Storm forward Jordan Grant earned man-of-the-match honours as the Brisbane Tigers triumphed 28-16 against Norths in very wet conditions in the Hostplus Super Cup on Sunday.
Grant topped both the metres gained (146) and tackle count (28) for the Tigers who moved into fourth place on the ladder.
The front-rower was part of a four-man Storm contingent for the Tigers, joining Tom Eisenhuth who started at lock in his second game back from injury, Jayden Nikorima who scored a try in the second half, and back-rower Bronson Garlick.
In Cairns, the Sunshine Coast Falcons needed two tries in the final seven minutes – from winger Blake Wilson and centre Grant Anderson – to rescue a 22-all against Northern Pride.
Wilson, who trained with Storm over the pre-season, had kicked off the scoring with a runaway 80-metre try before Northern Pride took control of the first half.
The Falcons dropped to second place on the ladder, one point behind the Burleigh Bears.
The Tigers take on Burleigh on the Gold Coast in their next game on June 4, while the Falcons visit Norths.
Melbourne Storm player stats
Jayden Nikorima: 80 minutes – 1 try, 1 linebreak, 1 try assist, 1 linebreak assist, 2 tackle breaks
Jordan Grant: 64 minutes – 16 runs for 146 metres, 41 post-contact metres, 28 tackles
Bronson Garlick: 80 minutes – 7 runs for 69 metres
Tom Eisenhuth: 65 minutes – 11 runs for 89 metres, 25 tackles
Jack Howarth: 80 minutes – 11 runs for 113 metres, 53 post-contact metres, 16 tackles, 2 offloads
