The Storm secured a 24-12 victory over the Wests Tigers at AAMI Park on Friday night thanks to the return of superstar playmaker Cameron Munster. The Melbourne team had suffered shocking losses to the Bulldogs and Titans while Munster was absent, but they got back on track with a disciplined first half that provided the foundation for their first home win since Round 21 of last year.
Melbourne took the lead in the sixth minute after the Tigers were penalized for offside, and Nick Meaney converted the resulting penalty goal. The Storm then extended their lead to 10-0 in the 19th minute when Will Warbrick crossed for his first NRL try after some slick work from Josh King and Jonah Pezet.
Pezet was again instrumental in setting up the Storm’s second try, scored by Meaney after Eliesa Katoa took a superb offload from the young halfback. The Tigers hit back on the half-hour mark through Asu Kepaoa, but the Storm responded just before halftime with two quick tries from Justin Olam and Munster, who was making his return from a finger injury.
After defending their line early in the second half, the Tigers finally got some field position in the 55th minute and scored through Api Koroisau, who touched down after a lack of urgency from Meaney to clean up the grubber kick. However, the Tigers were unable to mount a comeback and a late penalty against Isaiah Papali’i gave Meaney the chance to slot two more points and secure the victory for the Storm. The Tigers have now lost four consecutive games to start the season.
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