7 Apr 2014

Storm rocked by McKinnon incident

12:18 pm on 7 April 2014

Melbourne Storm league officials admit the Alex McKinnon tackle incident has rocked the club but they're refusing to use it as an excuse for their plummeting form.

The Storm's upset 28-26 home loss to the surprise new leaders Gold Coast on Sunday was their second straight defeat since the devastating spinal injury suffered by Newcastle forward McKinnon at their AAMI Park ground 13 days earlier.

The incident appears to be having a widespread effect on the whole team, with their defence shredded, and they were guilty of missing 32 tackles on Sunday.