MELBOURNE STORM 42 MANLY SEA EAGLES 20
CALLUM WALKER, HBF Park, Saturday

MELBOURNE registered 42 unanswered points against a shellshocked Manly to keep their NRL finals hopes alive.

The Sea Eagles had led 14-0 with half an hour gone, but the Storm rallied in desperately wet conditions to inflict a heavy defeat on their visitors.

Brandon Wakeham crossed for Manly after just four minutes before Tolutau Koula doubled their lead midway through the opening half, with Jamal Fogarty converting both.

Fogarty then added a penalty to make it 14-0. But, back came the Storm with a vengeance.

Tyran Wishart and Hayden Watson both dotted down just before the break to reduce the deficit to just two points, and it was all the Storm in the second-half as the words of Craig Bellamy rang in his players’ ears.

Both Oryn Keeley and Sualauvi Faalogo notched four-pointers within two minutes of each other after Nick Meaney had pushed Melbourne into a 16-14 lead.

And the comeback was more than complete when Moses Leo and Suilagi Tuimalatu-Brown – who had been sin-binned after just 15 minutes for a late tackle – grabbed tries as time ran down.

Blake Wilson did manage to register a consolation score with two minutes to go, but it did little to halt the charge of a resurgent Storm.

STORM: 1 Sualauvi Faalogo, 2 Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown, 4 Nick Meaney, 18 Joe Chan, 5 Moses Leo, 6 Cameron Munster, 7 Hayden Watson, 8 Stefanon Utoikamanu, 9 Tyran Wishart, 10 Josh King, 12 Oryn Keeley, 15 Shawn Blore, 13 Trent Loiero. Subs: 11 Cooper Clarke, 14 Trent Toelau, 16 Davvy Moale, 17 Angus Hinchey, 19 Jack Hetherington (not used), 22 Manaia Waitere (not used)

Tries: Wishart (35), Watson (39), Keeley (57), Faalogo (59), Leo (68), Tuimalatu-Brown (73); Goals: Meaney 9/9; Sin bin: Tuimalatu-Brown (15) – late tackle

SEA EAGLES: 1 Lehi Hopoate, 2 Jason Saab, 3 Tolutau Koula, 4 Reuben Garrick, 5 Blake Wilson, 6 Joey Walsh, 7 Jamal Fogarty, 8 Taniela Paseka, 9 Brandon Wakeham, 16 Simione Laiafi, 11 Haumole Olakau’atu, 12 Corey Waddell, 13 Jake Trbojevic. Subs: 14 Jake Simpkin, 15 Nathan Brown, 16 Simione Laiafi, 17 Fletcher Baker, 18 Jackson Shereb (not used), 19 Josh Feledy (not used)

Tries: Wakeham (4), Koula (22), Wilson (78); Goals: Fogarty 4/4

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-12, 0-14, 6-14, 12-14; 14-14, 16-14, 22-14, 28-14, 30-14, 36-14, 42-14, 42-20

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Storm: Oryn Keeley; Sea Eagles: Haumole Olakau’atu

Penalty count: 6-7; Half-time: 12-14; Referee: Kieran Irons; Attendance: 15,169