Melbourne 23
Parramatta 16
Too clinical, too classy. Melbourne Storm confirmed their status as the best National Rugby League team of the decade by jolting Parramatta from their fairytale 23-16 in the grand final last night.
But they had to overcome a stirring late comeback from the Eels who rushed back from 6-22 down
with 10 minutes remaining to set up a thrilling finale.
Victory was sealed by a 25m field goal by Storm star Greg Inglis after a controversial penalty from referee Tony Archer who ruled the Eels stripped Billy Slater of the ball in a tackle.
Kiwis prop Fuifui Moimoi was the standout Eel, launching himself from everywhere on defence and attack and busting four tacklers in a Jonah Lomu-like run to score in the 72nd minute to narrow the gap to six.
A year after an embarrassing 0-40 defeat to Manly, the Storm proved themselves the ultimate big match team in their fourth consecutive final before 82,538 fans at ANZ Stadium.
"That's unbelievable. It was an exciting time the first time we won but it's a real sense of achievement this time," skipper Cameron Smith told Channel Nine.
"We worked so hard to get there this year and we played an outstanding opponent in Parramatta. We were on the ropes there at the end but the boys showed what a tough side we are and we came through it."
The contest appeared over at the 55-minute mark when Slater dashed over for his seventh try of the finals series to make it 22-6.
It was set up by a bust from Kiwis forward Adam Blair, who had a storming game for his first premiership ring, after missing the 2007 grand final victory through injury.
Man of the match Slater won the battle of the champion fullbacks, with the Eels' Dally M player of the year Jarryd Hayne kept well in check by the brutal Storm defence.
The Eels' kicking game was average for the most part and it was only in the last 10 minutes that their fearless attack sparked up.
Their adventurism on attack had seen them win 10 of their past 11 matches and become the first eighth-placed side to contest the grand final.
Befitting a grand final there was pre-match tension, with Parramatta chief executive Paul Osborne infuriating his counterpart Brian Waldron by accusing the Storm of not playing in the spirit of the game with their niggly tackling techniques.
Both sides emerged to a sea of blue and yellow flags and, after a minute's silence for the South Pacific tsunami victims, the fired-up Eels huddled together for stern words from captain Nathan Cayless -- who bravely battled a hamstring strain -- and Hayne.
But it was all the Storm in the first half as they raced to a 10-0 lead at the break, via tries to forwards Ryan Hoffman and Blair with pinpoint short balls and changes of angle.
Moimoi launched himself at the defence, and hammered a wobbly Dallas Johnson with a big front-on tackle to set the tone.
While the Storm probed for holes on attack, with Slater and Inglis constant menaces and effective decoys, the Eels were uncertain.
It moved Eels legend Peter Sterling, in the commentary box, to describe their last tackle options as "disgraceful".
Another commentator, league legend Andrew Johns, left the box at halftime and was seen on dressing room cameras talking sternly to Hayne and halves Daniel Mortimer and Jeff Robson.
Moimoi began the second half with another bellringer on Brett White, with the Storm losing the ball on the next play.
There was some hope for the Eels when supersub Feleti Mateo made a rare break and Eric Grothe jinked over out wide 5min after halftime.
But the Storm struck back soon afterwards, inevitably through gamebreaker Inglis, who raced through and caught a bomb to score untouched.
When Slater ran off Blair and Smith goaled, the buffer was enough.
- NZPA
