Coming into this contest having conceded just 112 points from nine games at AAMI Park this season, 42 of them coming in their first two home games, Melbourne's defence looked near-impenetrable in the first half despite some strong efforts from the visitors, and the Storm went into the sheds 12-0 leaders at the main break.
Both teams were able to create chances in a frenetic opening 15 minutes but a handling error from Nick Meaney thwarted the Storm early in the piece, but they needed just 18 minutes to open the scoring when Tyran Wishart pierced the Canterbury defences with a slick dummy before peeling the ball out right to Eliesa Katoa.
It was only several minutes later that a costly drop from Canterbury fullback Connor Tracey forced a set restart from the Storm, and despite the Bulldogs having the left wing covered adequately, another dummy pass this time from the returning Papenhuyzen opened up space for him to scurry across the line.
Canterbury botched a key opportunity to make it 12-4 if not 12-6 right on the stroke of half-time but new recruit Lachlan Galvin committed a forward pass to bring an end to the first half.
They did however make use of an extra set of six shortly after half-time, having recovered a smothered kick, and hooker Bailey Hayward scored from dummyhalf to halve the deficit.
A potential turning point arrived just moments later when, six minutes into the second half, Storm captain Harry Grant was sin binned by the bunker for a shoulder charge.
Grant's protests went unanswered, but despite that the Storm were able to maintain control of the ball for the majority of his ten minute absence and they would then score as though they were the side with the extra man on the pitch, when some quick movement across the pitch saw Jonah Pezet find an unmarked Xavier Coates on the left wing with a well weighted chip kick.
It summed up a wasteful ten minute period for the Bulldogs during which Jacob Kiraz appeared to have made a successful charge to the corner only for the video referee to have found he lost control of the grounding.
Viliame Kikau hit back for the Bulldogs in the 58th minute following some ill disciplined rugby from Grant Anderson, who was seen making contact with the head of Matt Burton following a knock-on from the Canterbury five-eighth.
The impressive Friday night crowd was left to be biting their fingernails to the bone after Jacob Kiraz brought the margin back to six, and again when it appeared that Viliame Kikau was going to go down behind the posts, but a strong tackle from Anderson forced a knock-on in the try area.
Melbourne opened up a four-point gap ahead of third-placed Canterbury with the victory, all but guaranteeing two home finals in September owing to a far superior points difference.
