Manly fans leave early as Tom Trbojevic's absence felt against red-hot Storm
Manly fans began fleeing from Brookvale Oval with 20 minutes still to play as their side were flogged 48-24 by the Storm.
Fresh off a shock loss to the Dragons last week, the visitors were all class, completely overpowering a Tom Trbojevic-less Manly outfit in the second half.
Having gone into the break trailing only 18-10, the Storm scored five tries in a 14 minute blitz to put the win out of reach for the hosts, before three late consolation tries to the home side gave the scoreline respectability.
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To make matters worse for the hosts, Jason Saab hobbled off the ground in the dying moments with a leg injury.
Manly opened the scoring through a penalty goal in the fourth minute after Jahrome Hughes was called offside.
Scores of Manly fans begun filing out of the ground with 20 minutes still to play. Nine
It was one of few stoppages in a rapid opening 10 minutes.
Melbourne scored the first four pointer of the afternoon in the 12th minute when Stefano Utoikamanu crossed for his first in Storm colours.
They were in again three minutes later when Cameron Munster ran through a hole, after the Storm won a penalty when Reuben Garrick's kickoff sailed dead.
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Grant Anderson made it three in the space of five minutes. Ryan Papenhuyzen kicked all three conversions and the Storm had an 18-2 lead in time with the clock.
Manly finally got themselves on the board when Tolutau Koula crossed for a relatively soft try on the half-hour mark. Garrick kicked a penalty goal on half time to trim the Storm's lead to eight at the break.
After a similarly quick-paced start to the second half, Anderson got his second of the afternoon when he reached behind him to put the ball down on the line and extend the Storm's lead in the 48th minute.
And that was about where the Manly resistance ended as the Storm ran away in the following 14 minutes to bounce back from their shock loss to the Dragons.
Ryan Papenhuyzen was taken from the park with 10 minutes still on the clock as a precaution with minor hamstring tightness.
Tolutau Koula, Jason Saab and Clayton Faulalo each scored a try - and Reuben Garrick had one rubbed - late in the clash as the Storm took their foot off the accelerator and fell short of 50.
