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
V.O.R.
Guest
Rene sorry mate, don't be fooled by the old adage that the finals is a new comp. It's redundant these days at this level of professionalism. Fairy tales happen once a decade at most and that script belongs to the young Panthers if anyone. If Cronulla was a racehorse you would be putting it out to pasture.
RICK 88
Guest
Good win Storm, as for complaints on field, you make your own luck playing football, these guys are supposed to be professionals so mistakes should be minimal, coach's have a big impact on this and Bellamy is one of the best, so errors are cut to a minimum, they also work on their game plans and practice it time and time again. the Storm have a good roster with good players on the bench, and others waiting their opportunity, and being a one City Club has its advantages, in a AFL environment helps as well, they are not (Players) hassled by media as in Northern States. If the Victorian League can create more Melbourne born players on their roster, you will create larger crowds, plus wider coverage then I cannot see any other Club challenge them. (Barring Brisbane) We have the Rebels (Rugby) it took a while for them to get established, but are now a force within the Australian Conference.
Renegade
Guest
Whole new competition next week mate, the Sharks and raiders both only need to be at their best and they are in this to their eye balls.
V.O.R.
Guest
The missed tackles are a worry. No go forward tonight. Your backs are deadly if they get a look in. To be honest a Sydney team isn't going to win the title. Dogs are shot, Raiders can't close games out and switch off throughout, the Sharks have peeked winning only 1 game in their last 6. Melb, NQLD and Brisbane are all building. Still, it should be a cracker next week against Canberra.
Dan
Guest
Blair seems to work better on Koroibete's wing. With Morgan on that side, they lost a lot of the attack power they had when they were on the 7 match streak. Not sure why. Maybe Morgan is more of a natural right-side centre, which is why he played so well filing in for Chambers.
Dan
Guest
"Every time they start to get ahead someone comes up with something to drag them down." Are you seriously suggesting 4 weeks of poor form is due to someone else?
JR Salazar
Guest
AFL's next door mate.
LMM
Guest
Wow Richard Maybury is the most one eyed fan i've ever seen, its almost as if it is a gee up. Onto the game, nobody will beat the Storm if they are allowed to "tackle" like this for the finals series. No team can get any momentum , and are frustrated into errors.
Renegade
Roar Guru
Hahaha no I'm not an excessive gambler.... Put some on them at the start of the year to make the GF and that's it, odds were too low to put more on unless you put some really big bucks down. I'm honestly not that dissapointed by tonight... I think they've knock the Storm over if they meet again, long way to go before they get that opportunity though. Canberra is the focus now. Yeah Cows coming along nicely but it's honestly a wide open race at the moment.... Storm deserving of the favourites tag though.
V.O.R.
Guest
hope you didn't put your house on them Rene. You should of doubled up on the Cows. ;)
Richard Maybury
Guest
Absolutely spot on Brett Many sharks fans seem to think they should be given the trophy just because the media has told them that it is their year. Well its finals now and there are 7 other teams out there that believe that this is their year and it will be the team that works hardest that will lift the trophy. Media B.S. and Fans wishful thinking delivers nothing but frustration.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Thanks mate!
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Good call Scotty.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
Sounds like a plan.
Brett
Guest
This is the same crap the Cowboys used to say, until they knuckled down and won the comp in 2015. If Sharks want it, they'll win it.............but it has to be earned.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Can we bring back Newtown too? I'm sure having all the clubs Phil Gould played reserve grade for in the competition will help the NRL be more successful.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Cheers Zedman Absolutely! Can't wait!
Scott Pryde
Expert
Well, that wraps up The Roar's live coverage of Saturday Night Footy in Round 26 as the Melbourne Storm claimed the minor premiership with a 20-point victory over the Cronulla Sharks. Hopefully you enjoyed the coverage. Be sure to join us over the rest of the round, with the Tigers taking on the Raiders tomorrow in a huge game that finalises the make-up of the top eight. I'm straight onto Stage 14 of the Vuelta a Espana so join me over here - http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/09/03/vuelta-a-espana-2016-stage-14-live-race-updates-blog/ See you for the NRL Finals next weekend! Bye for now.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
24,135 people in attendance. What a silly idea expansion is. It's just wrong. Right? Let's bring back Glebe instead.
Scott Pryde
Expert
MATCH RESULTS 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. Of course much of that credit must go to the Storm defence, but the Sharks offence looked a little clunky at times with some big breaks going begging. In fact, the Sharks made seven line breaks, for the return of one try. The Storm though, were the better of the sides through the middle of the park and in a game that was always expected to be physical that was a big part of the reason they were able to take the win. On the back of that, it was Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk, with influence from Blake Green and Cameron Munster who were able to guide Melbourne around the park and ensure they go the job done. The scoring got underway with a pair of penalty goals, with the Sharks sending one over in the 11th minute, and the Storm answering back just four minutes later. Cheyse Blair would get the try scoring underway just five minutes later, and it would end up being the only try of the first half. The Storm would go left from Blake Green to Blair, and he ran straight through a hole to score under the sticks. Michael Ennis could also be in some trouble after putting in an ugly looking shoulder charge on Green as he passed out of the line. From there, the Storm would kick another penalty goal to extend their lead to eight, which is where it stood at halftime. The Storm didn't take long to get things going following halftime, with Cheyse Blair crossing for his second try. The Sharks defended the first set quite well, however a charge down would result in six more tackles and a great segment of passing with some soft defence saw Blair stroll over. It took almost a quarter of an hour for Melbourne to crash over again, with Suliasi Vunivalu flying through the air to grab a try in the corner from a Cooper Cronk cross field kick. The Sharks would keep some small hope of a comeback alive with about ten minutes to go as Gerard Beale crossed in the corner off the back of a penalty and wonderful Michael Ennis try assist. Melbourne though, would grind through much of the next couple of minutes and despite some opportunities Cronulla couldn't capitalise and Jesse Bromwich would barge his way over off a Cameron Smith pass. In the end, the Storm way too good for the Sharks, who just couldn't execute enough to go close. Final Score Melbourne Storm 26 Cronulla Sharks 6