Storm 40 Broncos 10
This was supposed to be a meeting of rugby league aristocrats of traditional, established standing versus the brash new order; a clash between north and south; the pineapples versus the grapes.
On one hand, Brisbane - the Broncos who have been to the NRL playoffs for 16 consecutive years and
who did so in the rookie year of new coach Ivan Henjak. On the other, the Storm who have been in every finals series since coach Craig Bellamy took over in 2003 and four grand finals in a row.
This was supposed to be a match that would easily have graced the NRL final next Sunday but, even though the Broncos might feel they got the rough end of the pineapple, impartial observers could only reflect that justice was well and truly done.
The Storm had too much - too much pace, too much attacking creativity; too much confidence. Too much everything. Especially too much Billy Slater, surely the most dangerous attacker in all rugby league.
The loss of Peter Wallace to injury before this clash was a fearsome blow to the Broncos. The selection of veteran Tonie Carroll in his place at five-eighths was a defensive move and an admission that the Broncos would try to choke the life out of one of the most dangerous attacking teams in modern NRL history.
Fat chance. The Storm scored after three minutes after raw Broncos winger Jharal Yow Yeh made a real custard of a Storm kick. From the turnover, hooker Cameron Smith threw a laser-guided pass to put centre Will Chambers in a hole as wide as Brisbane's Story Bridge as the Broncos got their defensive line wrong.
The Broncos tried to grind it out - making the yards through determined second rower Sam Thaiday and then using kingpin Darren Lockyer to deliver attacking bombs for chasers to fling themselves at.
But this was Melbourne's night. Fullback Slater made two darting cuts as the Storm went close through Slater on one side of the field and second rower Ryan Hoffman on the other. The Broncos looked heavy-footed in comparison to the Storm, whose pace across the field outstripped the Queenslanders.
Slater got the second try when he slipped past two tacklers, kicked ahead when he got into space and used his speed to regather for an embarrassingly easy touchdown.
The key for Brisbane was supposed to be their big, physical forwards but the Storm edged them there, too.
Smith at dummy half, and with clever distribution generally, was the difference between the two packs and Smith's influence was writ large over the next try - to lock Dallas Johnson.
Brisbane didn't like it. It seemed as if Johnson lost the ball over the line when the Broncos needed to be next to score. But the points went on the board and the Broncos were broken in before the half-hour was up - a rare sight indeed.
Interchange player Ben Te'o came close to scoring in one of the few Brisbane attacks of worth as they tried to get a comeback rolling. Man of the match Slater got underneath him to save the try.
Melbourne had so many options - Cooper Cronk, Brett Finch, Slater, Greg Inglis and Smith; Brisbane had only Lockyer and, at times, even he looked lost for ideas.
Inglis had the next try, embarrassing Yow Yeh on the outside after a dab by Hoffman punctured more surprisingly porous Brisbane defence.
It was 22-0 at the break and the Broncos looked like (horse lovers, please forgive us) dog tucker.
It got worse a few minutes into the second half, a Finch break and a superb, hanging pass for Inglis to burst on to and run clear to score his second.
Smith's conversion of the try made him the top scorer in Melbourne's history and Inglis would score a hat-trick with an intercept and an easy lope of about 70m.
Slater wrapped it up after Karmichael Hunt made a pudding of clearing a Smith kick into goal - and Slater finished with a personal tally of scoring two tries, assisting with one and saving two. Not a bad night's work.
Wallace's replacement Alex Glenn had earlier scored Brisbane's first points just before the hour was up.
Carroll got over the line after another Brisbane raid a few minutes later but that was when Slater saved his second try of the night by again getting his body between the ball and the ground.
It was a brave effort by Brisbane and Israel Folau scored a trademark try at the death - but it looked all too much like the aftermath of one of the tropical storms that sometimes batter Queensland's coast. All that was left was to pick up the pieces.
The damage had been done. The Storm had come and gone; last seen heading for Sydney and the grand final.
Storm 40 (W. Chambers, B. Slater 2, D. Johnson, G. Inglis 3 tries; C. Smith 6 goals) Broncos 10 (A. Glenn, I. Folau tries; C. Parker goal). Halftime: 22-0.
