Storm 20-24 Warriors

The scene was set for a classic encounter.

It was Craig Bellamy's 100th game as Storm coach; Warriors legend Ruben Wiki was equalling Stephen Kearney's record for most games in the NRL by a New Zealander; and the Storm were celebrating winning the J.J Giltinan Shield given they can't be beaten to top spot for the home and away season.

What the wonderful crowd of 13,477 got was a tight, yet un-Storm like performance in their 24-20 loss, giving up the Michael Moore Trophy in the process, an effort Storm coach Craig Bellamy was less than impressed with.

The game was riddled with dropped balls and incomplete sets, but in a macabre sort of way, it made for an absorbing contest right to the death.

The first half saw both sides trade tries with Matt Geyer, Steve Turner and Matt King crossing the try line for the Storm, while Simon Mannering and Manu Vatuvei did the same for the Warriors.

The 14-12 scoreline suggested there was more of the same to come in the second half.

And that's exactly what we got. The trend continued in the second half with both sides again trading tries, however it was the Warriors who scored first.

Brent Webb got the visitors off to the perfect start after two minutes, scoring under the posts before Greg Inglis restored the Storm's lead in the 49th minute with yet another try that will feature in his 2006 highlight reel.

The next 24 minutes was a case of whichever team made the least amount of mistakes would win the game.

And so it was with seven minutes to go, Manu Vatuveu made a break down the left wing from his own 10 metre line, racing 60 metres before offloading to Webb in support who scored his second of the game, and ultimately, the winner.

STORM 20 (Tries: Geyer, Turner, King, Inglis; Goals: C. Smith 2) def. by WARRIORS 24 (Tries: Webb 2, Mannering, Vatuvei; Goals: Hohaia 4)