NRL & NRLW Grand Finals: The deciders we deserve

 

NRL Preliminary Finals

We expected these two games to wend their way to predictable outcomes and so it came to pass. But not without the odd twist and turn, some of them with Grand Final implications. In the end, we’re left with the last game of the season we deserve between the two best teams of season 2024, Melbourne Storm and the Penrith Panthers.

 

The first tackle dismissal of NAS got things off to a controversial start, closely followed by two more soft penalties to the Roosters. Not surprisingly, they got out to a 6-0 lead before the big fella returned to the field. But that was as good as it got for the Chooks. The Storm pack took over through sheer power to free Hughes and Papenhuyzen to carve up the Roosters’ defence. Hughes has been in sublime form in the latter part of the season and has taken some of the pressure off Munster who is now able to pick and choose his moments instead of having to be the main man. And what about the Coates restart to catch the Roosters napping, with Paps and Howarth on hand to score a screamer of a try? Executed to perfection. Poetry! It was 22-6 at the break before a temporary fightback by the Tricolours aided by a bit of luck. But it works both ways and a favourable call to Melbourne (missed knock-on) had Hughes in for his treble and the Storm hitting the afterburners. It was a clinic with Munster rubbing in the salt with two late tries from typical ‘how did he do that?’ plays. The Roosters, brave as they can be, were shown up yet again against top level opponents. Yes, the loss of Collins was unsettling but Manu has clearly not been fully fit for the last month, Radley carried an injury and they missed Walker terribly. Teddy tries to do too much (because he has to in those circumstances) but the better teams have him worked out these days. So Melbourne progress but will be without NAS who seemed to cop an excessive punishment that does not fit the crime.

 

On Saturday night we saw the difference between a very good team that knows how to take its chances and a good team that lacks that last bit of class. The Sharks did better than most expected and were in the game for at least an hour. But the cream eventually rises to the top and the clinical Panthers came through yet again. Although they lost, I think the Sharks can hold their heads up. They did far better this year than I and many others expected, and their final game against one of the best teams going around was full of merit. Don’t panic, just watch the replay, learn and practise, practise, practise to get those last plays perfect. Cleary’s shoulder is the big talking point of the week but Storm need to play their own game on Sunday and not go hunting the injured because the Panthers can hurt you from any number of points.

 

NRL Grand Final

In the big games, forwards win matches, defence wins matches, and it’s an 80 minute game. The Grand Final features two top packs full of individual brilliance – they’re both big, mobile and skilful. Storm will miss NAS who played the best game I have ever seen him play. But whoever comes in will fill the gap because that’s what Bellamy’s teams do – the next best Melbourne player is better than most running around at other clubs. I think the two key players up front are Yeo for Penrith and Grant for Melbourne. If one of them is ‘off’, his team will struggle. And that means either Cleary or Hughes will be afforded limited time and space to work their magic. Luai and Munster might have to ad lib to get things moving for their respective side. Penrith have the best defence in the League but Melbourne are the premier suffocators in the business. Which team can keep imposing themselves continuously for the full 80 minutes? There’s no need to question the attack of either side. Pick a match winner – there are plenty on either side. Try the old match-up man-for-man approach and you’re still left scratching your head to find any possible advantage.

 

Storm are slight favourites; I’m not sure why. I think it’s line ball; I can’t see a clear point of distinction. It could be high scoring; it could be a battle of attrition. It could be a classic; it might be an ugly, grinding wrestle. All you can say is that whoever comes out on top will have had to fight like hell to get there in the end.

 

Penrith by 9+.

 

NRLW Preliminary Finals

I’m not sure that anyone was overly confident picking winners in the NRLW Preliminary Finals after a 9-week season of fluctuating fortunes in the top half of the comp. It seemed to me that only the Roosters had form going into the finals even though the other three finalists all had winning streaks at some point during the season.

 

I’ve written many-a-time that, in the big games, defence wins matches. The Sharks certainly added strength to that adage when they kept the Broncos to zero for the first time on NRLW history. The Sharks got away to the better start and scored through one of the players of the season, Tiana Penitani, to set up a 6-0 lead at the break. But not before withstanding a probing short kicking game from the evergreen Ali Brigginshaw. The Sharks just kept rolling up in defence. A second try soon after the break gave them a handy lead which they maintained again with a superb defensive effort. A third try to Staples wrapped it up. After a late season slump that saw them limp into the finals, the Sharks regained the form they showed early on to advance to the decider. By contrast, the Broncos achieved above their actual play to get to the finals – too many mistakes and too many penalties conceded comprised their story. In the end, they just weren’t good enough. Fair’s fair.

 

The Roosters v Knights match-up looked like providing one of the games of the season. For about 25 minutes that’s just how it looked with the scores locked at 4-4. Then, in the space of just 10 minutes, the Aiken and Bremner show put the game away with two beautifully executed plays that left the Knights grasping at thin air. Bremner’s comeback this season may well end in a flag to allow her to retire permanently – or not! The Knights just could not string together good sets or build pressure. Two late tries only added respectability to the scoreline. The result seemed to me to be a fair reflection of the two sides’ seasons. The Roosters struggled a bit early before finding form coming into the finals. The Knights were surprisingly inconsistent and only secured a finals berth in the last minor round game. They just couldn’t find their best form at any stage.

 

NRLW Grand Final

And so we get the game we deserve in the decider. The Roosters will start as hot favourites based on both form and the strength of their team. Earlier injuries to the likes of Kelly, Sergis and Aiken are in the past; Kelleher has been in good touch and her goal-kicking has been solid; Elliott, Hall and Kernick lead a strong and mobile pack; Davis is a schemer out of dummy half. And then there’s Bremner at the back, always lurking, lurking, lurking, looking for gaps in the defence and just waiting for a decisive pass from Aiken to split the line. It’s hard to go past the Tricolours.

 

The Sharks won’t die wondering. Having resurrected their season, and with Tonegato driving them from the back, they’ll ask lots of questions of the Roosters. They regain Wheeler up front to partner Johnston with Dodd looking for gaps for her runners. Penitani is their principal strike weapon but the likes of Biddle and Staples provide handy options. They look stronger on the bench through the likes of Hanisi and Foliaki.

 

In the end, I simply have to go with form, experience and strike power in tipping the Roosters by 12+.

 

 

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Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

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