Player ratings: Storm v Sharks NRL grand final qualifier 2018
THE Sharks slugged their hearts out for 80 minutes but came up well short against a Storm side that make it a habit of qualifying for grand finals. Check out who flew and who flopped with our player ratings.
Sharks
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VINTAGE Melbourne Storm.
That’s what we can take away from this grand final qualifier.
The Sharks slugged their hearts out for 80 minutes but came up well short against a Storm side that make it a habit of qualifying for grand finals.
Check out who flew and who flopped with our player ratings.
MELBOURNE
Billy Slater: Will this be the last game he ever plays? Surely not. Regardless, it was a good ‘un. 9
Suliasi Vunivalu: Saved a try but has had bigger games. 6
Will Chambers: Limited opportunities for the man who boasts more lip than Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler. 6
Curtis Scott: Solid. Sadly, didn’t get a chance to let his hands go in a stink. 6
Josh Addo-Carr: No highlight reel moment, but geez the Fox almost got there late. 6
Cameron Munster: Looser than a Hawaiian shirt this bloke and plays accordingly. Beautiful. 8
Brodie Croft: Melbourne halfback conundrum? Seems like forever ago. 7
Jesse Bromwich: Charged harder than a Sydney cabbie after midnight. 8
Cameron Smith: Goes OK the old bloke. Will likely become the first man to play NRL with his son. 8
Tim Glasby: Busted himself early. Came back late. 5
Felise Kaufusi: Helped orchestrate one try, saved another. 8
Joe Stimson: Cut his melon early. Cut through Cronulla from there on. 7
Dale Finucane: If ever somebody has to play for my life, please let it be this bloke. Relentless. 7
Interchange
Kenny Bromwich: Heads the most famous bench outside that one Forrest Gump sat on. 6
Christian Welch: Limited game time but almost killed Edrick Lee in a tackle. 6
Nelson Asofa-Solomona: Big unit played off the bench like you would expect a fella bigger than a block of flats 6
Brandon Smith: Runs like kamikazee pilots flew. Can’t wait to see him get more time. 5
TOTAL 114
CRONULLA
Valentine Holmes: On a night when most of the Sharks were Jaws IV, this bloke remained as threatening as the original. 7
Sosaia Feki: Busted his shoulder after just 23 minutes. 4
Jesse Ramien: Plenty of nice touches. Can’t wait to see what he brings to a Knights backline with Pearce and Ponga. 6
Ricky Leutele: Made a blunder early and saw plenty of traffic in defence. 5
Edrick Lee: Poor bugger can’t take a trick when it comes to NRL finals. 5
Matt Moylan: Couple of big errors in both attack and defence. 5
Chad Townsend: Rarely threatened on a night when the Sharks only try came with the game done. 5
Andrew Fifita: Unsurprisingly, a mixed bag. Big numbers, but was fighting when Melbourne scored one of their tries. 6
Jayden Brailey: Little bloke tackled his clacker off. 6
Matt Prior: More reliable than a Maccas menu. 6
Luke Lewis: Played his last ever game held together by elastoplast and spit. Scored a try. Will be missed. 5
Kurt Capewell: It’s gunna be tough for any backrower when he’s shifted to the wing. 5
Aaron Woods: Started a Bulldog, morphed into a Shark and on this performance has likely made himself a Kangaroo 7
Interchange
Scott Sorensen: Bigger games ahead for the young forward. 5
James Segeyaro: Sadly, it was more of the same for this utility who boasts one of the worst finals records in the NRL. 5
Jayson Bukuya: Tried hard off the bench. 6
Joseph Paulo: Mixed game off the bench after waiting a dozen years and 166 games for his first finals appearance. 5
TOTAL 93