MELBOURNE STORM 64 WESTS TIGERS 0
TOM SMITH, AAMI Park, Sunday
RYAN PAPENHUYZEN racked up 36 points in Melbourne’s humiliation of the Wests Tigers.
The brilliant fullback notched a hat-trick inside 17 minutes then added the first of the second half, while seven other team-mates queued up for tries of their own.
Adding ten goals to his tally, Papenuyzen broke the record for most points in a game set by Matt Geyer (34 versus Western Suburbs in 1999).
The Storm equalled their biggest ever win — coincidentally 64-0 against the Tigers in 2001, as well as 68-4 over the Raiders in 2013 — and condemned Wests to their third-worst defeat.
Papenhuyzen set the tone in the fourth minute, kicking twice to himself to fool the visitors’ defence.
Xavier Coates gifted him number two and sizzling pace secured number three, before a Cameron Munster bomb set up a rare Josh King try.
Jahrome Hughes penetrated the Tigers’ under-siege goal-line defence then Nick Meaney snatched a loose Wests pass to sprint 60 metres and make it 34-0 at the break.
And the Storm found five more tries after the restart, beginning with Papenhuyzen’s fourth.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona steamed over from close range and celebrated with a boogie, then Munster put Eliesa Katoa away.
Storm stand-off Munster capped a superb display with a try before Bronson Garlick completed the rout.
STORM: 1 Ryan Papenhuyzen, 2 Sualauvi Faalogo, 3 Grant Anderson, 4 Nick Meaney, 5 Xavier Coates, 6 Cameron Munster, 7 Jahrome Hughes, 8 Stefano Utoikamanu, 9 Bronson Garlick, 10 Josh King, 11 Shawn Blore, 12 Eliesa Katoa, 13 Trent Loiero. Subs (all used): 14 Tyran Wishart, 15 Alec MacDonald, 16 Joe Chan, 17 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
Tries: Papenhuyzen (4, 9, 17, 46), King (24), Hughes (27), Meaney (34), Asofa-Solomona (51), Katoa (59), Munster (66), Garlick (75); Goals: Papenhuyzen 10/11
TIGERS: 1 Jahream Bula, 2 Sunia Turuva, 3 Adam Doueihi, 4 Brent Naden, 5 Charlie Staines, 6 Lachlan Galvin, 7 Jarome Luai, 8 Terrell May, 9 Api Koroisau, 10 Fonua Pole, 11 Samuela Fainu, 12 Alex Seyfarth, 13 Alex Twal. Subs (all used): 14 Tallyn Da Silva, 15 Royce Hunt, 17 Sione Fainu, 18 Tony Sukkar
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 10-0, 16-0, 22-0, 28-0, 34-0; 40-0, 46-0, 52-0, 58-0, 64-0
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Storm: Ryan Papenhuyzen; Tigers: Terrell May
Penalty count: 3-3; Half-time: 34-0; Referee: Grant Atkins; Attendance: 17,376
