It wasn't just on the scoreboard that the Brisbane Broncos took a beating on Friday night, with utility Kodi Nikorima having his shoulder popped back into place by a trainer after the final whistle. 

It was revealed that Nikorima dislocated his shoulder in the first half but played on as he tried to patch up a reshuffled backline. The diminutive bench utility was slotted first onto the wing and then at fullback but could not stop Melbourne taking full advantage of Corey Oates' absence, after the Maroons' winger left with a concussion.

After the final whistle and trailing 48-6, Nikorima casually threw the ball over the dead ball line before being hit in the side by a flying Suliasi Vunivalu. 

Vunivalu, the NRL's leading try-scorer, was given the man-of-the-match award after a stunning performance for the Storm – which saw him grab another three tries as Brisbane suffered their biggest-ever loss at Suncorp Stadium. 

"They [Storm] were very good. That's all I can say but we knew that," Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett said. "We got the injury and they exploited that – there wasn't much we could do to fix it."

Bennett played down Origin fears for Oates. "He's conscious now. He's fine. He will be right in 10 days' time or so [for Origin III on July 13]."