Steve Deane: Definitely Eels, Broncos - well, maybe Storm, Bulldogs

The biggest thing the Eels and Broncos have on their side is momentum. Photo / Getty Images

The NRL Grand Final will be between the Eels and the Broncos.

Hopefully - only because it's nicer when predictions come true than when they blow up like a Rabbitohs Sad Sunday knees-up.

It would be nice to have some sort of conviction to go with the prediction, but just four sentences in I'm already starting to waver.

That the Herald columnist who sits opposite me is picking the Storm and Bulldogs to win through hasn't helped. Then again, he quite fancied the Sharks pre-season, so maybe I'm on the right track.

The biggest thing the Eels and Broncos have on their side is momentum. The Broncos have won seven straight, while the Eels have won nine of 10. Both have also notched back-to-back convincing wins in the pressure-cooker environment of finals football.

Not that their opponents are exactly stuck in a rut. The Storm's 40-12 thrashing of the Sea Eagles in week one followed convincing victories over the Warriors and Roosters, while the Bulldogs' only defeat in their last eight matches, against the Tigers in the final round, came with halfback Brett Kimmorley sidelined. He will be back to face the Eels, but will that be enough to halt a side playing with the distinct look of champions-in-waiting?

The way they sucked up a furious 20-minute second-half assault by the Titans before hitting back with a break-out try to settle the contest was the most impressive aspect of the Eels' victory on Friday night. Champion teams defend for as long as it takes and then seize their chances. The Bulldogs will take more subduing than the Titans, but the last time these sides met, in round 20, the Eels were far too good, winning 27-8.

While the Dogs will be boosted by Kimmorley's return, the Broncos are facing up to life without their senior halfback. Peter Wallace's broken ankle is precisely the sort of injury that can stop a team in its tracks. How coach Ivan Henjak patches things together from here will be intriguing.

Up against the former Broncos master Wayne Bennett on Saturday night, it was the apprentice Henjak who had the greater impact. The Broncos produced a physical intensity that simply blew the Dragons off the park in the opening 20 minutes, while attacking up the middle with runners off Darren Lockyer's inside shoulder was extremely effective.

Whether they can reproduce such an effort without Wallace, away from home, and against a Storm side packed with superstars remains to be seen.

A major unknown is the effect of the bye week. In theory, the extra week of preparation and recuperation the bye provides should be an advantage. But of the 20 preliminary finals since the McIntyre system was introduced, the record is just 11-9 in favour of the rested team. Three times (07, 03, 01) both teams coming off the bye have won through to the Grand Final. But twice (05, 99) both have lost, while the matches have been split in the remaining five seasons.

What does that mean? Well, not much. The NRL has defied all predictions this season. The only thing I'm confident of is that it will make a fool of mine this weekend.