The competition leaders locked in a top-two finish and a home qualifying final with the victory but the Sydney Roosters are still technically in the hunt for the JJ Giltinan Shield, although four points behind with two rounds to go.

"We're really happy that we've wrapped that (top two spot) up," Storm coach Craig Bellamy said.

"It's certainly an advantage being in the top two as you get the first final at home and hopefully we will take advantage of it down the track."

Expected to cruise to a big victory over the last-placed Titans, Melbourne trailed 8-6 at halftime on Sunday afternoon.

After falling to Canberra last round, Storm coach Bellamy blasted their poor completion rate, but didn't get the response he was after in the first half at AAMI Park.

The Storm only completed 11 of 19 sets - at 59 per cent - and were at the wrong end of an 8-3 penalty count, with centre Curtis Scott also put on report for a dangerous tackle.

Frustrated five-eighth Cameron Munster was the main offender, penalised twice for dissent as well as making three costly errors.

Munster was frank in his assessment of his game when interviewed as he walked off for halftime: "I don't want to swear on national television but that's absolute s**t from me," he said.

A circumspect Bellamy gave Gold Coast credit for putting pressure on his troops and was pleased his team managed to improve their ball handling in the second half.

"We weren't great in the second half either but we stuck right in there and built a bit of pressure on the Titans and defended well and got there in the end," Bellamy said.

"The ball control has been an issue that has popped its head up a few times so we will have to look at things a bit differently than we have been and go from there."

Melbourne took control of the match early in the second half after second-rower Kenny Bromwich offloaded to electric fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen for a try three minutes in.

The lead soon blew out to 10 points when Kenny's brother Jesse put Dale Finucane across.

The Titans' first-half try was a special, with winger Jesse Arthars leaping high above Josh Addo-Carr to snatch a Nathan Peats bomb.

Arthars didn't return for the second half after failing a HIA test when he landed heavily as Addo-Carr tunnelled under him as he went up for a high ball.

Although it appeared Addo-Carr was nudged into him, the Storm winger might find himself in some trouble with the match review committee.

Scott was put on report for a dangerous tackle on Titans winger Phillip Sami and Gold Coast hooker Mitch Rein faced the same fate for a second-half tackle on Brandon Smith.

Sami earned a new nickname as The Hound after a spectacular effort as he chased Addo-Carr, known as the Fox, over 90m to bring the Storm speedster down short of the tryline just before fulltime.

Australian Associated Press