BRISBANE: The Melbourne Storm moved to the top of the Australian National Rugby League when they narrowly beat last-placed Newcastle Knights in Newcastle on Sunday.
The 20-16 win was enough to move the Storm ahead of the Cronulla Sharks on points for and against.
The Sharks didn't play this weekend because of a split round due to the final State of Origin match played last Wednesday.
The Storm had Queensland Origin stars Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith backing up, while they also welcomed Cameron Munster and Will Chambers back from injury.
But a lack of possession and some ill-discipline hampered the Storm and the Knights were unlucky not to end an 11-game losing streak.
Storm's Fijian winger Marika Koroibete scored two tries as Melbourne eased home against the lowly Knights.
Penrith ended Parramatta's slim finals hopes when they beat the Eels 22-18 in Penrith.
The Eels were firmly in finals contention until they were docked 12 competition points for salary cap breaches.
They needed to win every remaining game if they wanted to reach the playoffs but were unable to overcome the Panthers, who climb to ninth, one place out of the finals.
Glamour club the Brisbane Broncos returned to form when they beat a woeful South Sydney 30-10 on Saturday night.
Having struggled through the State of Origin period, Brisbane roared back to form on the back of a dominant backline performance as they scored five tries to two against the Rabbitohs.
Fellow Queensland outfit the Gold Coast moved back into the top eight when they stunned St George Illawarra 32-12, while the Manly Sea Eagles upset the New Zealand Warriors 15-14.
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