Reaction to the 2017 NRL grand final

MELBOURNE’S grand final demolition job had Joey Johns making a bombshell call about three of the game’s biggest superstars.

Joey’s in shock.

THE Cowboys have been sent home with sore heads after a Melbourne Storm rampage took the 2017 grand final by the throat.

The Storm sent off outgoing veteran Cooper Cronk in style with a 34-6 victory to cap off a stellar year at the top of the NRL.

Here were the major talking points from the grand final.

JOEY: ‘I’M JUST SHAKING MY HEAD’

Will we ever see this level of dominance again?

When you have arguably the game’s greatest player in awe, you know you’ve got something special.

The Storm’s demolition of the Cowboys in Sunday’s grand final had NRL legend Andrew Johns in shock, praising the pack’s expert display throughout the 2017 season.

The Storm lost just four matches throughout the year and took the minor premiership home with ease before getting the job done on the first day of October.

“You may never see players this good playing together again,” Johns said during the Channel Nine broadcast at halftime.

“I sit back and watch these players in awe, continually under pressure. You can’t shut them down. I am watching them tonight and I am just shaking my head in big matches under pressure.

“They keep coming up with the right play. It is just a privilege to sit and watch these three players.”

GREEN BITTER OVER GRAND FINAL CONTROVERSY

Green wasn’t happy with how things went.

Cowboys coach Paul Green says Josh Addo-Carr’s opening try should have been disallowed after claims five-eighth Te Maire Martin was blocked by referee Matt Cecchin as he attempted to come across in cover.

“I did (have an issue),” Green said. “I thought the ref knocked him (Martin) over and I reckon he would have made the tackle on Addo-Carr.

“It takes a bit of wind out of your sail, it’s against the run of play, and in a big game like that and against a really good team — I’ve said all along they’re the best team all year — so when you’re playing team like that, you can’t have things go against you like that.”

Green said the crushing loss needs to motivate his troops and inspire them to work even harder for their next shot at winning a premiership.

He bemoaned the team’s inability to put any meaningful pressure on the Storm when it found itself in prime attacking territory before asking the players to learn from their mistakes.

“Last year’s loss for Melbourne (against Cronulla) lit a fire for them and hopefully it does the same for us,” Green said.

“If we just think it will happen for us next year, we won’t get another opportunity (to play in a grand final).

“These games are not easy to make so you can’t presume anything will happen next year.

“There are plenty of positives but as a group we need to take our lessons.”

Halfback Michael Morgan said the Cowboys were “embarrassed” in a horrible end to a season in which they’ve over-achieved in most people’s eyes.

“It does hurt, it feels like a waste of a season to be honest,” Morgan said. “You come this far and we were a little bit embarrassed. That scoreline doesn’t reflect the effort we put in through this year.

“They’re the best at breaking a team down and knowing what their role is. We certainly felt that.”

‘I’LL WAKE UP WITH A HANGOVER AND I’LL THINK ABOUT IT’

Still no answer.

Earlier in the year, Melbourne Storm fans were hit with the harsh news Cooper Cronk would be leaving the club at the end of the season.

The 33-year-old announced he’d be moving to Sydney to be with fiance Tara Rushton, but has yet to make a call on whether he’ll continue playing in the NRL with another club.

Andrew Johns pressed the veteran halfback to make a call in front of millions of viewers after the match, but Cronk took the diplomatic way out.

“I’ll celebrate this (and) wake up with a hangover for a couple of days and have a think about it,” he said.

“It’s really hard to give up moments like this, Joey. You work extremely hard for it and the satisfaction ... there’s no words to describe it. This is my last time in a purple jersey and I’ll hang it up with pride. But I’ve got some thinking to do don’t I?”

Speculation has also raged about the future of fullback Billy Slater, who after returning from a long-term injury this season has shown he’s lost none of his class. But he too was keeping quiet on whether he’d be coming back to the NRL in 2018.

“I really don’t know yet. My body’s feeling really good,” Slater said.

“I always said it was physical. I love playing this game. I’ll make a decision soon. I’m feeling really good and I’m just going to enjoy this.

“I honestly didn’t know whether my body would let me (get) back here. It was tough to sit through last year, the boys going so close and being helpless. I wasn’t going to let that happen today.”

MELBOURNE’S MAIN MEN FEEL THE LOVE

Can you feel the love?

Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy had plenty of kind words for his stars as they basked in the glow of another premiership triumph.

“Billy got what he deserved tonight. To come back and win a premiership and Clive Churchill (Medal) — I can’t think of anyone more deserving,” he said.

“I thought we were dominant from the start. The Cowboys were unlucky losing Shaun Fensom, but our defence was great for the whole game.

“We were a lot more clinical than our two other finals, we had a light week on the training paddock to freshen them up a bit.

“The hardness of our running at the start of the game was great and we backed it up with great defence.”

Cameron Smith said this year’s success was especially sweet and urged Cooper Cronk to retire rather than play for another club.

“I don’t think I could play for another club,” Smith said. “Maybe there is another club out there with a million bucks.

“Whatever he decides to do, we will respect that, but it would be a pretty tough decision to go on after a finish like this at a club he has been at since he was 17.

“It’s a sad night for our club. Cooper is now finished, but I’m glad we gave him that finish. We wanted to do this for Coops and make it a special night for him.

“Regardless of the result, it wasn’t going to change his legacy.”

DEFEATED SKIPPER’S CLASSY MOMENT

Gavin Cooper had a classy moment after full-time.

There’s nothing appealing about addressing the country while exhausted, beaten and bloodied after a grand final, but Cowboys skipper Gavin Cooper made the most of his time on the podium to congratulate the NRL’s most dominant side in an emotional captain’s speech.

Cooper replaced the injured Johnathan Thurston at the helm in the second half of the season and was gracious as he heaped praise on Melbourne after the game.

“I just want to congratulate the whole Melbourne crew. You showed tonight what you’ve been showing all year,” he said. “You were a cut above everyone this year — everyone should be very proud of what you’ve done and achieved.

“Tonight, you gave us the tough stuff, congratulations. Enjoy the trophy.”

Cooper sent out a word for Storm players Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater.

“To Cooper Cronk and Bill — not sure what you’re doing (next year) — whatever you guys decide to do in the future, congrats on everything you’ve achieved,” he said.

“You’ve made our game a better place for the last 10 years and if you do leave, there’ll be some big shoes to fill.”

Not long after his classy speech Cooper revealed the truth about just how much this defeat hurt.

“I feel s***house,” he said. “I know what it feels like to win it and now I know what it feels like to lose one.

“We still believed we were here for a reason, it wasn’t luck, it was a lot of hard work. But our performance was sub-par, we didn’t play our best.”