Melbourne shut down Tom Trbojevic for the second time this season on Friday night, holding the Manly superstar to his worst game since they played a month ago.
A 40-12 win catapulted the Storm through to the NRL preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium in a fortnight, but cast serious doubt over the Sea Eagles' premiership chances.
The NRL's most in-form player was nullified by another ruthless defensive game plan from the minor premiers.
Melbourne limited Trbojevic to 118 running metres and the fullback drew a blank on the tryscoring sheet and try-assists column.
The star fullback has been held scoreless in just three NRL games this season - now twice against Melbourne and in an 18-10 loss to Newcastle in round 12.
Not surprisingly, his run metres on Friday night were also his third lowest of the 2021 season, with the top two coinciding with both losses to Storm and the Knights.
It was a far cry from his average of 182 metres per game this season, capping off a disappointing night for the 24-year-old who had 30 try-assists and 25 tries from 15 games going into the qualifier.
In true Melbourne style, the Storm did their homework on the lively No.1 to nullify his impact and limit his space with aggressive defence.
Without his potency in attack, the Sea Eagles struggled to get on the board with just a double for Jason Saab - one coming from a blunder at the back.
The Sea Eagles were lifted into the top four on the back of his stunning form and will now count on Trbojevic's ability to bounce back in an elimination final next weekend.
Manly will now face either Sydney Roosters or Gold Coast at Mackay for a chance to play in the preliminary final in a fortnight.
