Five Melbourne tries in 18 minutes put an exclamation mark on what until then was a contest against St George Illawarra.
Now there is a question mark on what the Dragons do next.
For three-quarters of Saturday’s clash at Wollongong, the Red V looked a genuine chance of securing a club-first third straight victory against the Storm. But then Sualauvi Faalogo announced himself as a bona fide star, helping the Storm secure a 46-20 win in Wollongong.
The fullback scored a hat-trick within 12 minutes, leaving the Dragons’ efforts in Las Vegas, and those in the first hour of the match, a distant memory.
This one really hurt the hosts. The Dragons matched their fancied opponents most facets of the contest, until it mattered. The scoreboard didn’t reflect the closeness of the contest.
Faalogo’s heroics earned the No.1 an early shower and allayed concerns the Storm are a less potent attacking threat without Ryan Papenhuyzen.
Jahrome Hughes scores for Melbourne.Credit: Getty Images
Not for the first time this season, strips involving Ryan Couchman proved critical. After all the controversy over his challenge in Vegas, the Dragons forward seemingly put his side into a winning position when he dispossessed Stefano Utoikamanu in the lead-up to a try to Valentine Holmes.
But when the Dragons forward was burgled by Storm counterpart Joe Chan, the momentum shifted to the men in purple and they never relinquished it.
When the big moments came, the Dragons couldn’t go with the grand finalists. Like when, just seven seconds before the half-time break, Melbourne captain Harry Grant ran for just the second time, jumping out of dummy half when the markers had clocked off. If ever there was a coach-killing moment, this was it.
When the Dragons review where this match went awry, they will point to errors that were punished, most notably when they kicked out on the full on two occasions. The challenge in the weeks ahead is to not get dispirited by the late avalanche in points.
Will Warbrick goes over for the Storm.Credit: Getty Images
Little was expected of the Dragons this year. They were not title contenders, according to their own coach. The bookmakers agreed, installing them as wooden spoon favourites. But then ago, so too were the Raiders last year, and we know where they finished. It’s unclear what is in store for the Red V.
The Storm’s superstar quarter of Grant, Munster, Faalogo and Jahrome Hughes were relatively quiet for three-quarters of the game. But when the contest was in the balance, they took total control. Five tries in the final 18 minutes blew everything apart.
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