Yesterday's result could have gone either way. The Warriors played well, particularly in the first half as they built an 18-4 lead. But they came under tremendous pressure from the Storm in the second spell and it was only a combination of poor Storm option-taking and tenacious Warriors defence that got them home.
There were so many big moments in the match and many of them involved the big players - Billy Slater dropping a high ball under no pressure with the clock ticking down, Cameron Smith hitting the upright with a relatively easy penalty attempt which would have levelled the scores 18-18, Shaun Johnson being cut down by Will Chambers 2m short of the tryline after a now-trademark breakaway which would have given the Warriors a healthy 22-4 lead and Melbourne bombing at least four tries.
The Warriors were always in the lead but it was only when fullback Kevin Locke soared to collect a Johnson chip with two minutes remaining to the delight of the 20,126-strong crowd that they felt comfortable.
"I think it's a game we could have [won] but I'm not sure we should have," Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy said. "The Warriors played really well. Their first half was outstanding. We had plenty of chances to win but we couldn't quite hit the front. I think if we had hit the front we might have been able to hang on."
They nearly did through some slick set plays and by relentlessly attacking the Warriors' right edge, which has been a weakness all season. It's something that needs to improve - Dominique Peyroux stiffened things when he came on midway through the second half - and there's only so much Simon Mannering can do to cover Shaun Johnson and Konrad Hurrell. APNZ