Melbourne wins 5th in a row, only unbeaten team in NRL
Apr 2, 2017
The Melbourne Storm defeated Penrith 28-6 for their fifth consecutive win to remain the only unbeaten team in the National Rugby League after five rounds
SYDNEY — The Melbourne Storm defeated Penrith 28-6 for their fifth consecutive win to remain the only unbeaten team in the National Rugby League after five rounds.
Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith eclipsed Brisbane's Darren Lockyer as the most successful NRL player of all time with the win, his 238th.
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy praised the second-half defense, which featured more than 50 tackles on its own line on Saturday.
On Sunday, veteran Jason Nightingale scored three tries to lead St. George Illawarra to a 28-6 win over the Wests Tigers, and Kieran Foran scored a try for the New Zealand Warriors in his debut with the club as the Warriors overcame a 22-12 halftime deficit to beat the Gold Coast Titans 28-22.
At Sydney, a James Maloney field goal gave the defending champion Cronulla Sharks a 19-18 win over Newcastle.
The game looked to be headed for golden point overtime before a Maloney one-point kick three minutes from fulltime ensured the home side successfully marked Chris Heighington's 300th game and their 50th anniversary in the competition.
North Queensland beat South Sydney 20-6 after leading 14-0 at halftime to improve to 4-1.
Cowboys coach Paul Green was impressed with how his team handled the demanding conditions in Townsville, which had been hit by torrential rains in the past week due to a cyclone.
"It made it a real arm-wrestle there so I'm proud of the way we hung in," Green said.
Canberra beat Parramatta 30-18, and Dylan Walker scored two late tries to give Manly an 18-12 win over the Sydney Roosters, ending the Roosters' four-match win streak to start the season.
The Canterbury Bulldogs overcame a 7-0 halftime deficit to beat Brisbane 10-7.
