The Melbourne Storm are the first team through to the 2024 NRL Grand Final after overcoming a nervous start to hammer the Sydney Roosters at AAMI Park on Friday evening.
Coming into the preliminary final after just a six-day break following their semi-final win over the Manly Sea Eagles last weekend, the tri-colours, who have for a long time struggled against the Storm, had their job made far more difficult after prop Lindsay Collins was knocked out on the first run of the game.
The Queensland Maroons State of Origin prop was taken from the park immediately and ruled to have suffered Category 1 concussion symptoms, while New Zealand prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona spent ten minutes in the sin bin for the shot. He will now nervously await the match review committee's verdict tomorrow morning.
That allowed the Roosters to get onto the front foot, with Daniel Tupou crossing for the opening try in the eighth minute of the game, which combined with a penalty goal for an earlier tackle off the ball from Harry Grant, had the visitors up 8-0 inside the first ten minutes.
Ryan Papenhuyzen would hit back with a try almost immediately after Asofa-Solomona came back onto the park, before an arm-wrestle - which favoured Melbourne - broke out between the two sides.
That weight of possession led to the Storm being able to run on a number of tries in the quarter of an hour before the halftime siren, with Jahrome Hughes scoring the first and second of what ended up being a hat-trick, and Jack Howarth also crossing.
Hughes scored both of his tries through a struggling Luke Keary, who simply didn't have the leg speed to contend with the opposition number seven on either instance, Melbourne going to halftime 22 points to 6 up.
The Roosters, who didn't complete well enough in the first half, conceded a penalty goal after halftime, but then scored a quick pair of tries through Terrell May and Nat Butcher.
Despite coming back into the game with half an hour to go, that was where the fun ended for the Roosters, with Jahrome Hughes completing his hat-trick, before Ryan Papenhuyzen and Cameron Munster (twice) also scored in the closing 15 minutes of the game to ensure a 30-point win.
Melbourne will now await either the Penrith Panthers or Cronulla Sharks - who play in their preliminary final tomorrow evening - in next Sunday's grand final.
