Storm 48 Cowboys 20

WAS this the moment the baton was passed? As Greg Inglis bolted away to score, he pointed at the man previously regarded as the best player in the world, Johnathan Thurston, and laughed.

He was toying with Thurston, mocking him, running away from him, teasing him: catch me if you can. Thurston was helpless. Ring-a-ding-ding, the NRL has a new king.

Later, Storm coach Craig Bellamy accused the Cowboys, including Thurston, of faking injury to slow the game, while captain Cam Smith said it was the most boring game he had ever played.

"Johnathan went down two or three times and he played the whole game, Ray Cashmere went down the first time and I don't think he went off injured … I know it happens at times, someone gets injured, but it wasn't that hard to see what they were doing," Bellamy said.

"It was probably good tactics but, geez, it makes for a boring game."

Bellamy said he addressed the issue of the Cowboys' stalling tactics at the half-time break and Smith added: "A couple of the boys agreed - it was probably one of the most boring games we've ever been involved in.

"Blokes going down in scrums, kicking the ball out every time they had an opportunity, it was just a bit of a strange game."

The Storm were struggling, but then Billy Slater latched onto a pass quicker than a peregrine falcon and the night turned. The peregrine falcon had previously been regarded as the fastest creature on the planet, reaching speeds of 300 kmh, until Slater hit his hole at about 310.

Try. No more struggles. That's why the Storm are borderline unstoppable. Moment of pure genius. They're oozing so much outrageous talent that Slater, Inglis, Israel Folau - the list goes on and on - can pull a rabbit out of the hat at any moment.

The Cowboys limped into town on the back of a seven-match losing streak. They led 8-6 when Thurston's pinpoint kick gave winger John Williams a neat four-pointer, but from a set move just inside the Storm's half, Slater shot through and the Storm were ahead 12-8 with a gale in their sails.

Matt Geyer latched onto a pass slower than a three-toed sloth and the night turned again. The three-toed sloth had previously been regarded as the slowest creature on the planet, getting around at less than a kilometre an hour, until the veteran Geyer hit Inglis's ball at about half that speed. He shuffled over to score. The Storm led 16-8 and another big win on a freezing night was on the cards.

Cowboys prop Carl Webb latched onto a pass with a physique that could dwarf a blue whale and gave his side an invaluable six points just before the break. The blue whale had previously been regarded as the biggest animal on the planet, weighing up to 136 tonnes, but Webb crashed through weighing at least 180. We thought we had a ball game on our hands at half-time, 16-14 to the hosts.

The Cowboys kept finding touch with kicks, slowing the play, attempting to frustrate Inglis and the rest of the juggernauts.

If you're only as good as your last game, Storm winger Steve Turner had some improving to do. His Origin debut was not his finest performance. He was in position - horizontal - to put the Storm ahead but he dropped the ball over the line.

And if you're only as good as your last game, Inglis should have been be wearing a cape, with his underpants on the outside. He finished with a hat-trick.

"Bellyache [coach Bellamy] gave us a bit of a rocket at half-time," Inglis said. "Hopefully I see him [Thurston] next week in Origin camp."

Turner was given another opportunity. Try time. He will not be chosen for Origin III, but his last game is now a good one. The beauty of sport - there's always next week, next time, the next chance.

Inglis had his right ankle and wrist heavily strapped. He could play blindfolded and go all right. Despite the lopsided scoreline, it was probably one of the Cows' better efforts. Jacob Lillyman dislocated a shoulder. Thurston was comparatively ineffective, playing hurt right now.

When Inglis gets the ball, bums move to the edge of seats. He looked at Thurston, pointed, laughed, scored - and took a bow.

MELBOURNE 48 (G Inglis 3 S Turner 2 J Smith B Slater M Geyer I Folau tries C Smith 6 goals) bt NORTH QUEENSLAND 20 (M Henry J Williams C Webb R Cashmere tries J Thurston 2 goals) at Olympic Park. Referee: B Sutton. Crowd: 10,880.