Player ratings: How the Storm and Eels fared in finals

IT might have been a tight match on the field but it wasn't so close in the player ratings. See who smashed their opposite numbers and why right here.

It was a close match but the Storm dominate in the player ratings.

• MATCH REPORT: Storm beat Eels in nailbiting final

• ANALYSIS: Where Storm v Eels was won and lost

IT might have been a tight match on the field but it wasn't so close in the player ratings.

See who smashed their opposite numbers and why right here.

Billy Slater9Turned the game by drawing a penalty and then scoring a try. Slater won the match for the Storm.	FULLBACK	Will Smith8The best player on the park in the first 40. Smith scored a try and threatened the Storm with every touch.
Suliasi Vunivalu4A horror first half put the Storm under huge pressure. Made two errors to turn over the ball and had little impact.	WING	Semi Radradra4Wasn’t sighted until the 66th minute when he scored to put the Eels back in the match. It was his only touch of note.
Will Chambers8Got through plenty of work and came up with a clutch catch late in the game to deny the Eels. Made 138 meters.	CENTRE	Michael Jennings5Limited opportunity and not the impact expected from a former Kangaroo.
Curtis Scott6Set up the Storm’s first try and was solid in defence.	CENTRE	Brad Takairangi6Went looking for work in the middle and made an impact.
Josh Addo-Carr7Scored the first try then cost his side one with a defensive error. Set-up Slater’s try and threatened the Eels in the second half.	WING	Kirisome Auva’a8Recovered from a slow start to upstage the other big-name wingers. He made 141 meters – the most of any Eel.
Cameron Munster5Cost his team a scoring chance by reaching out on the second before leaving his side short when he was sent to the bin for a professional foul.	5/8	Corey Norman7Hot and cold. Set up the Eels first try but also made errors, including throwing a forward pass.
Cooper Cronk7Lethal in the first 20 minutes before being forced onto the back foot. Helped lead the Storm home.	H/BACK	Mitchell Moses7Magical sleight of hand to put the Eels in front before the half-time break. Looked dangerous but couldn’t win the match when it was on the line.
Jesse Bromwich8A strong up front performance from the Kiwi prop. Made more metres than other Storm forward.	PROP	Daniel Alvaro7Solid workrate. The underated forward made 75m and 36 tackles.
Cameron Smith8Did what he needed to do. His defence was outstanding.	HOOKER	Cameron King7Matched it with the best hooker in the history of the game for much of the match.
Jordan McLean7Always threatening with both his off-load and ability to break the line.	PROP	Tim Mannah5Tried hard with-out impact. Not his finest hour.
Felise Kaufusi6Set-up a try with a storming edge run.	2ND ROW	Manu Ma’u4Took Slater out with a needless foul and made a costly second half drop. His errors ruined an otherwise good game. Gave away another match turning penalty late and was put on report.
Tohu Harris7Had little impact in attack but was among the Storm’s best defenders with 40 tackles.	2ND ROW	Tepai Moeroa4Taken off after only 16 minutes in a big blow for the Eels.
Dale Finucane6Looked flat after a week off. Worked hard with-out the football.	LOCK	Nathan Brown6Tireless effort with the forward playing tough in both attack and defence. His discipline was a concern.
Kenny Bromwich6Good moments and some not so good moments. He was a handful at times.	I/CHANGE	Beau Scott6Little impact from the former NSW Origin star. Defended well but was far from a stand-out.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona5Threw the final pass in the miracle Storm try but also made some costly mistakes.	I/CHANGE	Kenny Edwards7Made an immediate impact with and with-out the ball.
Tim Glasby5Solid off the bench but his 78th chicken wing gave the Eels a chance.	I/CHANGE	Siosaia Vave5Not a lot of game time for the interchange forward.
Slade Griffin4Limited game time but worked hard when he got his chance.	I/CHANGE	Suaia Matagi6Made an impact with a series of strong charges. A handful of the bench.
108	TOTAL	102

Originally published as Player ratings: How the Storm and Eels fared in finals