Melbourne have secured a NRL preliminary finals berth with a pulsating 16-10 win at AAMI Park, forcing defending premiers North Queensland into a do-or-die clash next weekend with Brisbane.It was some revenge on Saturday night for the Storm, who last season were sent crashing out in their preliminary final against the Cowboys at the same venue.They will enjoy a week off, as North Queensland host the Broncos.Melbournes kicking game, including a 40-20 by skipper Cameron Smith, proved key, particularly in the dying stages.The minor premiers and the titleholders played out an absorbing battle with the teams locked at 6-6 at halftime.Smith broke the deadlock with a penalty goal in the 49th minute and then Storm centre Cheyse Blair made a crucial strip on Cowboys five-eighth Michael Morgan, with prop Jesse Bromwich burrowing over in the following set to make it 14-6.It looked like the home side would take control of the match but Morgan made amends soon after when he fired a ball to winger Kyle Feldt, who dived over in the corner.Johnathan Thurston failed to convert to leave the score at 14-10.That was extended by Smith with Feldt giving away a silly penalty as he tackled Blair.The Storm dominated early, throwing everything at their rivals.After 20 minutes, they had had 64 per cent of possession and 73 per cent of territory but couldnt crack the North Queensland defence until the 32nd minute.Winger Suliasi Vunivalu collected his 23rd try of the season when he pounced on a ball lost by Cowboys centre Kane Linnett.The flying Fijian turned on the jets to run 60 metres, burning off Thurston to touch down.However, the Cowboys then gained some momentum which paid off in the final minute of the half with a kick by Thurston ricocheting off a Storm player. It was scooped up by Lachlan Coote, who found Antonio Winterstein in the corner.Lining up on Friday night against the Broncos, who they beat in last years grand final, Cowboys coach Paul Green said his team were their own worst enemies during the second half.The Storm had 18 sets down on our tryline and we only had 10 for the game so, against a team like Melbourne, thats not going to win you the game, Green said.They were deserving winners.Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy said his team had taken their game to a new level in the past two weeks but would enjoy the week off ahead of their grand-final qualifier.He pinpointed a period midway through the first half when the Storm held the Cowboys out after having to make four line dropouts.That was defining for me as we didnt buckle and that sent a message, he said.I thought they were tremendous tonight and I felt like we controlled the game really well and to go to another prelim is a pat on the back for our players, Bellamy said.Vans Outlet Store Nz . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Vans Shoes Online NZ . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. http://www.cheapvansnz.com/ . The scientists believe the small earthquake during a Marshawn Lynch touchdown was likely greater than Lynchs famous "beast quake" touchdown run three years ago, which also came against New Orleans during a playoff game. Shoes Sale New Zealand . Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, announced Wednesday that the team would assign Swedish forward Elias Lindholm to his nations team for the upcoming tournament. Cheap Vans Shoes Nz . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes.LOS ANGELES -- Coach Luke Walton claimed his Los Angeles Lakers never really got into an offensive flow, even if the 125 points they dropped on the Brooklyn Nets suggested otherwise.Imagine what might happen if Waltons surprising young squad actually finds its groove.DAngelo Russell scored 32 points and Julius Randle added 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double in Los Angeles 125-118 victory Tuesday night.Timofey Mozgov had 20 points and six rebounds for the Lakers, who maintained a steady lead down the stretch of their fourth win in five games at Staples Center this season. With six wins in eight games overall, the Lakers (7-5) are two games above .500 for just the second time since April 2013.We all love to play this game together, even on nights when it isnt all clicking, said forward Tarik Black, who had 12 points and nine rebounds in just 13 minutes. We didnt care what people were saying about this team before the season started. Its about this locker room. We knew what we had.Russell hit seven 3-pointers and had eight rebounds for the Lakers, who didnt win seven games until New Years Day last season, the worst in the 16-time NBA champion franchises history.Russell had the highest-scoring individual performance by any player this season for the Lakers, whose 10-deep player rotations and balanced production have made them particularly tough to play. Russell lit up Brooklyn again after scoring a career-high 39 on the Nets last year, including eight 3-pointers that prompted his now-famous Ice in My Veins celebration of big shots.While Mozgov had his highest-scoring game for his new team, Randle added another balanced floor game in his first triple-double since March 25.He is continuing to get better and really realize what he is capable of doing, Walton said of Randle.Brook Lopez had 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 29 points as Brooklyn rebounded solidly from a 32-point thrashing delivered by the Clippers in the same building one night earlier while Lopez sat out to rest.We bounced back from last nights tough loss, Nets coach Kennyy Atkinson said.dddddddddddd We just have to sustain it a little longer and do a little better on the defensive end.But the Lakers shot 43 free throws to the Nets 20, and Los Angeles solidly controlled the boards.Down the stretch, I dont want to comment too much on the calls, but we did foul too much and put them on the line, said Lopez, who hit four 3-pointers. That made it tough for us. We still had great looks. I want our guys to take those shots. They just didnt go down.BENCH BATTLEThe NBAs two most productive benches had big games. Led by Jordan Clarksons 13 points, the Lakers reserves outscored the Nets bench 43-40. Yogi Ferrell led the Brooklyn bench with 11 points.BLOCK PARTYLopez became the Nets franchise leader in blocked shots, passing George Johnsons 863 blocks with three against the Lakers. Johnson played for the franchise from 1977-80 and 1984-85. Lopez has blocked at least three shots in four consecutive games. He has accomplished that feat in five straight games just once, in November 2012.STEEP SCHEDULEThe Lakers just returned from a road trip that showcased their young rosters potential and limitations. They won at Sacramento and New Orleans, but were then routed by Minnesota on Sunday after their third long-distance flight in four nights.The Lakers will have to get used to learning on the court: Starting Friday, they will play 18 games in 30 days with five back-to-backs and no consecutive days off.TIP-INSNets: Former Lakers G Jeremy Lin missed his sixth straight game with a hamstring injury. ... Former Nets forward Andrei Kirilenko watched the game from courtside.Lakers: Clarkson had a career-high five steals. ... LA has beaten Brooklyn three straight times. ... The Lakers scored 120 points for the fourth time this season after managing the feat just three times in the previous two seasons combined.UP NEXTNets: The road trip ends Friday at Oklahoma City.Lakers: After their final back-to-back days off for an entire month, they host San Antonio on Friday. ' ' '