The Melbourne Storm will play off against the Cronulla Sharks for the 2016 NRL premiership after those two sides won through to the decider on preliminary final weekend.
Melbourne Storm vs Cronulla Sharks
2016 NRL Grand Final
Time: 7:15pm (AEST)
Date: Sunday, October 2
Venue: ANZ Stadium
The Storm won their way through to the decider with a two-point victory over the Canberra Raiders in Melbourne on Saturday night.
“You’ve got to give the Raiders a lot of credit – they kept hanging in there,” said Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy.
“I’m really proud of this group, of what they’ve done, not only tonight but the whole season.”
The Storm finished on top of the ladder this season but will have to travel to Sydney to play in the decider, which will be held at ANZ Stadium as per usual.
“The hurt tonight is the start of a really, I hope, competitive strong era for the Canberra Raiders,” said Raiders coach Ricky Stuart regarding his team’s loss.
“This loss will help us achieve success in the near future.”
The Sharks earned their spot in the decider on Friday night, winning through against the North Queensland Cowboys.
Cronulla came away as the 32-20 winners over a Cowboys team that seemed to be fatigued after playing a thrilling semi-final agains the Brisbane Broncos last week.
The match will be Cronulla’s chance to claim the first NRL premiership in the history of the team, with retiree Michael Ennis and longtime servant Paul Gallen hoping to experience the ultimate success late in their careers.
For the Melbourne Storm it’ll be a chance to win the club’s third premiership overall, and their first since they were victorious in 2012.
The Storm’s win over the Raiders on Saturday night also happened to double as the 300th career game of one of their most dedicated and decorated stars, Cooper Cronk.
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