NRL: No time for squad to celebrate in calm before the Storm

The Warriors will face another Everest in their preliminary final against the Storm next week. Photo / Getty Images

While some of the omens are good, the Warriors will face another Everest in their preliminary final against the Storm next weekend.

The Auckland side has won two of their last three encounters, as well as the epic 18-15 playoff win in 2008 but one senses this time the Melbourne side will be forewarned and forearmed.

"The Storm are the masters of low risk, high percentage football," says former Kiwi captain Hugh McGahan, "which is perfect for finals. They strangle you slowly and will be extra wary of being caught out again." Melbourne retain their star axis of Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk. However they will be without Adam Blair and don't seem to have quite the firepower of previous years.

It will be the Warriors' fourth preliminary final, after a win over Cronulla as minor premiers in 2002, a frustrating loss to eventual premiers Penrith in 2003 and a hiding by an irresistible Manly side in 2008.

"The recipe is simple," says Lance Hohaia, the only veteran of the three previous preliminary finals. "We need to win the arm wrestle and take our opportunities." McGahan was thrilled with Friday's result but sounded one note of caution: "Their reaction afterwards was like they had won the grand final," says McGahan. "It was like they knew they had silenced their critics and done the impossible. It tells me they didn't actually expect to win. When teams like Melbourne win close ones, there is rarely big elation as they expect to prevail".

Given the Warrior's good record against Melbourne (12 wins and two draws from 28 games) the expectation on this side of the Tasman will rachet up as the week goes on. Although, as Ivan Cleary wryly noted, a certain rugby tournament may lessen the focus on his team.

"The Rugby World Cup is pretty big news in [New Zealand] at the moment - what can you do? It is quite an achievement what we have done, but I guess Russia will be playing Namibia or something."

The MacIntyre system allows for teams to lose in the first week before bouncing back. Who can forget the Storm being thrashed by St George in week one of 1999 before getting the ultimate revenge in the big show, or the Cowboys going all the way to the 2005 grand final after losing heavily in their first playoff match?

Even under the alternative system used by the AFL, the sixth-placed Auckland side would have had a sudden death home match against the seventh-placed Cowboys, a much easier proposition than the trip to Brisbane to play the Broncos.