Parramatta Eeles 0
It was billed as the master versus the apprentice and that's how it played out as Craig Bellamy's Storm thrashed Stephen Kearney's Eels 38-0 in their NRL clash in Melbourne.
Kearney was Bellamy's assistant at the Storm for five years before joining Parramatta this season and the AAMI Park match was his first against his old mentor.
"It was a good lesson from the master," Kearney said after the game.
It says a lot about Melbourne that Bellamy was more impressed by their ability to stop Parramatta from crossing their tryline than their own seven-try haul.
Eels winger Jordan Atkins came closest eight minutes from full-time but Billy Slater showed his defence was on a par with his attack and put his head in the way to keep the ball off the ground.
"The zero is the most pleasing aspect," Bellamy said.
"We made a point during the week about not being so great in the last 15 to 20 minutes so we were very determined."
The Storm scored four tries by half-time - two by former Souths centre Beau Champion - to take a game-breaking 22-0 lead, before adding a further three in the second half.
It was a day of celebration for the Melbourne faithful, with crowd favourite Slater committing to the club until 2015 and stating he hoped to be a Storm player for life.
The 11,805-strong crowd was able to show their appreciation when the Test custodian scored in the 65th minute after just about every Storm player touched the ball in a frenzied build-up.
Eels skipper Nathan Hindmarsh, who racked up 53 tackles, said the Storm simply "don't go away".
"They just build pressure and build pressure until you crack," Hindmarsh said.
"It's a very disappointing effort from us."
While Bellamy may have been giving a master class in the coaches box, his players were doing likewise on the field with their attack clinical and defence watertight.
Buoyed by their emphatic last round win over the Bulldogs, the Storm took command of the match early, with Cooper Cronk opening the scoring in only the fifth minute.
The halfback strolled over for the easiest of tries when the Eels line opened up after they were forced to defend repeat sets.
Melbourne scored again 10 minutes later as bullocking backrower Adam Blair took on Eels five-eighth Daniel Mortimer on his way to toucing down and they were on their way to a 18-0 halftime lead.
It wasn't that the visitors were that bad, but the relentless pressure proved impossible to repel.
Bellamy believed Kearney would prove a very successful coach, regardless of this result.
"One thing I do know is that he'd be doing a really good job," he said.
"It will take a while for them to get used to his ideas and accept them ... there's not a doubt in the world he's going to be a very successful first grade coach."
Melbourne 38 (B Champion 2 A Blair C Cronk M Duffie A Quinn B Slater tries C Smith 4 G Widdop goals) bt Parramatta 0 at AAMI Park. Referee: Tony Archer, Alan Shortall. Crowd: 11,805.
- AAP
