Melbourne Storm run riot over Sea Eagles in Round 5 | NRL

Melbourne’s ability to rebound from a loss was on full display at 4 Pines Park on Sunday as their superstar quartet of Jahrome Hughes, Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Ryan Papenhuyzen dismantled a flat Manly side 48-24 in a dominant Round 5 performance.

Coming off a shock defeat to the Dragons, the Storm exploded out of the gates with three converted tries in six minutes to seize control, and a further five-try blitz in the second half sealed the result as Manly fans began streaming out of Brookvale before the final whistle.

While Melbourne Storm big guns fired, it was unheralded winger Grant Anderson who bagged a hat-trick, stepping up with a superb performance on the edge.

Munster set the tone early with a slick short ball to Stefano Utoikamanu and then sliced through the line himself just moments later to help the Storm race to an 18-2 lead as the top NRL betting sites had them at $1.55 to win.

The Sea Eagles managed to stay in the contest briefly, trailing 18-10 at the break after tries to Tolutau Koula and a Garrick penalty, but it unravelled fast in the second half.

Melbourne piled on five tries in 14 minutes, including Anderson’s second and third, with Papenhuyzen flawless off the tee.

NRL Round 5 Highlights: Sea Eagles v Storm

The win continued the Storm’s remarkable streak of avoiding back-to-back losses, a record that now spans over two seasons.

But the emphatic result came at a cost, with Papenhuyzen forced off late with hamstring tightness.

“It’s all good. Bit of a glute corkie,” Papenhuyzen said post-match.

“It just tightened up a bit, so we didn’t want to risk anything.”

Meanwhile, Manly coach Anthony Seibold conceded his side was “outplayed” and admitted defensive lapses and fundamental errors gifted Melbourne too many opportunities.

“They scored three in a row in both halves. Inside of those six sets we gave away field position through penalties or basic errors,” Seibold said.

“Against a side like that, you pay for it.”

With Jason Saab hobbling off late and Daly Cherry-Evans again facing questions over his looming exit from the club, it was a rough afternoon for the Sea Eagles, who now head west to face the Sharks in Perth.

For the Storm, it was a warning shot to the competition, with the top online bookmakers having them still as the $2.60 favourites to win the 2025 Grand Final.

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