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In a match that was everything it was expected to be, the Melbourne Storm have claimed the minor premiership with what ended up being a dominating 20-point victory over the Cronulla Sharks.
The Storm were fantastic for the duration of the game, and while the Sharks certainly didn’t put in what could be considered a bad performance, they just didn’t execute when in possession.
Click here for the full match report
Melbourne Storm – 26
Cronulla Sharks – 6
The minor premiership will be up for grabs in the final round of the season when the Melbourne Storm host the Cronulla Sharks at AAMI Park. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:30pm (AEST).
Coming into this final round of the competition, the Storm sit on top of the table with 40 competition points while the Sharks are on 39 thanks to a draw they had against the Gold Coast Titans.
That means the winner tonight will become the minor premiers. For the Sharks there is more riding on it – if they were to lose and the third placed Raiders win then it is extremely likely their positions would swap, meaning the Raiders would hold home ground advantage next weekend.
The Storm might be on top of the table but their form has left plenty to be desired in the last couple of weeks. Losses to the Raiders and Broncos, along with some unconvincing wins leave them needing to make a statement.
Melbourne are not usually dominated in the forwards, but that is exactly what has been happening and they need to get back to where they were earlier in the season, and fast!
Cronulla, like Melbourne, has hit a few rocky times after their incredible winning streak through the middle of the season. They lost to the Raiders and the Dragons in what was an absolute boil over before recapturing their form last week against the Roosters.
Still, off-field issues involving Andrew Fifita won’t be good for their momentum and it would be a shock if he were to play this weekend.
In team news, the Storm will be without the suspended Nelson Asofa-Solomona with Christian Welch and Matt White added to an extended bench. The Sharks are unchanged from their win over the Roosters.
The teams last met back in Round 4 when the Sharks announced themselves and their obvious intentions for the season, putting in a massive performance to take victory 14-6 on a Monday night.
Interestingly enough, the Storm have a massive edge over the Sharks in head-to-head, winning 20 out of 30.
Prediction
Hard to split these two teams, but I feel the Storm need to make a bit of a statement about their form as we head towards the finals, and with home ground advantage expect them to get the job done and raise the J.J. Giltinan shield.
Storm by 4 in a physical encounter.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of this minor premiership deciding match in Melbourne from 7:30pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde