The Melbourne Storm have blitzed the Sydney Roosters 28-8, scoring five unanswered tries to secure a third straight win of the 2023 season.
Melbourne welcomed back star halfback Jahrome Hughes to arguably the strongest side they’ve fielded this year against a Roosters side missing skipper James Tedesco.
The Roosters started off the game impressively and looked fluid in attack without their star man at the back of the field.
After an even start to the game, it was the visitor who opened the scoring as Jaxson Paulo finished off a brilliant long-range pass from Sam Walker in the 12th minute.
This would be the only success the Roosters would find in front of the try line as the lethal Storm front line began to make its mark on the game.
Xavier Coates’ athletic try put the scores level but a sin bin to Victor Radley opened up the game for the hosts, allowing Cameron Munster to take control of the game.
The dazzling five-eighth played a crucial role in Nick Meaney’s try before crossing the line himself to give the Storm a 10-point lead heading into the break.
Melbourne continued to control the flow of the game throughout the second half and put on a defensive master class to keep the Roosters firmly out of contention for a special comeback.
Harry Grant, Hughes and Munster put on a clinic in the second half, setting the tone with some fast-paced combinations in the middle to give the Storm the platform for even more points.
Coates was the beneficiary of this, crossing over for two more tries within the first eight minutes of the half to complete his hat-trick.
Finishing off with a try, two try-assists, eight tackle breaks and 193 run metres, Munster proved his worth to the Storm and reminded the NRL why he is amongst the best in the competition.
The Storm now move on to a grudge match battle with old rivals the Manly Sea Eagles next Friday night.