The Melbourne Storm continued their dominance over the New Zealand Warriors, overcoming an early deficit to secure a commanding 38-24 victory in Auckland on Saturday night.
The victory marked the Melbourne outfit’s 16th consecutive win against the Kiwi side, reinforcing their position as ladder-leaders.
The match began with Melbourne on the back foot, struggling through an opening quarter with just eight percent possession and 68 completed tackles compared to the Warriors’ eight.
Adam Pompey scored early for the Warriors, followed by a penalty goal, and a slick no-look flick pass from Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad set up Marcelo Montoya for a corner try. However, once the Storm had an opportunity to counterattack, they capitalised swiftly. Eliesa Katoa snatched the ball from Pompey to score, and Grant Anderson’s athletic finish in the corner bolstered their lead. Katoa continued to shine, creating a try for Nick Meaney after bursting through a gap.
The Warriors’ momentum was stifled by Melbourne’s defense, highlighted by a crucial goal-line stand from Trent Loiero and Sua Faalogo against Marata Niukore. Although Mitchell Barnett managed to score shortly after, the Warriors’ celebration was short-lived. Montoya’s sin-binning for a professional foul coincided with Faalogo’s try, and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak was later sent off for a dangerous tackle.
By the time Xavier Coates added Melbourne’s sixth try with 17 minutes remaining, the energy had drained from the packed Go Media Stadium. Montoya’s late double provided some consolation, but Faalogo’s second try sealed the comprehensive victory for the Storm, capping off the night with a minute to spare. The Warriors, who suffered their first defeat in a month, will look to regroup as the Storm revel in yet another triumph over their long-time rivals.
Storm were probably happy the warriors fielded Johnson. He needs to change his game, he is predictable and boring compared to Martin who had been filling in for him.