Melbourne Storm roars home to deny Brisbane Broncos 34-32
Melbourne celebrates the match-clinching try by Jahrome Hughes (helmet) against Brisbane on Thursday. Photo: Getty
Melbourne Storm has continued Brisbane’s misery in Melbourne, roaring home to clinch a 34-32 thriller in their Thursday night NRL battle at AAMI Park.
Melbourne trailed by four points with six minutes left on the clock, but a try from Tyran Wishart put his team ahead before Jahrome Hughes crossed for a 34-26 lead.
Brisbane’s towering Ben Te Kura, making his debut, then scored in the 77th minute to set up a grandstand finish but the home side was able to hang on.
The Broncos ended a 14-game losing streak with their semi-final thumping of Storm at Suncorp Stadium last year, but they are winless at AAMI Park since 2016.
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Playing out a pulsating, high-quality contest, it appeared that Brisbane would overcome the loss of star halfback Adam Reynolds to take its third win of the season.
Reynolds was in tears in the shed at half-time after he limped off the field but concerns that he suffered another knee injury eased with initial reports that he suffered a low-grade hamstring strain.
The Brisbane skipper failed to return but his team, which was ahead 18-16 at half-time, still threw everything at Melbourne with electric five-eighth Mam scoring a brilliant try in each half.
Both sides scored three tries in the first half with Eli Katoa crossing twice for Storm, charging over the top of Mam in one barnstorming run,
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Melbourne winger Xavier Coates scored after taking a hanger off a Hughes kick while Mam’s first effort was also part of the highlight reel when he touched down after collecting a perfectly weighted kick from flying winger Jesse Arthars.
The Broncos will be ruing a late missed opportunity when Arthars butchered a certain try in the 63rd minute when he dropped a Selwyn Cobbo pass with the line wide open.
They jumped on a penalty five minutes later with Kotoni Staggs booting Brisbane four points clear.
But the margin wasn’t enough to deny Melbourne.
Wishart barrelled across the line, with the bunker over-ruling referee Ashley Klein, and Hughes put up a bomb which Brisbane back Corey Oates bizarrely booted towards the try line for the Storm No.7 to pounce for his try.
-AAP
