Melbourne turned back the clock to notch their eighth successive National Rugby League win on Friday night claiming a hard-fought 26-6 victory over Brisbane at AAMI Park.
And this time it counts.
The last time the Storm won eight games straight was in 2007 on their way to a premiership that was stripped last year when salary cap rorting was exposed.
A frenetic match, on par with finals football, was in the balance until the 57th minute when Melbourne winger Justin O'Neill dived across in the corner despite the best efforts of Brisbane captain Darren Lockyer who later limped off with a hamstring problem.
With Melbourne captain Cameron Smith on target with the conversion, the Storm took a very handy 14-6 lead.
Non-stop halfback Cooper Cronk managed to force the ball down in the 69th minute and centre Maurice Blair grabbed his second for the night in the final minute.
Smith converted both to cap the win.
The win keeps the Storm at the top of the NRL ladder on 34 points while the Broncos remain fourth on 28.
