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Will Chambers (Melb) scores the 1st try NRL - 2009 Preliminary Finals Melbourne Storm vs Brisbane Broncos Etihad Stadium, Melbourne Saturday 26 September 2009 © Sport the library/Jeff Crow ©Action Photographics
The most consistent team of the decade now has a chance to become the greatest after Melbourne booked a NRL grand final showdown with Parramatta with a 40-10 annihilation of Brisbane on Saturday night.
The Storm were simply dominant in the seven-tries-to-two victory as they secured a spot in their fourth straight grand final and a chance to add to their 2007 premiership.
It is the first time since Parramatta in 1981-84 that a team has reached the decider in four successive seasons.
The Storm booked their date with destiny in style, the emphatic victory continuing their irresistible finals form after a 40-12 thumping of minor premiers two weeks ago.
Fullback Billy Slater (two) and centre Greg Inglis (three) scored some breathtaking tries at Etihad Stadium but it was the performance of five-eighth Brett Finch that also stood out.
Finch set up two tries and is now set to become the story of the grand final as he faces the former teammates and club he walked out on just four weeks into the 2009 season.
Finch took just three minutes to make his mark on Saturday’s game, throwing a superb pass for Will Chambers to score untouched and spark a rampant first half for a 22-0 lead at the break.
The former Eel was at it again almost immediately into the second term, busting through the line from a scrum to offload for Inglis to score his second of the night.
Inglis scored his third with an 80m intercept while Slater capped the victory in front of 27,687 fans when he latched onto a Cameron Smith kick in the 73rd minute.
It took Slater’s amazing record to 13 tries in his last five appearances at the enclosed stadium, a tally which should have been 14 but referee Jared Maxwell refused to check the fullback’s effort in the 12th minute even though the ball was resting on the tryline.
Slater left no doubt with spectacular solo effort in the 20th minute when he broke out of the clutches of two defenders and grubbered for himself to score in the corner.
The star fullback didn’t just score tries, he saved two.
He joined Cooper Cronk and Inglis for a first-half trysaver on Ben Te’o, then denied Tonie Carroll with a superb solo tackle midway through the second half.
It was a dark night for the Broncos, who looked a shadow of the side which had won their last seven games and couldn’t find a genuine replacement for injured halfback Peter Wallace.
Utility Alex Glenn, the man named in the No.7 jersey but replaced by Carroll in the run-on side, crawled across in the 59th minute while Israel Folau scored off a kick after the final siren.
Adding to Brisbane’s woes, centre Justin Hodges was put on report for a mid-air tackle on Dane Nielsen in the 66th minute that could result in a suspension during the Four-Nations tour.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy rated the first half his side’s best of the year and believes they’re hitting perfect form heading into a decider.
“It was probably as good a half of footy we have played certainly this year,” said Bellamy.
“Our best footy this year has been the last month.
“Making four grand finals in a row is a massive achievement.”
Cameron Smith said winning a second title would almost certainly put the Melbourne side among some of the great teams in rugby league history given their squad has been decimated by the salary cap each season.
“Winning the grand final would go a long way to being considered as one of the greatest teams,” said Smith.
“Four in a row is a massive achievement … its hard to describe how good it is.
“To be able to lift that trophy would be the icing on the cake.
“It would be a hollow feeling to go in and not lift that trophy at the end of the game.”
Broncos coach Ivan Henjak said his side simply couldn’t fight their way into the contest.
But he refused to use the absence of halfback Wallace as an excuse.
“We are always going to miss someone of that calibre, he is an important part of the team,” said Henjak.
“We are not going to use that as an excuse. They played well tonight and they deserved to win.”
Skipper Darren Lockyer said the Storm are near impossible to beat when they perform so clinically.
“Melbourne give you nothing,” he said. “They are going to be difficult to beat.”
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