For the second time in the 2022 NRL season, the Storm cashed in on a flat second half by the Warriors, winning 24-12 at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.
After a tumultuous week in the NRL, which started with a refereeing controversy and continued on with the Manly pride jersey saga, the Warriors would have been happy just to be sliding under the radar in their second home game of the season.
But the Storm certainly had them in their sights, taking the direct approach and laying on a series of heavy shots soon after the game kicked off.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona's hit on Wayde Egan left the Warriors hooker with a suspected broken jaw after only a few minutes, an act that saw the Storm prop placed on report and the big Mt Smart crowd incensed.
The Storm then cashed in on the forced reshuffle, with Justin Olam cruising through some very weak defence on the left edge.
What looked like a possible eye gouge by Josh King on Jazz Tavaga fired the Warriors up, with Ed Kosi flying into the corner after a cut-out pass by Chanel Harris-Tavita.
King was also put on report, he and Asofa-Solomona could be facing a spell on the sidelines for both incidents.
Queensland Origin hooker Harry Grant got the Storm back on track with a try off a Felise Kaufusi break. Some Storm indiscipline promptly gave the ball back to the home side, with Kosi making it a double with five minutes to go in the half.
But hopes the Warriors fans had of pulling off a win over their storied rivals didn't last much longer than the break.
Jahrome Hughes scored almost straight after the restart, then replacement fullback Nick Meaney got on the end of a pinpoint centre kick by Grant Anderson to make the score 20-8.
A big mistake by the Warriors shortly after saw them concede a penalty straight out in front, which Meaney slotted to increase the lead to 12.
However, that was the last meaningful contribution he made as he left the field with a nasty-looking shoulder injury. This will be concerning for coach Craig Bellamy, who is already missing regular fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen.
Kosi crossed for a well-deserved hattrick, but it was too little, too late.
The loss leaves them anchored in the bottom four while the Storm move up to a share of fourth with the Broncos.
