LeagueNews.co | Nick Loken
In a thrilling match at BlueBet Stadium on Friday night, the dynamic duo of Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary led the Panthers to a resounding 26-6 victory over the Storm, as reported by melbournestorm.com.au.
With this win, the defending champions are inching closer to another minor premiership, firmly holding their place at the top of the competition ladder for yet another week, leaving the Broncos trailing behind.
Unfortunately for Melbourne, injuries to Jahrome Hughes and Xavier Coates earlier in the week proved to be detrimental to their cause.
Additionally, a high number of errors (11) and missed tackles (41) dashed any hopes of causing an upset in Sydney's western suburb.
Despite Melbourne's early lead with a try by centre Young Tonumaipea, who showcased his speed and agility by taking the ball from one end to the other, the Panthers quickly turned the tide.
Tonumaipea did manage to make an impressive try-saving tackle on Brian To'o in the 20th minute, but To'o proved unstoppable just minutes later, capitalizing on a clever right-side attack to score in the corner.
Although Cleary missed the conversion, both teams had earlier scored penalty goals, resulting in a tied score of 6-6.