Even though his team was down 40-0 at half-time, Michael Maguire opted not to deliver a verbal barrage to the Wests Tigers during the break, saying little to the players.
The strategy of leaving them to figure it out for themselves did not do much good as the Storm continued their blitz to lead 60-0 just 11 minutes after the restart before taking their foot off the pedal in the last half-hour of the match.
The Tigers were at least able to stem the flood of tries and score three of their own to avoid some historical records.
The only good news from Maguire at Sunshine Coast Stadium after the game was that young forward Shawn Blore's ankle injury does not appear to be serious.
His words were purposeful and measured after full-time.
Match Highlights: Storm v Wests Tigers
“We learnt a lot from the performance that was in front of us,” said the coach.
“Melbourne have obviously set a standard across the comp for quite some time.
“We just got blown off the park to start with. We couldn’t get the bounce of the ball and everything went against us, but you have to address that and be able to stop the momentum.
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“That’s where we weren’t smart. They ran harder, created momentum and they had us on the back foot.
“You’ve got to be able to stop the momentum of the opposition and you have to do that through defence. You’ve got to find your shoulders and win rucks.
“We had a lot of two-man tackles and sometimes that’s an effort area that you need to work harder at, but Melbourne are also very good at being able to isolate (defenders).”
Blore appears to have avoided another major injury, despite being seemingly reduced to tears as he was taken from the field in the 66-16 thumping by Melbourne.
Blore previously captained the Penrith Panthers under-18 team which won the national championship, leading a squad that included Matt Burton, Stephen Crichton and Charlie Staines.
However, while his former teammates are shooting for the stars, the highly rated forward has had his opportunities limited at NRL level, featuring in just 11 games over the past two seasons.
He missed the first nine games of the 2021 season after breaking his wrist in the pre-season and appeared against the Storm with his left knee heavily strapped.
Play was stopped in the 28th minute at Sunshine Coast Stadium with the 20-year-old inspected by trainers before being carried off.
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He paused once he crossed the sideline and buried his face into the arms of Tigers team staff, visibly distressed.
Maguire said the injury may only require a brief lay-off.
“It’s a different one (to his previous injuries),” said Maguire.
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“He stood on the side of Cam Munster’s foot and has just twisted his ankle.
“I don’t think it’s major, but we will get scans and go through the whole process.”
Now placed 14th on the table, the Tigers have conceded the second-most points, letting in more than 29 points per game on average.
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