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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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!
Kamoosa
Guest
On statistics, there is so much hype about Cameron Smith, but he is hardly tackled with ball in hand, and probably explains his longevity in the game. In the GF he was completely outplayed by the Roosters number 9, who ran with ball in hand, got tackled, kicked and just a superb all round game. Can anyone tell me if Smith ever got tackled with ball in hand in the GF? I must have missed it!
farqueue
Roar Rookie
I must be the only person who thinks the result would have been the same without Cronk....keary has already won a comp and I don't think he needed Cooper to tell him what to do .... Why didn't the roosters just use Cronk to run water and organize attack just like Langer does... remember the roosters added an origin/Australian fullback and Mitchell is now the best centre in the game ... which wasn't the case in previous preliminary finals losses.
thomas c
Guest
In chamber's defense Mitchell is basically a young, obnoxious Greg Inglis, and Chambers was done a disservice by his team in defense and attack (in storm and QLD colours). If different centers ask different questions, the it's also possible that Chambers might be better able to handle James Roberts than LM. But if competing on muscle and silky skills, then Chambers loses at this stage in their careers. I genuinely don't know where the storm go from here. I doubt they can do much to a roster that was so comprehensively out-muscled and out-attacked. They couldn't slow things down enough and turn things into an arm wrestle. And the warning signs had been there all year. Smith had multiple games where he couldn't personally change the tide.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
Of all the players who left Manly over the last 8 years or so JWH is the only one who was a big loss. We needed one more big forward like him in 2013 but he was on the other side. It's been a good move for him though.
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
JWH had a blinder. Should show his game to schoolboys across the nation. How to step up and be a man.
shirtpants
Roar Guru
I do wonder how this plays out without Cronk guiding them around on the field. The value he must have as a game manager is immense to play less than half fit player in a grand final. Roosters came out quicker and harder and Storm couldn't get the ball out of their half for long periods. I expected more from Storm.
Ray Paks
Roar Rookie
I almost felt sorry for Billy and Munster. That stunt by Munster was as low an act I can remember since John Hopoate fondled a few of those other players' peanut sacks a few years ago. It was a horrendous dog act which I hope gets the full brunt of punishment it deserves. I honestly thought it would be the Storm that would put in a clinic, how wrong I was! The Roosters showed up and put in a 40 minute masterclass in the first half and the Storm just couldn't get back in it. And that Latrell Mitchell try! Flattening Billy Slater and scoring, then standing and walking over the hapless fullback. Some say it was disrespectful and I almost agree but if it represented anything; it sure was a sign of dominance
kk
Roar Pro
Sorry, MRI.
kk
Roar Pro
Munster may need a serious HIA including an RMI of his brain. He is on the verge of signing a 3 x $1M extension with the Storm. What manner of man kicks an opponent in the head? Is he OK? Maybe he really wants to be a Cowboy and be near family.
bbt
Guest
As a Storm supporter obviously not the result I was hoping for. Well done to the Roosters, they totally hammered us, especially in the first half. The playing of Cronk was a masterstroke that could have gone horribly wrong - but it didn't. How confident is a team that basically sends a "coach" out on the field to do pretty well only that!!! It must have really played with the heads of the Storm boys. "They are taking us on with only 12 fit players"?????
The Barry
Roar Guru
Good call on Aubusson. He’s criminally under rated but I bet Robinson wouldn’t swap him...
Major Bumsore
Guest
Aubo, is like a kelpy, just works all day . As you’ve said , to be a success, you need players like him, and he’s now got two premiership rings . #ROOSTERS BACK2BACK
Ja ja klazo
Guest
Thanks AJ, another great summation. Luke Keary's performance has me hoping the Roosters look to local junior Lachlan Lam once Cronk finishes up. They could make quite the combination with Keary as the guiding hand while Lam eases into first grade. Both have great running games and some nice ball play as well, and it appears Keary has learnt a bit of game management from probably the best I've seen in Cronk. Will be keenly watching where Melbourne goes from here with their rebuild. They'll stick around making finals series but I can't see them having the same consistency without Slater and eventually Smith. As a die hard Roosters fan Mitchell Aubusson is probably my all time favourite player. He turns up week in week out, very rarely takes the plaudits but sticks tackle after tackle, regularly gets a quick play the ball and is just so consistent and reliable. Every premiership team needs a player like him and Easts have been lucky to have him for 2.
