Always spectacular off the field, last night’s annual ANZAC Day clash against the New Zealand Warriors will be remembered for a long time due to Melbourne’s historic performance on the field.
After a tight first half ended in a six-point advantage to the home side, the face-off looked set to continue as an arduous push to the end. The following 40 minutes were anything but. 10 tries, six conversions and two penalty goals were put on the board to equal the record of most points scored in a game by Melbourne Storm, finishing in a 70 to 10 scoreline.
The score equals the record for most points in a game for the Club, with that record set in 2000 against St. George-Illawarra, a game which also ended 70-10.
Round 5 was shaping up to be a potential loss for Storm as the early stages of the new millennium’s NRL season were unkind to the competition's newcomers.
After beating the Dragons to claim Premiership glory in the 1999 season, St. George-Illawarra were determined and ready for revenge against Melbourne heading into the Grand Final rematch.
Having played the first four rounds away from the Club’s then home ground, Olympic Park, the wait to return to the Graveyard would continue with the Round 5 fixture to be hosted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Storm’s first-ever match at the historic venue.
It proved to be a memorable night for more than that reason alone, with the reigning premiers snapping a four-game losing streak in the most dominant fashion to record a 60-point in over their rivals and in doing so setting a new Club record for both the highest score in a game and highest winning margin.
Top 5 Melbourne Storm Scores
70-10 – v St. George-Illawarra Dragons – Round 5, March 3, 2000
70-10 – v New Zealand Warriors – Round 7, April 25, 2022
68-4 – v Canberra Raiders – Round 21, August 4, 2013
66-14 – v Penrith Panthers – Round 17, July 2, 2004
66-16 – v Wests Tigers – Round 15, June 19, 2021
