SO SAD: Warriors key player Adam Pompey is suspended from all sport activities for playing a against…….
The Storm continued their dominance over the Warriors with a commanding 38-24 victory in Auckland on Saturday night, despite an early setback.
The ladder-leaders secured their 16th consecutive win against the Kiwi side, thanks to a resilient defensive effort during the first quarter, where little went their way. With just eight percent possession and 68 completed tackles to their opponents’ eight by the 13th minute, Melbourne found themselves only down 8-0. By halftime, they had rallied to lead 20-4.
Adam Pompey’s close-range try and a penalty goal for the Warriors were countered by Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad’s no-look flick pass to an unmarked Marcelo Montoya in the corner. When the Storm finally broke free from their own line, they capitalized quickly, with Eliesa Katoa snatching the ball from Pompey and scoring, followed by Grant Anderson’s athletic finish in the corner.
Katoa continued to influence the game, creating a gap for Nick Meaney to score. A remarkable goal-line defense by Trent Loiero and Sua Faalogo stopped Marata Niukore, but Mitchell Barnett couldn’t be denied minutes later.
However, this was the last bright moment for the Warriors for some time. Montoya’s sin-binning for a professional foul allowed Faalogo to extend the lead, followed by Dallin Watene-Zelezniak’s sin-binning for a dangerous tackle. By the time Xavier Coates scored Melbourne’s sixth try with 17 minutes remaining, the crowd of 24,495 at Go Media Stadium had lost its energy.
Montoya managed a second try with five minutes left, but it was insufficient to prevent the Warriors’ first defeat in a month, sealed by Faalogo’s late try to conclude the match.
