The Warriors have become accustomed to tales of woe in the NRL but this will go down as a pretty heart-breaking defeat.
The home side had the better of much of this match, and finished the game strongly, but lost 21-14 to a typically efficient Melbourne Storm side.
A 77th minute field goal to Cooper Cronk, which snuck just over the crossbar and centimetres inside the post, was the critical blow, before Marika Koroibete crossed in the last minute to seal the victory, as the Warriors attempted a last ditch attack.
There was an empty feeling around Mt Smart at the end of the match; a recognition that this was another missed opportunity. It wasn't a vintage display from the Storm, but they attacked with typical organisation and defended stoutly.
For the Warriors, there was signs of progress but this result will heap more pressure on coach Andrew McFadden and his staff.
Issac Luke was a late withdrawal -- due to a knee complaint -- replaced by youngster Jazz Tevaga.
You couldn't fault the application or desire yesterday. There was evidence everywhere, from Kevin Proctor being flung to the ground by Ben Matulino, to Cameron Munster being corralled by six defenders chasing a Shaun Johnson kick.
But there was - again - a lack of polish in the key moments. Twice the Warriors had forwards kicking on the fifth tackle (James Gavet and Ryan Hoffman), as moves broke down just when they needed to fire.
Momentum swings are everything in the NRL, and Melbourne had most of them in the first half. The Warriors made a positive start but let the Storm off the hook when Shaun Johnson put a fifth tackle kick long. The Storm then camped in Warriors' territory, eventually producing a try to Kenny Bromwich off a precise Cronk kick in the 13th minute. The home side hit back five minutes later, with a slick move finished by Tui Lolohea.
But the Warriors never established any dominance in the first spell. They were let down by errors and gave up some cheap penalties, though referees Henry Perenara and Dave Munro made some mystifying calls. The officials can't get everything right with their interpretations but you expect consistency and both referees were particularly poor in that aspect yesterday.
The Storm didn't need much help, but they got the rub of the green in the first half especially, and were good enough to make the most of it, with a Cameron Munster try extending the Storm's advantage in the 24th minute.
The Warriors lifted noticeably in the second half, with Charlie Gubb, Albert Vete and Matulino bringing a physical edge to the game. Solomone Kata burrowed over from dummy half in the 46th minute, which brought the home side -- and the crowd -- back into the match.
From there the Warriors were the dominant side, and scored their best try of the game just after the hour mark, with Johnathan Wright diving over in the corner after a fluid back line move. But they couldn't hang on to their lead, as the Storm found the answer in the dying moments.
Warriors 14 (T. Lolohea, S Kata, J Wright tries S Johnson goal) Storm 21 (K Bromwich, C Munster, M Koroibete tries, C Smith 4 goals, C Cronk field goal) Halftime: 12-4
- Michael Burgess
