The Panthers were held scoreless for the first time in seven years as a relentless defensive performance helped the Storm to a 16-0 win and kept the minor premiership race alive. Penrith had 55 per cent of possession and more than 50 tackles within 20 metres of Melbourne's try line but failed to score a point for the first time in a match since the Storm shut them out 20-0 in 2015. It was Melbourne's third consecutive win, while the Panthers have now lost two of their last three games to give North Queensland hope of snatching the JJ Giltinan Shield when the top two sides meet in the final round at QCB Stadium. The premiers went into the match without suspended stars Nathan Cleary and James Fisher-Harris and the injured trio of Jarome Luai, Dylan Edwards and Taylan May, and lost Liam Martin with an ankle injury. However, the Storm have also been hit hard by injures and were without star halfback Jahrome Hughes (shoulder) and strike second-rower Felise Kaufusi following the death of his father. The decision to move Cameron Munster from five-eighth to fullback proved a masterstroke as the superstar playmaker carried the ball 194 metres from 17 runs, which included a line break, a line break assist and eight tackle breaks. However, it was in defence that the Storm were most impressive and hooker Harry Grant finished with 62 tackles followed by second-rowers Tui Kamikamica (53) and Kenny Bromwich (43), lock Brandon Smith (39), interchange forward Josh King (38) and prop Jesse Bromwich (36). The win puts Melbourne into fourth place and they will remain in the top four if South Sydney beat Parramatta on Friday night. Source: Melbourn Storms Website