New Zealand Warriors were blown away by a first-half masterclass from Melbourne Storm on Wednesday as the reigning NRL champions romped to a 50-10 win at AAMI Park.
The Warriors had won all but one of their first seven games this season, but were totally outclassed in the opening 40 minutes - conceding six tries before the break including four in a remarkable nine-minute period.
Ryley Jacks and Josh Addo-Carr crossed for eye-catching touchdowns either side of the mid-half blitz that saw the Storm run riot with tries from Ryan Hoffman, Christian Welch, Billy Slater and Young Tonumaipea.
Addo-Carr's solo score was particularly special, the wing surging out of dummy half from deep in Melbourne territory and evading three attempted tackles before outstripping two further defenders in a rapid dash to the Warriors line.
Two fine finishes in the right corner from David Fusitu'a - the NRL's leading try-scorer in 2018 - at least got the Warriors on the board after they had trailed 38-0 at the break.
Addo-Carr and Jacks each crossed again for the Storm, though, and Cameron Smith finished with nine goals from as many attempts. To make matters worse for the Warriors, they also lost Issac Luke to an apparent knee injury.
Earlier in the day, Ben Hunt and Gareth Widdop outshone Cooper Cronk as league leaders St George Illawarra Dragons made it seven wins out of eight with a 24-8 victory over Sydney Roosters.
The Dragons delivered a superb performance, highlighted by a marvellous solo try for Hunt in the first half. However, their win was not without controversy, with Nene Macdonald awarded a match-clinching score in the 68th minute despite appearing to drop the ball over the line.
