A Storm choke – no joke
FORMER Manly hardman Mark Carroll has declared the Melbourne Storm will become the “Greg Norman of rugby league” should they choke in the grand final against the unheralded Cowboys.
The Storm are red- hot favourites for Sunday’s decider after finishing six points clear in the minor premiership race and dispatching the Broncos 30- 0 in Friday night’s preliminary final.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, lost five of their last six matches heading into the finals before a miraculous run which saw them become just the second team in the NRL era to qualify for the grand final from eighth place.
Carroll said it is a serious mismatch on paper and he argued only a choke similar to Norman’s 1996 Masters meltdown would stop the Storm from lifting the Provan- Summons Trophy.
The legendary Australian golfer infamously blew a sixshot lead in the final round at Augusta to lose the coveted green jacket to Nick Faldo by five shots.
“I’ve said from day dot, I think the Storm are the best side on paper. Defensively and in attack, they are incredible,” said Carroll, who won a premiership with the Sea Eagles in 1996.
“If they lose the grand final, it’s like the Greg Norman of rugby league. I really believe that. You can’t be that far ahead ( and not win).
“They had a bit of a hurdle against Parramatta ( in the qualifying final when Melbourne won 18- 16), but I think they needed that game. They haven’t been pushed like that for a long time. As you can see by the scoreline on Friday ( against the Broncos), that could have been anything, that could have been close to 50.
“I’ve never seen so many dropped balls in the first half, but they improved in the second half. I guarantee next week, we’ll see the Melbourne Storm at their best.”