BRONCOS WENT DOWN 24-16 AGAINST STORM AT AAMI PARK

The Melbourne Storm have rebounded in style from a misfiring Magic Round performance to down the Broncos 24-16 at AAMI Park on Thursday night. Coming off a disappointing loss to Souths, the Storm's big guns took it upon themselves to restore pride, with Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes scoring tries and laying them on as Melbourne beat Brisbane for the 13th time in a row. The Broncos lost their skipper Adam Reynolds to a head knock in the first half and hung tough for most of the night but ill-discipline proved costly as they had three players sent to the sin bin. The Storm struck the first blow after 12 minutes when Harry Grant and Munster combined for the game's opening try, the gun No.9 putting his five-eighth into a gaping hole from close range. Four minutes later the home side went close again when Munster put Justin Olam away on the left edge only for Broncos fullback Reece Walsh to come up with a trysaver to deny the PNG flyer. The Broncos hit back in the 17th minute when a penalty try was awarded after Grant pushed Herbie Farnworth in the back as he led the race to the ball as it rolled into the in-goal. In his desperation to get to the rolling ball, Reynolds landed heavily on his head as he dived for the ball and was taken from the field on a medicab.

With Reynolds out of the match it was Walsh who stepped up in the 25th minute when he produced a superb long pass to put Jesse Arthars over in the corner and the Broncos led 10-6. The Broncos lost Farnworth to the sin bin in the 38th minute for a professional foul and the Storm made them pay immediately when Reimis Smith delivered the final pass for Will Warbrick to score. Four minutes into the second half the Storm looked to have hit the lead when Munster's bomb was put down by Walsh and the ball was spun wide for Warbrick to cross wide out but the bunker ruled Xavier Coates had been in front of the kicker and went inside the 10 metres. The Storm got across the line again in the 51st minute when Eliesa Katoa was cruising into the in-goal but Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam was able to knock the ball loose with a last-ditch tackle to save the day for the visitors. The Broncos went down a man again in the 56th minute when Patrick Carrigan was sin binned for a hip drop tackle and the penalty goal to Nick Meaney gave Melbourne a 12-10 lead.

Again the Broncos were made to pay for being down a man when a cross field kick by Hughes was tapped back by Coates to Olam who touched down for his third try of the season. Meaney dragged the conversion attempt to the left to leave the margin at six points. Meaney made amends soon after when he slotted a penalty goal after Billy Walters was pinged for a late tackle on Munster and the Storm led 18-10.

With five minutes to play the Storm put the game to bed when Warbrick grabbed his second courtesy of another pinpoint kick to the corner from Hughes. A consolation try to Cory Paix in the 78th minute was followed by the sin binning of Thomas Flegler and Aaron Pene, taking Brisbane's sin bin count for the night to three as they were left to rue an opportunity lost against a side they haven't beaten at AAMI Park in seven years. Source: NRL.Com