Melbourne Storm’s unbeaten run has come to a crashing halt with Canberra upsetting the NRL champions 24-20 at AAMI Park.
With live-wire centre Blake Ferguson leading the charge through two first half tries, the Raiders survived a late Storm revival for a well-deserved victory.
The loss ended the Storm’s winning streak at 15 straight and continued the Raiders’ superb recent record at AAMI Park.
Canberra joined the Bulldogs as the only sides to have ever won three times in succession at the Storm’s fortress.
Ferguson scored all of the his side’s 12 first half points before centre Jack Wighton and electric fullback Reece Robinson chimed in to open up a 24-12 lead.
The Storm hit back when halfback Cooper Cronk put a flat kick across field that Mahe Fonua fed back to Justin O’Neill, with the centre managing to get the ball across the line in the 58th minute.
It was one of only a few bright notes for O’Neill and Fonua, with the Storm’s right flank repeatedly exposed.
Ferguson and fellow speedster Edrick Lee were a constant danger, with the winger unlucky not to score in the first half when video referees over-ruled an on-field call.
Fonua also got in on the action four minutes later when Ryan Hoffman batted another Cronk kick back in-field for the winger to touch down.
That closed the gap to four-points but despite the best efforts of Cronk, the Storm weren’t able to find the try they desperately needed.
While Ferguson starred in the first half for the visitors, Jesse Bromwich and Billy Slater were the tryscorers for the Storm with the teams locked at 12-12 at halftime.
Wighton pushed aside some flimsy defence from his opposite Will Chambers, and then Robinson made a 70 metre dash to touch down and extend the lead to 12 points.
The Storm were never out of it but their attack lacked its usual precision and their defence was uncharacteristically poor as the Raiders celebrated their fourth win of the season.
AAP