Melbourne star Will Chambers could be facing a lengthy suspension after throwing a punch at Sam Kasiano from behind in a fiery 12-6 win over Canterbury in their NRL season opener.

Both players were sin-binned for letting fly late in Friday evening’s first half at Belmore Sportsground, however replays showed Chambers came from a distance to hit an unsuspecting Kasiano.

But in what might be a bigger blow for last year’s grand finalists, Storm prop Jesse Bromwich is suspected if having dislocated his thumb in the opening stages of the match.

The Chambers-Kasiano incident began when the Bulldogs’ prop held onto the jersey of Cooper Cronk, which turned into a minor scuffle before Chambers joined in.

Kasiano was also seen to throw them back at the Storm centre in retaliation.

The fight sparked a spiteful game in driving rain that included Storm fullback Cameron Munster likely to become the first player fined after being put on report for tripping.

It marred a thrilling contest that wasn’t decided until the final siren, with the torrential conditions in the second half preventing either side changing the 12-6 halftime score.

Tries in the opening six minutes to Cheyse Blair and Suliasi Vunivalu left the Bulldogs’ faithful stunned, and it would’ve been three if Munster had held onto a Ryley Jacks kick.

However, the injury to Bromwich and a concussion test for Dale Finucane, combined with the introduction of Kasiano off the bench, quickly swung momentum the Bulldogs’ way.

But despite dominating possession, a 29th-minute try to Josh Reynolds off a Brenko Lee break was all the points the Bulldogs had to show before halftime.

With a 30-17 advantage in tackles inside the opposition quarter, Canterbury will be left to rue a number of missed opportunities to score points in good ball position.

The fixture was also the first in the controversial 6pm Friday night timeslot, with a crowd of 8712 braving the torrid conditions.