Brodie Croft, Billy Slater stand up as Storm surge to another NRL grand final
MELBOURNE roared back to its brilliant and devastating best, hammering a depleted Cronulla 22-6 to move within a win of becoming the first team in more than 20 years to defend the NRL crown.
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OVER to you, Cooper.
When Cooper Cronk moved to Bondi last year it marked the end of the ‘Big Three’ at Melbourne Storm and supposedly signaled the demise of the most dominant era in Australian sport – any code.
Losing Cronk certainly hurt Melbourne, and could still do next week when the Storm returns to ANZ Stadium looking to become the first team in more than 20 years to defend the NRL crown, should the Sydney Roosters get past Souths on Saturday night.
The reigning premier, who roared back to its brilliant and devastating best, hammering a depleted Cronulla Sharks 22-6, has the luxury of watching with interest as Sydney’s traditional rivals duke it out for a place in next Sunday’s decider.
The Storm cycled through three halfbacks this season, trying to do the impossible and fill Cronk’s boots.
Young gun Brodie Croft went from ‘Cronkbot’ to pariah in five weeks, then Ryley Jacks and Jahrome Hughes had turns in the playmaking role.
It was meant to be the Storm’s Achilles Heel.
Surely halfback by committee won’t stand up in the furnace that is finals football.
Think again.
Not only did Croft stand up on Friday night but his handy work in close and a 19th minute try put the Sharks on notice.
And it didn’t take long for the old guard to stamp its authority on the grand final qualifier played in the shadows of the MCG in front of an adoring crowd of 26,621 at AAMI Park.
Guess who? Billy Slater, in his last appearance in Melbourne the sizzling Storm superstar’s first-half double drove the dagger through Sharks’ hearts.
Slater, like the Storm, went into the game with the weight of the world on his surgically-repaired shoulders.
This could have been the end.
Thankfully it wasn’t.
Not yet anyway, as the Immortal-in-waiting sweats on the NRL match review committee’s grading of a shoulder charge.
And Slater made sure of it with a vintage show-and-go close to the line to set up the first four-pointer.
The second, running onto a dinky kick off the boot of Cameron Smith, was a gift after the Sharks got distracted by a skirmish behind play.
The Sharks were their own worst enemy, early when it mattered the most, gifting the Storm territory and possession on the back of avoidable penalties and handling errors.
You just can’t do that, not in Melbourne, not in a final, not on the big stage, not with Storm in such a mood.
The Storm was brutal with and without the ball. They ran hard and tackled harder, putting the Sharks, who lost both Josh Dugan (shoulder) and Paul Gallen (shoulder) before the game.
Sharks prop Andrew Fifita looks set for a delayed start to his 2019 campaign for his crusher tackle on Kenny Bromwich.
Ball control and poor completions, sounds familiar, right?
Well, the Storm wrestled their own problems in that department for most of the season, before finally clicking into gear during the mid-season Origin block.
Eight straight wins righted the Storm ship, and despite minor lapses in the run to September the reigning premier is again, the team to beat.
MELBOURNE 22 (B Slater 2 B Croft tries C Smith 5 goals) bt CRONULLA 6 (L Lewis try V Holmes goal) at AAMI Park. Referee: Gerard Sutton, Ben Cummins. Crowd: 26,621
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