Storm beat Warriors for third NRL win

Melbourne have extended their unbeaten start to the NRL season, a late Marika Koroibete try sealing a 21-14 victory over the Warriors in Auckland.

Koroibete scored with a minute to go on Sunday, shortly after Cooper Cronk had landed the field goal to nudge the Storm ahead 15-14.

It was a tough result for the Warriors, who had put up a big effort only to fall to a club record-equalling 11th straight defeat.

They were without two of their big names in hooker Issac Luke and winger Manu Vatuvei.

Luke was ruled out after picking up a leg injury in training the previous day and 20-year-old Jazz Tevaga was given his NRL debut.

Vatuvei sat out after failing to get over a rib complaint.

A pin-point grubber by Cronk set up the game's opening try, his final-tackle play finished by Kenny Bromwich.

From the kickoff, the Storm came up with their sole mistake of the opening spell.

The Warriors profited by working the ball for winger Tuimoala Lolohea to touch down.

But they couldn't match the Storm's greater accuracy and were called into plenty of goal-line defence.

They also were also on the wrong end of the early penalty count and another infringement led to Storm fullback Cameron Munster scoring.

Melbourne came close again after Warriors prop James Gavet was put on report for what looked like a conventional tackle on Munster.

But the home side were able to hold out to trail 12-4 at halftime.

They closed the gap early in the second spell when a penalty gave them field position for centre Solomone Kata to scamper over from dummy half.

The Warriors then had to reshuffle their line-up, with both Tevaga and back-up hooker Nathaniel Roache off getting treatment.

They levelled the score at 12-12 with 19 minutes to go when Jonathan Wright dived over in the corner and Shaun Johnson's first conversion nudged them in front 14-12.

But the Storm drew level with 11 minutes to through a Cameron Smith penalty.