Melbourne ended a four-match losing streak to keep their top four hopes alive after defeating an enthusiastic Warriors team 24-12 at Mt Smart Stadium.
The Storm led from the seventh minute when PNG centre Justin Olam scored the opening try of the match but they were never comfortable until the fulltime siren as the Warriors refused to give up before a capacity home crowd.
Warriors winger Ed Kosi scored a hat-trick of tries but it wasn't enough to lift the New Zealand-based side to their second win in as many matches since ending their three year exodus.
Melbourne forwards Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Josh King were placed on report by referee Peter Gough for unsavoury incidents in the opening exchanges, with King accused of gouging by Warriors lock Jazz Tevaga.
“I can’t see a gouging action, the hand is there on the face. It is on report," Gough said.
Storm fullback Nick Meaney failed to finish the match after suffering a shoulder injury midway through the second half and with Ryan Papenhuyzen out for the season coach Craig Bellamy will be sweating on the results of scans.
Warriors five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita failed to finish the match after injuring his knee in the first half, forcing a reshuffle with hooker Wayde Egan playing 52 minutes in the playmaking role.
The win lifts Melbourne back into the top four for now but Brisbane and Cronulla have the chance to leapfrog them in matches this weekend.
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Source: NRL.com