Roosters edge Storm 14-6 to earn grand final berth
The Roosters are heading to yet another grand final after downing the Storm 14-6 to set up a what could be a history making clash with Canberra.
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Rugby league's machine will face the Green Machine of Canberra to decide the 2019 NRL premiership.
The mighty Sydney Roosters will start short-priced $1.35 favourites with the bookies to win back-to-back premierships and achieve what no team has done since the brilliant 1992-1993 Brisbane Broncos.
The reigning premiers are through to the grand final against the $3.25 outsiders Canberra next Sunday after fighting off the champion side they are, the Melbourne Storm, in front of 32,814 at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday night.
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And Roosters coach Trent Robinson was eager to explain why the 2019 version won't be weighed-down by their shot at history.
"I've loved the way we haven't looked to do what we did last year,'' Robinson said.
"We haven't followed the same path (as last year) at all.
"This is brand new and we're not done. We're not trying to hold onto something, we're trying to go after something in 2019.''
The decider will also be Cooper Cronk's final match of his career - and remarkably he can become the first player in almost 30-years to win three straight premierships after his 2017 success with the Storm and last year with the Roosters.
Predictably, the build-up to the grand final has already begun.
If last year's countdown to the decider was all about Cronk's damaged shoulder - the next seven days will all be about Luke Keary's ankle, of which he hobbled out of Moore Park with on Saturday night and whether co-captain Jake Friend will return from a long injury lay-off for the decider.
Keary was able to train in just one of the Roosters training sessions over the past fortnight before beating the Storm.
Robinson indicated he won't be revealing his final line-up until an hour before kick-off next Sunday.
"Why would I (let everyone know any earlier)?,'' Robinson said.
In ending Melbourne's season, the Roosters gutsy victory was also soured by a heavy concussion to the irreplaceable Mitchell Aubusson, while hitman Zane Tetevano and Keary face a nervous wait from the NRL match review committee.
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Keary, the 2018 Clive Churchill medallist, will come under scrutiny for pulling the hair of Felise Kaufusi in the 24th minute, before the Roosters pivot then doubled-up on the Storm forward with a swinging arm.
The blow to Kaufusi's head was enough for him to play no further part in the match.
Tetevano was placed on-report for a 41st minute high shot on Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyen.
Critically, the Roosters will welcome back enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves for the grand final of which sees Ricky Stuart strive to win a second premiership after collecting his first title as a coach with the Roosters in 2002.
"I won't keep everyone guessing about Jared,'' Robinson said.
The Raiders haven't beaten the Roosters this year with the Tri-colours winning 30-24 in round nine and 22-18 in round 21 this year.
As far as spectacles go, Saturday night's preliminary final was far from a classic.
Robinson knows his side will need to improve to beat the Raiders - particularly in defence, admitting he was unhappy not to keep Melbourne to zero points on the scoreboard.
"I'm obviously very proud to get into a grand final, we worked really hard for it,'' Robinson said.
"We did some things really well and then naturally for me, I'm thinking what have we got to do next week?
'I feel like we can execute much better than what we did in attack tonight.
"We've got a week to improve still.''
Perhaps, if there's one person happier than the Chook Pen this morning, it's Stuart.
Two of the best teams over the past decade battered each other in the scrappy affair, which included four players leaving the field for HIA's.
One of those was Aubusson who Robinson said he was confident would make a full recovery.
Robinson said the strength of the 2019 Roosters was their ability to adapt to different styles of games and Saturday night's was proof of that.
Not only were there nine penalties blown in the first half-hour (6-3 to the Roosters), but there was also 12 errors (six each) which gave an indication into the stop-start match.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy lamented his side's second defeat in their three finals but said he was wholeheartedly proud of the club's season and in particular their achievement in winning the minor premiership.
'I couldn't be more proud of what we've done all year,'' Bellamy said.
"Usually I'm more upset than the players, but I'm not tonight.''
SYDNEY ROOSTERS 14 (B Cordner J Tedesco tries L Mitchell 3 goals) bt MELBOURNE 6 (N Asofa-Solomona try C Smith goal) at Sydney Cricket Ground. Referee: Gerard Sutton, Adam Gee
Originally published as Roosters edge Storm 14-6 to earn grand final berth