Storm beat Eels by two points in a nailbiter of a NRL final

THE Storm had a sluggish start but managed to turn it around in the second half to beat the Eels in an absolute nailbiter of a finals match.

Tepai Moeroa is tackled during the Storm v Eels clash in Melbourne.

• PLAYER RATINGS: Eels v Storm

• ANALYSIS: Where Storm v Eels was won and lost

AT LEAST Parramatta won’t have to wait eight more years to play another finals game.

On a day when they ended the biggest break in between finals football, the Eels showed they are a premiership worthy team despite losing 18-16 to the Storm yesterday.

The Eels — who finished with two players on report — overcame a slow start in their first finals match since losing to Melbourne in the 2009 grand final but it was refereeing decisions which left Eels coach Brad Arthur seething at the match officials for failing to go to the bunker on a crucial Storm try.

Parramatta led 10-4 at half-time and perhaps the greatest complement to bestow on them was they achieved what few have been able to do this year — they made Melbourne look very un-Storm like in front of 22,626 spectators.

Tepai Moeroa is tackled during the Storm v Eels clash in Melbourne.

The cool heads of Melbourne were frazzled. They spilt easy ball as they struggled with the Eels interchange of passes as well as their gangtackle mentality. Parramatta ensured whenever Cooper Cronk and Cameron Munster took the ball to the line they ended up on their backsides.

And it almost worked in what would have been one of the greatest final boilovers, with goalkicking proving the difference.

The Eels now face a do-or-die battle against the winner of Cronulla and North Queensland.

“Momentum changed a few times with both teams,” Arthur said.

“I’m extremely proud of our boys for the way they fought back. We wouldn’t have any ball or field passion in that second half. First opportunity we got we scored.

Kenny Bromwich is congratulated by teammates after scoring a try.

“(The result) was a missed opportunity. The boys showed plenty of want and desire. We showed we are good enough. No one gave us a chance.”

Melbourne looked like they were going to celebrate Cameron Smith’s record-breaking 356th game in style. They raced to a 4-0 lead in as many minutes when Josh Addo-Carr scored in the corner, with replays backing referee Ben Cummins’ decision to overrule his sideline official and rule Parramatta winger Kirisome Auva’a had knocked a Curtis Scott pass down before Addo-Carr swooped.

Only some last-gasp defence from the Eels prevented an early blowout.

Billy Slater scores a try to get his team back in the match. Picture: Mark Stewart

Parramatta lost Daniel Alvaro and Tepai Moeroa to concussions tests in the first 15 minutes with only Alvaro — who was later placed on report for striking — returning. Manu Ma’u was also placed on report for a grapple tackle.

The match tilted in Parramatta’s favour when they scored two tries while Cameron Munster was sin-binned. A Corey Norman pass laid on the points for Auva’a before a set-piece and no-look pass from Mitchell Moses set Will Smith up to give the Eels a six- point half-time lead.

Parramatta completed their opening 15 sets with the Storm barley clinging on at the break. But a crucial referee decision turned the game. A last-tackle play which went through 10 sets of hands and finished with a Kenny Bromwich try levelled the scores six minutes into the second half.

Kenny Edwards was fiery as ever in the clash.

The first pass appeared to have been handed by Cronk into an offside Tim Glasby before the hot potato play started.

“We’ve got the bunker, we have to go the bunker for the tries,” Arthur said. “Our first try went straight to the bunker. (They should have checked) their first one, their second one. I think they needed to have a look at it. To make sure, why did we look at ours?”

The Storm had another four minutes later when Slater scored to stretch the lead to eight.

Parramatta kept their chances of an upset alive when Semi Radradra scored to have the Eels within two with 13 minutes remaining.

The Storm have now booked themselves a third consecutive preliminary final, entrenching themselves as one of the great NRL teams.