A Slater-less Storm shook off an early deficit to score 28 unanswered points and run away with a 34-16 victory over the Titans.
Slater injury a big blow for Storm
After returning last week for his first match in Storm colours since Round 10 of 2015, Billy Slater is once again looking at an extended period on the sidelines.
Slater's troublesome shoulder that kept him out for the final 14 games of last season has reared its ugly head again, with the star fullback expected to undergo an arthroscope this week to determine the extent of the damage.
The fullback was impressive in Round 1 and didn't seem to be hampered by his shoulder, catching high balls and taking tackles in his usual fashion.
If Slater's injury is anywhere near as bad as it was last year it looks as though the Storm will be without the star 32-year-old for quite some time.
Scott shows glimpses of potential in debut
In the absence of Slater, highly touted youngster Curtis Scott was handed his Storm debut.
Melbourne beat out several other clubs to secure the services of the Australian Schoolboys representative and he was given his chance after a strong pre-season showing.
Scott's first touch didn't go as planned, as he was pushed back 15 metres in a gang tackle. But he was able to recover from that and showed several skilful passages throughout the game, including some strong tackles and runs to relieve pressure on his side.
All in all it was an impressive debut for the 18-year-old, and the Storm will be licking their lips at the prospect of Scott getting more playing time in the near future.
Kicking game gives Titans early success
The Titans led for 15 minutes of the first half, and a major factor in their play during that period was their skill with the boot.
Ashley Taylor played a smart reverse kick in for Josh Hoffman to run on to for the Titans' first, as the halfback spotted a nice gap and timed his kick accordingly.
Taylor was also given the chance a few times to put the ball in the air, and that also proved dangerous for the Storm back line, as it put under constant pressure.
Kicks were allowed to bounce and at times the Titans' closing down speed was good, but ultimately they weren't able to get what they deserved from the kicks and were punished in the final few minutes of the first half by back-to-back Storm tries.
Storm backs combine for huge game
Four of the six tries that the Storm scored came from their backs, with Young Tonumaipea, Cam Munster and Will Chambers all hitting the scoreboard.
Add in Curtis Scott in his debut who looked impressive, and Marika Koroibete was as dangerous as ever, and the five of them were major factors in the Melbourne win.
Those five combined for 690 running metres between them, which was too much to handle for their Titans counterparts, as Chambers especially impressed with 186 metres and two tries.
Paasi impresses again, this time off the bench
After a strong game last week in the Titans' opening round win against the Knights, prop Agnatius Paasi was at it again, this time impressing off the bench.
The Tongan was relegated to the interchange in favour of Ryan James, with James himself having an impact on the game as he scored late on.
It was Paasi however who was one of the shining lights for Gold Coast, as he picked up where he left off last week against Newcastle.
Paasi played only 41 minutes, but managed to run the most metres out of any Titan with 123 from only 11 carries, gaining valuable field position each time he picked up the ball.
If Passi puts in another performance like this next week it'll give Neil Henry a selection headache, if the prop hasn't given him one already.