NRL decider hard to pick

EVERY SATURDAY Glen, Jason and Sean talk about the big issues in sport. Today the sport team shares its grand final tips.

Jason Gibbs: I want to say the Melbourne Storm are sure things but I’m not entirely confident making that statement.

After all, I honestly believe two of the season’s best teams made the decider. Even as a Storm fan I was hedging my bets a few weeks back saying it’d be the Rabbitohs, Roosters or Storm holding the trophy aloft at the end of the grand final – unfortunately for the Rabbits they picked last weekend to play their worst game of the year.

I can’t help but think the Billy Slater drama has hit the Storm hard this week, but on the other hand the retiring fullback could have an absolute stunner.

Then there is the Cooper Cronk factor as well. For the Roosters I don’t think he’s been as good as he was at the Storm but they’ll miss his big-game experience.

I’m going to say the Storm with a gutsy try to one of their big forwards snatching victory late on.

Glen McCullough: I don’t have an opinion on either game and it won’t bother me who wins in Melbourne or Sydney.

I don’t follow the AFL closely but I suppose the biggest surprise of the year is Collingwood making it to the grand final.

It would be a great story if they could now go all the way.

I’m hoping Melbourne can get the job done over Easts on Sunday night.

The Storm continues to amaze with their level of achievement over such a long period of time.

They are the NRL benchmark in professionalism and for mine deserve to win on that score alone.

It shapes as a great game, but

surely Cooper Cronk won’t be playing.

Sean Teuma: I was thinking about the worst possible outcomes for the grand final towards the start of the finals series, and it just so happens that this one took the prize.

After South Sydney couldn’t manage to score a try last weekend, it’s left me with no other choice than to cheer on Melbourne to get home, and the more I think about it, the more I realise they are close to good things.

Yes the defence of the Roosters is spectacular and they welcome back Latrell Mitchell and Dylan Napa.

But the huge cloud over Cooper Cronk has to be of major concern.

If he doesn’t play, are the Roosters really fooling anybody into thinking that Mitch Aubusson will play as a genuine half ? Of course not.

Luke Keary will have to shoulder the brunt of the load, and Bellamy is a smart enough man to devise a game plan to shut it down.

Billy Slater getting off as well is a huge boost for Melbourne. If he can win a player of the series in Origin while only playing two games (don’t start me on that), he’s more than capable of having an absolute blinder in his last ever game of footy.