27 Jun 2016

Storm cement NRL second place

9:00 am on 27 June 2016

The Storm cemented second place on the National Rugby League ladder after holding off a stunning second-half fightback from the Wests Tigers to claim a 29-20 win in Melbourne.

Melbourne Storm rugby league player Cooper Cronk.

Melbourne Storm rugby league player Cooper Cronk. Photo: Photosport

The Storm were up 26-0 at half-time before the Tigers fought back to almost steal the match.

The second half was all Tigers as they ran in four unanswered tries and came within a metre of catching the Storm, with electric fullback James Tedesco brought down just short of the tryline with 12 minutes left on the clock.

Melbourne halfback Cooper Cronk sealed the result with a field goal with four minutes remaining, capped by a late penalty strike by Cameron Smith who was also backing up from Queensland's State of Origin win.

Meanwhile, the Canberra Raiders are closing in on the top four after picking up a 30-22 win over the Gold Coast Titans, their fourth win in five matches.

Two late tries to the Titans gave the scoreline a deceptively close look after the Raiders had earlier charged to a 30-10 lead despite the absence of hooker Josh Hodgson and utility Kurt Baptiste.

-AAP