Storm hit 60 in record defeat of Broncos

Melbourne ran in 10 tries to record their biggest ever victory over the Broncos on Friday night, with the 60-12 demolition leaving the Storm on the cusp of securing a spot in the Telstra Premiership top four.

The result marks 12-straight wins for the Storm over the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, a record stretching back to 2009, and puts Craig Bellamy's side four points clear of their nearest top-four challenger for the time being.

It was just the second time in club history that Brisbane have given up 60 points in a match, and all but ends their hopes of finishing in the top four, with Kevin Walters' side still not even assured of qualifying for the finals with two rounds remaining. 

The only bad news for Melbourne was interchange utility Tyran Wishart (ankle), wing Xavier Coates (failed HIA) and forward Tui Kamikamica (back) not being able to finish the game. 

In a fast-paced, at times frantic, opening 40 minutes, Melbourne laid the platform for victory with tries to Young Tonumaipea, Kamikamica, David Nofoaluma and Cameron Munster, all of which were converted by Nick Meaney, for a 24-6 lead at the break. 

The only real blemish on their opening stanza came on 11 minutes when they almost literally handed Brisbane the ball to tie scores at 6-6, with three haphazard passes eventually resulting in Kurt Capewell picking up a loose ball and running it in. 

Brisbane failed to defuse a kick while camped on their line early in the second half, and Harry Grant made them pay on the next set with a sneaky effort from dummy-half. 

Powerhouse centre Justin Olam then capped off a fine game, which included 132 metres, with a double, before Kiwi internationals Jahrome Hughes and Nelson Asofa-Solomona took Melbourne past the 50 mark. 

Nofoaluma scored his second and Meaney kicked his ninth goal from 10 attempts to make it a record victory over Brisbane, with Corey Oates' consolation effort 15 minutes from time doing little to dull the mood for the men in purple. 

Match Snapshot

• Harry Grant set up two tries, scored one and made 32 tackles in an impressive showing. 
• Melbourne broke 66 tackles in the win and had 650 post-contact metres.
• The Storm had three injury concerns come from the win, with Xavier Coates failing a HIA, Tyran Wishart (ankle) and Tui Kamikamica (back) failing to finish the match.
• Kurt Capewell rolled his ankle in the loss and is in doubt for round 24. 
• Broncos forward Rhys Kennedy was placed on report in the second half. 
• In the first half Brisbane had only 38 percent possession and completed 64 percent of their sets. 
• The Storm have now won their last 12 games against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium
• Josh King played his 100th NRL game, while Harry Grant played his 50th

Play of the Game

After piling on 24 points through the first half, this was the try which saw the Storm break the spirit of the Broncos early in the second half. The try capped off a brilliant showing from Grant, who gave Brisbane nightmares around the ruck all night. 

What They Said

"It was a good lesson on how to play rugby league for our boys. First half not a lot of things went our way, but we just didn't have that resilience in the second half to get ourselves back in the game. It was a terrific performance from the Storm, not so good for us." - Broncos coach Kevin Walters.  

"We just kept working hard [to get out of the recent losing streak] and probably narrowed down a few things that we needed to do... we have still got a bit of work to do, without a doubt, there's twists and turns that can happen from week to week." - Storm coach Craig Bellamy.

What's Next

Both sides will face top-eight opponents again next week, with Brisbane playing host to the Eels on Thursday night and the Storm back at home to take on the Roosters on Friday. 

Brenko Lee is a chance of returning from a hamstring injury for the Broncos, while veteran Storm forward Tepai Maeroa is nearing a return from a shoulder issue.