Cliff Bishkek
Roar Rookie
The Roosters were the better team. As stated below the first half was near perfect rugby league. The score at half-time put the Storm up against it. But honestly, the Storm pack dud not turn up. They were outgunned on all cylinders. The Roosters' forwards stood up and stood tall. Well done. Chambers had a frightful night and I think Bellamy has to rethink his centre combination. Maybe Will is getting beyond his best. Big decision there. Munster is still dangerous but he did not fire on all cylinders and the last yellow was ridiculous - and why was it not a red; two yellows in the game? Mitchell is a class centre and can only improve. But he needs to watch his niggle and make certain the head does not get bigger than the ability. Not certain, but at one point after scoring, with, was it Slater on the ground, he seemed to go out of his way to use his legs in pushing into Slater. Also his niggle on Chambers, needs to cure these bad points. He will come up against a player at some time who will cut him up short on the niggle; and it could lead to yellow cards. But well done Roosters, deserved win and a champion leadership by Cronk - "Coach of the Year" Ha! Ha!
Eden
Roar Rookie
This GF would have made more sense if the roosters had towelled teams all year and finished with 40 points. Probably the one true moment of premiership dominance in a year where the top 8 was the closest ever.
Duncan Smith
Roar Guru
At the start of the year, a few people said Cronk was risking his reputation - and he was. But you've got to hand it to him now after winning the grand final - against Melbourne of all clubs. His reputation is hugely enhanced. The grand final itself pretty much sucked, terrible game by the Storm and you've got to hand it to the Roosters they delivered under pressure when it mattered.
The Barry
Roar Guru
“Outworked, overrun, error-riddled and incredibly uncharacteristic of the well-oiled machine we’re used to” a perfect summary of the Storm. Bold gamble from Robinson and Cronk for Cronk to play. It could have gone horribly pear shaped. I can’t say enough about Cronk. To be expected to deliver a premiership and to land it immediately is incredible. To do it in the circumstances of playing 80 minutes of a grand final with a busted arm borders on unbelievable. That game is the making of Luke Keary. I wrote during the week that it was potentially a career defining game for him and that the Roosters needed it to be for them to win. He delivered brilliantly. JWH and SST were dominant in the middle third. JWH has copped a lot of bagging over the past couple of years but that was a 101 front row grand final performance.
uglykiwi
Roar Pro
The Roosters were brutal; that first half was something special.. it was like watching Bart Cummings prepare a horse for the Melbourne Cup! The Roosters have been set for this all year, and anyone watching the Roosters knew this was coming. Storm were not horrible and tried their guts out... but to put it simply, were beaten by the better team. And I can only see this team getting better; crighton will be a huge injection into this team next year: and Munster in 2020 (replacing Cronk): Roosters could win the next 2 premierships. That game was the best game I have ever been to...!! Loved it so much! It seemed to me every Roosters supporter was there! Best atmosphere ever!!
Pickett
Guest
I agree. Munster looked most threatening. Doesn't deserve a lot of the c.rap. apart from kicking Manu 's head.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
That’s a perfect summary of the match AJ. That first half from the Roosters was as perfect a half as I have seen. With the blow out score at half time the Storm were really up against it and no disgrace to lose from that position. To their credit they never threw it in and after the JAC try they looked likely for a while to get another. Being only six behind would have made things interesting. So many subplots out of this one. Chambers v Mitchell . The Cronk story. Slaters last game . Highlight of the game ? The Cronk tackle on big Nelson. Beyond what mere mortal people can do.