By Stathi Paxinos
THE biggest losing margin in rugby league history in Australia. A 40-0 scoreline. An eight-try drubbing.
It was not meant to have ended this way for the Melbourne Storm, a team that had come to Sydney for the National Rugby League grand final against Manly to cement itself as the team of its generation.
It will instead leave humbled by a team that was hellbent on avenging its grand final loss last year.
Melbourne finished punch-drunk as Manly ran rings around the defending premier, racking up the biggest score ever in a grand final, eclipsing Easts' 38-point win over St George in 1975.
The Storm, after three consecutive minor premierships and three grand finals, will now have its place in history questioned, with a return of only one premiership from a period of dominance that looks to be coming to an end.
It was not just a beating yesterday, it was a thumping. Melbourne had limped into the NRL decider on the back of a month of hard matches and carrying a host of injuries to the likes of Jeff Lima (knee), Greg Inglis and Anthony Quinn (Achilles).
It was also apparent just how much the Storm missed suspended captain Cameron Smith, with the team lacking any direction in attack when attempting to get back in the game in the early part of the second half.
It was a sad finish for veteran Matt Geyer, the last remaining foundation player, who played his 268th and final game yesterday after a 12-year career, of which all but one season was at the Storm. Geyer will head to retirement on the Gold Coast with two premiership rings from four grand finals.
It was also an undeserved end for five other players on the field — Israel Folau, Michael Crocker, Jeremy Smith, Russell Aitken and Antonio Kaufusi — who will be continuing their careers elsewhere next season.
For Manly fans it was a fairytale finish for club legend Steve Menzies, who scored a try just seconds after returning to the field with 10 minutes remaining. ANZ Stadium erupted as Menzies, who played all his 349 games at the Sea Eagles but will be leaving for the British Super League next season, touched down his 180th try.
Manly had been the form team of the back end of the season and in the preliminary had slapped aside New Zealand Warriors.
The Sea Eagles became only the second team to reverse the result of a grand final against the same opponent in the second year when it collected its first premiership since 1996.
The game was scoreless for the first 25 minutes, but it was not boring. The two best teams for the past two years were putting on an enthralling spectacle.
Manly scored when hooker Matt Ballin sold a dummy to the Melbourne goal-line defence to plough over from dummy half.
Manly's second try was controversial to say the least. The Sea Eagles were given the chance by a dropped ball from Antonio Kaufusi when hit by a Matt Orford tackle. Manly took advantage of the change in possession, spreading the ball to the left winger Michael Robertson who aimed for the corner on the outside of Steve Turner.
Robertson was taken over the sideline in the Turner tackle and video referees Bill Harrigan and Steve Clark were called on to determine if Robertson's foot had gone into touch before he grounded the ball. The try was awarded much to the displeasure of Storm captain Cooper Cronk.
Manly looked to have put the game beyond Melbourne when Robertson scored his second try in the 48th minute when he collected a clever Orford kick just inside the sideline and grounded the ball before Slater could come across in defence. Steve Matai took over the conversion duties after Orford missed his first two attempts and nailed it from the sideline to give the Sea Eagles a 14-0 lead.
If there was any doubt over the final outcome it was beyond doubt when Robertson scored his third try just a few minutes later when he capped off a flowing move.
It had been a disrupted lead-up for Melbourne. Not only had it limped into the grand final, it was branded Public Enemy No. 1 by the Sydney media that tried to do the near impossible by getting all of NSW to support Manly — no easy feat given it is traditionally the most hated team in the competition.