Six talking points from Melbourne Storm vs South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL qualifying final

The Melbourne Storm have got themselves a week off with a one-point victory over the South Sydney Rabbitohs in a game which will go down as a game for the ages. Here are my talking points from the clash.

How good was that?
Look, this isn’t really a talking point, but I don’t know where else to phrase this.

That was potentially the best finals game I’ve ever seen. Just maybe, even better than the 2015 grand final, which I still rate as an absolute classic.

Anyway, the number of lead changes, the back and forth nature of the contest and the fact both teams were willing to throw it around and find ways to score, as well as bring themselves back from the dead time and time again was remarkable.

Some of the Rabbitohs’ defence was brilliant, locking the Storm in their own end, and then, when the Storm needed to, they defended their goal-line strongly as well.

It was just everything you expect from the finals.

No matter what anyone says about a few refereeing decisions or the way the game was controlled in terms of penalties and the obviously skinny ten metres, that was a ridiculously good game and if the rest of the finals live up to that benchmark, we are in for an absolute treat.

Storm overcome dubious decision to complete the most remarkable comeback

Can South Sydney bounce back?
I wrote in my preview for the game yesterday that Souths had to win. Not because they would be eliminated this weekend, but because if they didn’t, they would be out the back door next weekend.

Travelling to Melbourne for a high-stakes, high-pressure game is absolutely one of the most difficult tasks you can have in the NRL.

We all saw what happened to the Eels last year. They finished in the top four, but after pushing Melbourne all the way, Parramatta looked tired, fatigued and were unsurprisingly bounced out the following week by the North Queensland Cowboys.

Essentially, playing Melbourne in Melbourne during the finals is like playing a grand final. Teams find it very difficult to get up the following week.

The big advantage coming out of this game for the Rabbitohs is that they will be playing the winner of the Broncos and Dragons, both of whom have put in poor performances from time to time this season.

The other advantage? While the Broncos and Dragons play Sunday, the Rabbitohs have played on Friday and will have an eight-day turnaround and a home game before they have to suit up and put their season on the line for the first time.

While they exist, and the Broncos and Dragons could play an equally physical game on Sunday, it won’t be the same intensity as going to Melbourne.

I’m not saying for a moment the Rabbitohs won’t get the job done, but it’ll take a mighty effort to do so.

Could Melbourne really go back-to-back?
We haven’t seen a team go back-to-back in the NRL – or ARL as it was – since 1992 and 1993 when the Broncos beat the Dragons twice in a row at the decider. I know, don’t remind me.

The Storm are a very, very good team under the best coach in the business though.

Craig Bellamy will have this side primed and ready to go, and while at times having a week off in the middle of the finals can ruin a team’s momentum, it couldn’t be any better for Melbourne. In fact, it’s exactly what the doctor ordered.

Melbourne have a number of players ageing and they could definitely use the week off, with Cameron Smith copping a knock to the face last night as well.

With Smith, Slater and an in-form and extremely dangerous Cameron Munster leading them around the park, as well as Brodie Croft rubber stamping his spot in the side last night, they will be primed and ready to go for a preliminary final in Melbourne in a fortnight’s time.

Playing either the Roosters, Sharks, Panthers or Warriors, the Sharks appear to be the only team who might challenge them down there after picking up the win a few weeks ago.

Despite that,the Storm coming from a week off are going to be hard to stop, and provided they make the decider, with Bellamy, Smith and Slater working together, it could be enough to see them go back-to-back.

Dare to dream Melbourne fans. Your team have just become favourites for the competition.

Adam Reynolds and Sam Burgess are far too important for South Sydney
If one thing became abundantly clear throughout the 80 minutes on Friday night, it’s that the Rabbitohs have far too heavy a reliance on the kicking game of Adam Reynolds and the ability of Sam Burgess to get them fired up through the middle.

Sam Burgess of the Rabbitohs. (AAP Image/Richard Wainwright)

Granted, the duo are among the Bunnies’ best players, but when they went off the boil during periods of the game, it told. There were few floating around who could pick up the crumbs and keep them rolling.

Sam Burgess had a rocks and diamonds game. He made some great runs, put on some great hits and at times looked like he could have broken it open up the middle for the visitors.

Unfortunately, he also made far too many errors and a bad defensive miss approaching halftime which hurt South Sydney in a big way.

Reynolds, on the other hand, had an insanely good game for the most part. He has one of the best kicking games in the competition, absolutely no doubt about it, and proved that last night. He was putting everything on a five-cent piece, whether it was long or short-range, but with an injury clearly hampering him around the halftime break and some quieter moments in the second half, Cody Walker looked lost under pressure.

With Walker looking lost and Alex Johnston having a quiet game, as well as Damien Cook not able to take things by the scruff of the neck, the pressure was put back onto Reynolds. He almost got Souths there in the end, but it’s become clear the pressure on the duo to perform in the big moments is enormous.

Billy Slater is still the best there ever was and the best there ever will be
If I told you Billy Slater was 35 years of age and about to slip into retirement, would you believe me?

I sure wouldn’t.

The guy is a deadset freak, and I mean that in the nicest possible terms. His nearly try in the first ten minutes last night, when he shouldn’t have got to the ball, but did, only missing a try by the smallest of margins, set the tone for what was to come.

Billy Slater breaks through (AAP Image/Julian Smith)

He was safe as a house under the high ball, popped up in support play all over the place and made some excellent runs under pressure to get Melbourne sets off to a good start right when they needed it.

His defensive work to somehow nearly deny Greg Inglis a barrelling try was also outstanding.

But it’s what we have come to expect, and what we should expect from Slater. There is no one better than him in this era, and he is the reason Melbourne will win the premiership if they indeed do get there.

He was the key last year, would have been in 2016 and as they are now just 80 minutes from a third straight decider, it wouldn’t shock anyone to see him go out holding the Provan-Summons trophy.

What was Anthony Seibold doing with his bench?
Here is something that makes absolutely no sense. In a physical finals encounter, coach Anthony Seibold used just 15 players, and one of them for just 20 minutes.

That is madness.

The Storm, unsurprisingly used all 17 players, even if Sam Kasiano only came on for a very short burst during the second half.

The Rabbitohs though, refused to send Dean Britt or Hymel Hunt into the game at all, while Jason Clark only got 20 minutes of game time through the third quarter after halftime.

When South Sydney were clearly running out of puff through the last 20 minutes of the contest, it was clear they could have done with fresh legs – or fresher legs from their middle men, who could have done with a ten minute break during the middle third of the game.

I can understand not playing Hunt – he is an outside back. But why did Dean Britt not get a run. Is it a lack of trust in him to not do the job, or just a complete miss from Seibold?

John Sutton and Sam Burgess both played 80 minutes, which isn’t out of the ordinary, but with big minutes for the other two Burgesses’ and Angus Crichton playing 70, you have to wonder why Seibold didn’t make better use of the pine.

It may well have made a difference at the end, and a lack of finals coaching experience may well have shown here.

Roarers, what did you make of the game? Drop a comment below and let us know.