After a tough few years, the Melbourne Storm are finally back on top

They proved to be the form team of the competition by a country mile this season, and on Sunday night the Melbourne Storm finally made it count by thrashing the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL grand final.

The Storm entered the finals series having lost just four games, the worst of which was by just 16 points when an Origin-depleted side was defeated by the Parramatta Eels at home in Round 18.

They also never lost consecutive games, highlighting their consistency.

Thus, it was going to take a monumental effort by the Cowboys – who only just qualified for the finals after the Dragons were upset by the Bulldogs on the final day of Round 26 – to bring them down.

The northerners had lost their final game of the regular season to the Broncos by 20-10, and were at risk of missing September for the first time since finishing second-last in 2010 (only the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal saved them from the embarrassment of the wooden spoon).

However, they were granted a lifeline by the Bulldogs and they made the most of their time in September, registering three consecutive sudden-death victories in Sydney against the Sharks, Eels and Roosters.

The fact they had to make three return trips to Sydney, and did so without both their injured co-captains in Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott, made their run to this year’s grand final all the more impressive.

It was left to stand-in captain Gavin Cooper, as well as halfback Michael Morgan and forward Jason Taumalolo, to take the club forward in what must have surely served as a preview of what to expect when JT eventually retires.

And while they had the support of most (if not all) of north Queensland, it was always going to be a tough ask attempting to bring down the almighty machine that is the Melbourne Storm, led by their ‘Big Three’ in Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith for the final time.

In contrast to the Cowboys having had to rack up the frequent flyer points throughout September, the Storm had it much easier, winning their first two finals against the Eels and Broncos on home soil and only needing to make the 90-minute flight to Sydney for the big dance (by contrast, a one-way flight between Townsville and Sydney takes just over two-and-a-half hours).

Unsurprisingly, Craig Bellamy’s men started as the favourites to land their third premiership, having also previously won in 1999 and 2012.

While they started well, after just five minutes proceedings were held up for ten minutes after Cowboy Shaun Fensom suffered a sickening leg injury which will sideline him for at least six months.

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Then, after 20 minutes, Josh Addo-Carr opened proceedings with a length-of-the-field try; further tries to Felise Kaufusi and Billy Slater saw the Storm enter the halftime break ahead 18-0.

But the Cowboys were not going to give up without a fight, despite the extended travel the club had to make over the past month (finishing eighth meant the club did not receive any home finals).

Mid-season recruit Te Maire Martin scored their first (and only) try of the match less than ten minutes after oranges, and the successful conversion from Ethan Lowe saw the scoreline reduced to 18-6.

However, normal service resumed, with the Storm scoring three more tries in the final half-hour to streak away to an easy 34-6 win and cement themselves as one of the most consistent sides in recent NRL history.

In his 299th NRL game, Billy Slater claimed his second Clive Churchill Medal, and struggled to hold back the tears as he thanked his wife for guiding him through the tough times in which he twice had to undergo shoulder surgery.

His first medal came in 2009, when the Storm defeated the Parramatta Eels by 23-16 to win a premiership that was eventually stripped from them due to salary cap breaches. Despite this, Slater, as well as Greg Inglis in 2007, continue to be recognised as Clive Churchill Medallists in those years.

It now remains to be seen whether the veteran fullback will play on in season 2018, though the lure of potentially notching up his milestone 300th game in Round 1 next year will be enticing.

It could prove to end up being the only match he plays in 2018, as it would be heartbreaking for him to bow out of the NRL just one game short of the milestone.

Halfback Cooper Cronk also farewelled the Storm on the best possible note, with his second premiership ring, the 33-year-old (he turns 34 in December) set to move to Sydney to be closer to his partner, Tara Rushton.

Whether he plays on next year, or decides to pull the pin deciding it would be too difficult to play against his former teammates, also remains to be seen.

As for the Cowboys, there is no reason for them to be embarrassed about their performance, given they were up against one of the best sides ever assembled in the NRL.

However, it became clear that the extensive travel the club had to endure, as well as having to do it without both of their co-captains, finally took its toll on the 2015 premiers.

Coach Paul Green should also be proud of what his injury-depleted side has achieved this year, and with both JT and Matt Scott to return next season there will be no reason to think that they cannot return to the big dance again.

AAP Image/Michael Chambers

The shoulder injury suffered by Thurston in the second State of Origin match this year denied him the chance to play his 300th NRL game halfway through the season, but it’s a milestone he should notch up in Round 1 next year.

It is for this reason that the Storm and Cowboys should face off first up next year; not only would it be the first grand final rematch to be played in Round 1 since 2012, it would also be a double celebration of two of the NRL’s greatest players.

It has also been revealed that the new Perth Stadium will host an NRL double-header involving the Rabbitohs and Bulldogs in separate matches, with their opposition yet to be officially confirmed (though I have suggested that they should face the Warriors and Titans respectively).

Ben Hunt’s debut for the Dragons is to come against his former club, the Broncos, in what shapes as a Friday night blockbuster at Suncorp Stadium, while there will also be several other big matches to look forward to.

Here, I have mapped out how Round 1, 2018 should unfold.

Thursday, March 8
Storm versus Cowboys, AAMI Park, 7:55pm*

Friday, March 9
Knights versus Wests Tigers, McDonald Jones Stadium, 6pm
Broncos versus Dragons, Suncorp Stadium, 6:55pm*

Saturday, March 10
Raiders versus Panthers, GIO Stadium, 3pm
Rabbitohs versus Warriors, Perth Stadium, 2:30pm
Bulldogs versus Titans, Perth Stadium, 4:55pm

Sunday, March 11
Sea Eagles versus Sharks, Lottoland, 2pm
Roosters versus Eels, Allianz Stadium, 4pm*

All times are local; an asterisk denotes a Nine Network telecast.

To finish off, congratulations to the Storm for winning their third premiership, and commiserations to the Cowboys, who ran out of puff but should still be proud of their achievements.