LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
The NRL legend couldn't believe what he was watching between the Storm and the Panthers.
Billy Slater has claimed he has never seen so many tired players on an NRL field in the Storm's gritty 8-0 win over the Panthers with Ryan Papenhuyzen making a stunning return.
Craig Bellamy extended his streak of opening NRL round wins to 22 years after the Storm outmuscled the reigning champions in a brutal clash at AAMI Park on Friday night.
Nathan Cleary failed to help his team score for the first time in his career as the Panthers were held to zero for the first time since round 22 in 2022.
The Panthers have now gone 120 minutes of rugby league without scoring after being held to zero in the second half against Wigan in the World Club Challenge.
The Panthers were involved in another gruelling match against Wigan only two weeks ago.
And against a fresh Storm team in their first hit out, NRL legend Slater felt the opening game of the season left both teams out on their feet.
"I have never seen 34 more tired players in my whole life," Slater said during commentary for Channel Nine.
"Liam Martin just running down the field looked like...
Looked like he had glass in his shoes.
This is incredible, this performance from both teams." And it was Slater's friend who managed to bring that awe-inspiring grit to the team that embodied Melbourne's performance.