NRL: The bad blood grand final

Storm prop Brett White accused Eels counterpart Fuifui Moimoi of biting in 2006. Photo / Getty Images

MELBOURNE - Melbourne prop Brett White doesn't carry grudges, but he doesn't forget either.

It's why the rampaging NSW star, who gained plenty of attention for one punch in State of Origin III this year, had nothing but praise for powerhouse Parramatta rival Fuifui Moimoi on Wednesday.

But when the question finally came, 'do you remember the incident at Parramatta stadium in 2006 when you accused him of biting?', White finally dropped his guard.

"Oh yeah, you don't forget things like that," said White, who slammed Moimoi as a "dog" at the time.

Moimoi defended the allegation and was found not guilty at the NRL judiciary, but it was the start of bad blood that has simmered between the two great clubs ever since.

When they met in an epic preliminary final at Etihad Stadium in 2007 it was White in the firing line, accused of an ugly ripper tackle that tore the pectoral muscle of Eels skipper Nathan Cayless.

Cayless feared the damage would end his career while teammates were quick to slam White and Jeff Lima for the tackle which is now outlawed by the NRL.

"Nathan Cayless had his arm pulled out of its socket, it looked like a wrestling move the way it was slipped over his back," said then-centre Timana Tahu after the match.

It was an eventful clash, as Storm enforcer Jeremy Smith accused Jarryd Hayne - now the game's best player - of faking injury to milk a penalty when he winked at Dallas Johnson after slowly getting to his feet.

"I just think it's a low act, laying down when he wasn't even hurt," said Smith, now at St George Illawarra.

Two years later, these fierce rivals look to settle the score on the grandest stage and claim the ultimate bragging rights.

White may not have forgotten the Moimoi incident - which attracted the classic Illawarra Mercury headline "Chewy Chewy Moimoi" - but he knows Sunday's grand final isn't the stage for personal vendettas.

"I'm not too worried about that," said White.

"If you want to hold grudges and focus on one player like that and try to get a square up or something, you lose focus of the other 16 players in their side.

"We're not too worried about what happened in the past in 2007 or whenever it was.

"If you start taking out individual grudges out there it's going to come back to bite you."

White knows his head-to-head battle with Moimoi is likely to be critical to Sunday's result.

Moimoi has been near-unstoppable lately, supplying the momentum for the Eels' potent attack with his battering ram charges into the opposition.

White even rated the in-form Moimoi equal to Hayne as a man who must be closely checked.

"That's a big task that, he is firing," said White.

"It's going to be a big task for all our forwards to try and contain him.

"He is going great guns, everyone knows how hard Fuifui Moimoi is to try and stop.

"Like I said we've got a big job and that's what we've focused on this weekend."

- AAP