MELBOURNE STORM 14 NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS 38
TOM SMITH, AAMI Park, Saturday
CRAIG BELLAMY delivered a half-time spray for the ages as the Storm fell to the Warriors at home.
Melbourne led midway through the first half before the New Zealand club piled on four unanswered tries, including two to winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and one to red-hot prop Jackson Ford.
The result snaps the Storm’s extraordinary 17-game winning streak over the Warriors, and makes it four losses on the bounce for Bellamy’s men.
The New Zealanders missed Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (neck), Adam Pompey (suspension) and Luke Metcalf (hamstring) but it didn’t stop them from powering to a much-needed win after consecutive defeats.
A Nick Meaney penalty opened the scoring before Pompey’s replacement Ali Leiataua and Marata Niukore crashed over for the visitors.
Cooper Clarke’s first NRL try got the Storm back in it, then Jack Howarth finished a razzle-dazzle team move to retake the lead for the hosts.
But Watene-Zelezniak’s first four-pointer and a Tanah Boyd penalty on half-time gave the Warriors the edge at the break.
Despite Bellamy’s half-time bake, the Storm lost the game by conceding three tries in the eleven minutes following the restart.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Ford and Watene-Zelezniak all struck in that period, before Boyd’s second penalty (and seventh goal in all) completed the Aucklanders’ first win over Melbourne since way back in 2015.
STORM: 1 Sualauvi Faalogo, 2 Will Warbrick, 3 Jack Howarth, 4 Nick Meaney, 5 Moses Leo, 6 Cameron Munster, 7 Jahrome Hughes, 8 Stefano Utoikamanu, 9 Harry Grant, 10 Josh King, 11 Joe Chan, 12 Cooper Clarke, 13 Trent Loiero. Subs: 14 Tyran Wishart, 15 Alec MacDonald, 16 Jack Hetherington (not used), 17 Davvy Moale, 18 Lazarus Vaalepu (not used), 19 Manaia Waitere
Tries: Clarke (17), Howarth (24); Goals: Meaney 3/3
WARRIORS: 1 Taine Tuaupiki, 2 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, 5 Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, 23 Ali Leiataua, 20 Alofiana Khan-Pereira, 6 Chanel Harris-Tavita, 7 Tanah Boyd, 8 James Fisher-Harris, 9 Wayde Egan, 10 Jackson Ford, 11 Leka Halasima, 15 Marata Niukore, 13 Erin Clark. Subs: 12 Jacob Laban, 14 Sam Healey, 16 Demitric Vaimauga, 17 Tanner Stowers-Smith, 18 Eddie Ieremia-Toeava (not used), 22 Luke Hanson (not used)
Tries: Leiataua (10), Niukore (15), Watene-Zelezniak (31, 52), Tuivasa-Sheck (44), Ford (48); Goals: Boyd 7/8
SCORING SEQUENCE: 2-0, 2-6, 2-12, 8-12, 14-12, 14-16, 14-18; 14-24, 14-30, 14-36, 14-38
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match: Storm: Stefano Utoikamanu; Warriors: Jackson Ford
Penalty count: 8-7; Half-time: 14-18; Referee: Grant Atkins; Attendance: 26,467