Melbourne have changed their usual NRL grand final preparation for good reason – their regular match eve hotel was in Parramatta.

The Storm have spent grand final eve at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Phillip Street, Parramatta for the past three years but won’t be returning this week before playing Parramatta on Sunday.

You can’t sleep in enemy territory, and it would probably seem inappropriate to celebrate there too.

The NRL had made a tentative booking for an out-of-town grand finalist to stay at the Parramatta hotel, but last week the Storm decided to make their own arrangements.

Storm officials confirmed the team would stay near match venue ANZ Stadium at Homebush on grand final eve, avoiding a hostile reception in the heart of Eels territory.

As Storm captain Cameron Smith said on Monday: “They love their team up there.”

Smith said he expects a mainly pro-Parramatta crowd at ANZ Stadium on Sunday with Sydney fans expected throw their full support behind the Eels as they attempt to complete their fairytale late season run with the title.

“At the end of the day we travel to opposition grounds for half the games of the year and have to come up against some hostile fans,” he said.

“We need to put that out of our heads, the things that we can’t control, the weather, the crowd the referee, who we’re playing against, we can’t control that.”

© AAP 2012

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