Warriors 0 Storm 30
Emotion can get a team only so far. In the end you need some class and the Storm had all of that last night.
The Warriors huffed and puffed in the hope of sending Stacey Jones out a winner in his 261st and final game in the NRL but
ultimately fell short - well short.
Mercifully their season has come to a close. It was supposed to be something to savour, on the back of their incredible run to just one game short of last year's grand final.
But a 14th-place finish is one to forget.
Jones was certainly planning on erasing this match from his memory banks.
"You always remember your first game and you remember your last. I'm going to try to wipe this last game out," he said with a rueful laugh. "It was disappointing."
What is perhaps most unfortunate is that some might remember Jones for his inability to spark the Warriors in 2009 instead of the Jones who in 2002 was recognised as the world's best rugby league player.
At his best he was brilliant to watch but as Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy said: "The end comes for us all, unfortunately. Without a doubt, he's the best player in Warriors history."
The tributes flowed afterwards as Jones was recognised for his service to the club where he made his debut as an 18-year-old.
He didn't need to come back for a final season, with his 33-year-old legs not quite as quick as they used to be, but it didn't turn out the way anyone expected.
"I really enjoyed coming back and being with these players. The results didn't go our way but I got an opportunity to play for a club I love.
"It was tough at times but I have no regrets."
Last night, Melbourne had no sense for the occasion, just as Newcastle didn't four years earlier at his first farewell. They were relentless in their work and remain a genuine threat to at least make their fourth-straight grand final.
By the end, though, they were hardly pushed. The Warriors defended stoutly for the opening 25 minutes, keeping the Storm scoreless, but they gained more momentum in the second spell as the Warriors folded like a deckchair. You got the sense that is where the players have been dreaming of being for the past few weeks.
Greg Inglis scored far too easily as he scurried out of dummy half and ran 65m, Chambers waltzed past Patrick Ah Van, who was badly out of his depth, Dane Nielsen crossed, albeit off a blatant forward pass, and Ryan Hinchcliffe was the beneficiary of a simple Inglis break.
"There was quite a bit difference [between the two teams] tonight," coach Ivan Cleary admitted. "That's probably to be expected. They are heading to the finals and we are playing our last game.
"What we were looking for tonight was for them to give everything they had and they did that. But we were outclassed. You could see signs in second half that while they kept fighting they were also looking forward to the final hooter and getting this year over and done with."
A good crowd of 14,734 had come to see Jones one last time but there was little for them to enthuse about.
They came to light when Jones tried one chip and chase but his final pass to Lance Hohaia missed its mark and the movement broke down. Much like the Warriors' season.
Jones is glad it's all over and he will be able to retire with his dignity and reputation intact.
"[It's] a bit of relief," he said. "A bit of sadness as well. It hit me when I was on the sidelines that I wasn't going to play again next year. Obviously I left here in 2005 and didn't expect to come back so I know what to expect."
Jones already has another club to join, the Warriors' Old Boys, who met for the first time last night. He deserves to be able to sit back with them and watch future Warriors sides. It can only be hoped they do better than the 2009 version.
Warriors 0 Storm 30 (W. Chambers 2, B. Slater, G Inglis, D. Nielsen, R. Hinchcliffe tries, C. Smith 3 gls). Halftime: 0-12.
