Melbourne have made it three-straight wins to start their NRL campaign, producing a near-perfect defensive effort in their 32-2 rout of Penrith.
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With the temperature almost dropping to zero in Bathurst, the Storm froze the Panthers out early by keeping their line intact.
Uncharacteristic errors gave the home side 30 looks at the tryline inside the opening 30 minutes and, each time, Melbourne turned them away.
In a worrying sign for NSW State of Origin coach Brad Fittler, Panthers halves James Maloney and Nathan Cleary looked devoid of ideas in attack.
In contrast, Storm and Queensland Origin star Cameron Munster scored a try and played a hand in two others in a match-winning performance.
Skipper Cameron Smith kicked a perfect six goals from as many attempts.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy said their first-half shutout proved to him just how good his defence could be this season.
"Obviously that was a really important period of the game for us," he said
"We made it really hard for ourselves with the errors that we made. I think when we scored that try we didn't touch the ball for another 10 minutes.
"It gives you a bit of an idea of what sort of a team you've got."
A torrential pre-game downpour made conditions greasy, however that didn't stop the Storm taking their chances when presented.
Munster dubiously opened the scoring when Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and Dylan Edwards failed to defuse his grubber.
Storm winger Josh Addo-Carr appeared to have nudged Watene-Zelezniak in the build-up, but the bunker overlooked the incident and awarded the try.
The Panthers weren't without their chances to respond, but couldn't find a way through a seemingly impenetrable defence.
In contrast, the Storm didn't get their first crack inside the Panthers' red zone until the 31st minute, but still took a six-point halftime lead with a Smith penalty goal.
Bellamy's men cranked up in the second half, beginning with a Brodie Croft try that came from a Munster bomb fluffed by Edwards.
It was a horror night for the Panthers' fullback, who finished with six errors.
Addo-Carr, Marion Seve and Jesse Bromwich completed the rout with tries in the final 30 minutes, as the Storm moved provisionally to the top of the ladder.
Penrith coach Ivan Cleary was more upset with how easily his team zoned out after falling behind 14-2 early in the second half.
"That try that took them ahead 14-2, I don't think we coped with that," Cleary said.
"I think we completed four sets for the rest of the game or something. And our ... just all parts of our game I thought were just inept."
Australian Associated Press
