Tino does Gympie proud as Storm thump Warriors

Gold City wonder boy has arguably his most impressive performance in Storm colours.

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui of the Storm in action against the Manly Sea Eagles. (AAP Image/Brendon Thorne)

RUGBY LEAGUE: Gympie giant Tino Fa’asuamaleaui enjoyed arguably his most impressive performance in an NRL jersey last night when his Melbourne Storm blasted the New Zealand Warriors 50-6 in Sydney.

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The 20-year-old may have celebrated scoring his first career try two weeks ago against Newcastle, but Fa’asuamaleaui made the most of extended time on the field last night to log a massive 174 metres from 17 carries.

Those stats were good enough to rank him fourth for the match, despite seeing only 55 minutes of game time.

Tino Fa'asuamaleaui of the Storm is tackled by the Sea Eagles defence during the Round One NRL match between Manly Sea Eagles and Melbourne Storm at Brookvale Oval in Sydney, Sunday, March 15, 2020. (AAP Image/Brendon Thorne)

The second rower also saw season-high stats in tackles made (31), hit up running metres (143) and kick return metres (30), as well as recording his first career offload.

The Storm dominated the contest from the outset, racing to a 22-0 half time lead before piling on the points in the second half to finish with the 44-point victory.

Last night’s appearance took Tino’s career tally to 12, and seven from seven in Craig Bellamy’s side this year.

The Storm moved into a top four spot with their fifth win of the season, hitting an important patch of good form before next Thursday’s prime time clash with the Sydney Roosters.

It was another positive step forward in Fa’asuamaleaui’s professional career, as he eyes increased playing time in Storm colours before joining the Gold Coast Titans for season 2021.

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