The Melbourne Storm have overcome early second half pressure to hold a 30-18 lead over the Roosters midway through the second half of their prelim final.

The game ignited from the first moments when Nelson Asofa-Solomona was sent to the sin bin after 10 seconds for a high shot on Roosters prop Lindsay Collins off the kick off, forcing the Maroons representative to play the ball backwards.

Grant Atkins then awarded a Roosters penalty before sending NAS to the sin bin, much to the home crowd’s displeasure. Collins also left the field for a HIA and was later ruled out of the game.

A few tackles and three penalties later the Roosters had their first chance to score a try, with Angus Crichton deemed to have been taken out of the ball chasing a Luke Keary chip.

Fox League’s Steve Roach was calling for Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes to have been sent to the sin bin for a professional foul. He didn’t, helping Craig Bellamy’s sides cause.

Joseph Sua’ali’i nailed the ensuing penalty goal to give the Roosters a 2-0 lead.

Daniel Tupou then scored in the left corner for the Chooks after a spell of good field position, though Sua’ali’i’s missed sideline conversion meant the visitors only led by a single try.

And four minutes later the Storm levelled the scores through Ryan Papenhuyzen, who was presented with a gap in the Roosters’ defensive line which he burst through to score.

Between Tupou’s try and Papenhuyzen’s, Roosters lock Victor Radley was lucky to avoid the sin bin following a hip drop on NAS.

It took 13 minutes for the Storm to get on the board once again through Hughes, who was found by Nick Meaney.

All the hard work, however, was done by Papenhuyzen, who burst on the outside of Luke Keary, dragging the Roosters No.6 out of position and creating the space Meaney burst through.

Just after the half hour mark it was again the Storm adding to the scoreboard after some brilliant work from Xavier Coates.

The towering winger brilliantly collected a chip with his foot on the try line, winning a 20 metre restart. From there, he found Papenhuyzen, who burst into open space before finding rookie Jack Howarth for his first finals try.

A Sua’ali’i error right on halftime gave the Storm one final attacking chance, which they scored on through Hughes – who punched a hole in the Roosters’ goal line defence like he is a 100 kg back rower, not a halfback.

“What an opening half from the minor premiers,” Fox League’s Mick Ennis said after 34 minutes.

Much like the first half, the second 40 of the game began with a bang.

The Roosters scored two quick second half tries through Terrell May and Nat Butcher, two unlikely try scorers during a comeback.

It allowed the visitors to dare to the dream, only for Hughes’ hat trick try in the 53rd minute to deflate those hopes.

However, Hughes’ third try wasn’t without controversy after replays showed Alec Macdonald knocked the ball on in the build up.