the perennial heavyweights have sunk to a rare three-match losing streak — going down to Brisbane (18-14), North Queensland (28-24) and, in the club’s worst defeat since the 2008 grand final, Penrith (50-10).

Line-up disruptions have impacted both teams, particularly the Storm with the unexpected unavailability of Ryan Papenhuyzen and Eliesa Katoa since the start of the off-season compounded by a heavy injury toll.

Meanwhile, the Warriors’ spine tinkering — on top of a few short- to medium-term injury setbacks — has seemingly upset their momentum.

The big narrative surrounding this clash, however, is the Storm’s 17-match winning streak against the Warriors, who last won at AAMI Park on Anzac Day 2014.