The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

The Storm didn’t get stage fright, they just got destroyed

30th September, 2018
Advertisement
Autoplay in... 6 (Cancel)
Up Next No more videos! Playlist is empty -
Replay
Cancel
Next
Expert
30th September, 2018
23
2117 Reads

At halftime last night, I was racking my brain trying to remember when I saw this Melbourne Storm side take such a beating on the scoreboard and around the ground.

What a horror show this was for Melbourne. Outworked, overrun, error-riddled and incredibly uncharacteristic of the well-oiled machine we’re used to.

The Roosters shredded their highly fancied opposition. Pure and simple. Melbourne thought there would be time to work into the game but they had nothing when the Roosters’ intensity crashed into them from tackle one.

Kicks went dead, balls were dropped, their backs had no time or space to do anything other than worry about ball security and their forwards were absolutely crushed by their rampaging Rooster opposites.

Anything Melbourne tried ended up disjointed, stuck at a dead end or kicked away under immense pressure.

But to focus on the Storm is to disrespect their conqueror. Let’s give respect where it’s due. No one watching this game expected what the Roosters delivered. Not even Roosters fans.

After a week of doubt, Cooper Cronk started in his customary halfback position, wearing the somewhat less customary jersey number 23.

Cronk shouldn’t have been anywhere near this game. He could barely pass the ball to a teammate three metres away. It was obvious to all that he wasn’t physically up to it. But it was his brain that Trent Robinson wanted out there.

Advertisement

Cronk was brought to Bondi to win them a premiership and he’s delivered it to them in a way no one could have predicted.

Cooper Cronk

Cooper Cronk of the Roosters (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Luckily for his team there was a premiership winning five-eighth out there. Luke Keary was phenomenal. He was in everything and the Storm had no answer. The ball he threw for Daniel Tupou’s opening try was from the top shelf and the one which finished as a Josh Addo-Carr intercept try was a hair away from ending the contest.

Keary is a worthy Clive Churchill medallist. He lifted himself and his team like champion players do.

Boyd Cordner destroyed the Storm’s defensive line from carry one to set the standard. He’s shut more than a few people up with his performances this year.

In the eagerly awaited contest, Latrell Mitchell clowned Will Chambers yet again. It’s not even fair to call it a contest any more. If he wasn’t already, Chambers will be having nightmares about the Roosters number three for months.

Chambers was beaten for Mitchell’s first half try and spent the next half hour trying to make amends by charging out of the line, getting caught with the ball and giving away penalties.

Advertisement

Mitchell is in his head. Mitchell knows it. Chambers knows it.

Remember though, not even a year ago Chambers was one of the best centres in the world. He’s got the quality to recover, but does he have the temperament?

Billy Slater won’t forget his final game in a hurry. Booed ferociously by the crowd, he was brutalised every time he touched the ball. Mitchell crashed over him to score, Siosiua Taukeiaho landed on him when Slater made a great 1-on-1 strip.

Billy Slater

Billy Slater of the Storm (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

As the Roosters fans felt more and more comfortable the booing got louder too – all’s fair in love and war I suppose.

The Storm wanted to play up the middle, with inside ball after inside ball to Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Dale Finucane and Jesse and Kenny Bromwich.

But the Roosters expected it. They snuffed it out time and time again. Then when they had the ball they just ran over the top of them.

Advertisement

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and co-captain Jake Friend hit with evil intent. Friend was superb. Taukeiaho was the best forward on the ground in the first 15.

Mitch Aubusson was great, running hard and working from sideline to sideline to give the defence the starch that Cronk couldn’t. He threw his heart and soul into winning this match for his club.

Everyone played their part. Young centre Joseph Manu made an incredible play to knock the ball out of Cam Munster’s grasp when the Storm were certain to score.

Manu and Mitchell are a centres combination that will bring Roosters fans a lot of joy over the next decade.

Munster has performed on the big stage before, but he keeps showing that he has serious trouble keeping himself together when things don’t go his way.

Cameron Munster

Cameron Munster of the Storm (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

There’s a time and a place to push the boundaries and it ain’t when your team is on its knees in a grand final.

Advertisement

He’s young enough and good enough to learn from this, but tonight will follow him around for a long time.

One final note. Our grand final referees Ashley Klein and Gerrard Sutton handled the game brilliantly.

Klein in particular needs to be commended for having the cojones to send Munster to the bin when he did. Too often, spoiling play like that is let go and us fans rage about it. Thumbs up.

Congratulations to the Roosters!

close