Storm surge into grand final
Brisbane s grand final dream ended in tears as a two-try effort from Melbourne champion Billy Slater broke the Broncos’ hearts and catapulted the Storm into the NRL decider last night.
Rugby league’s most clinical football juggernaut ruthlessly powered at AAMI Park, the Storm clinching their eighth grand-final appearance in 20 seasons with a 30-0 caning of the Broncos.
Before 28,821 rabid Storm fans, the braveheart Broncos were left to lament another failed campaign that has extended the premiership drought of Queensland’s flagship NRL club to 11 long years.
The rampaging Storm will now await the winner of Saturday night’s Roosters-Cowboys preliminary final to determine their date at the big dance on Sunday week.
But don’t be fooled by the scoreline. This was no cakewalk. The first-half was a nerve-jangling slew of errors and missed chances as the Broncos stuck it to Melbourne in the midfield to trail 2-0 after 38 minutes.
But when Josh Addo-Carr crossed to give the Storm an 8-0 half-time lead, it was the impetus for a Melbourne second-half onslaught as the Big Three — Slater, Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk — shifted gears to drive a dagger into the Broncos.
It was a momentous night for Queensland champion Cronk, who was given a standing ovation in his final home game on Melbourne soil.
His Broncos rival, Dragonsbound Ben Hunt, shed tears.
If anyone felt the pain of defeat, it was Broncos skipper Darius Boyd, who gambled with his dodgy hamstring and lost, struggling for 54 minutes before finally hobbling from the field.
The sight of a battered and broken Boyd was emblematic of Brisbane’s performance. Brisbane were brave and had their chances, but in clutch moments, the Storm proved why they are at unbackable odds to atone for last year’s grandfinal disappointment. Leading 8-0, the Storm went for the jugular after the break, Slater crossing twice in the 60th and 71st minutes to consign Brisbane to another summer of soul-searching.
The first half-hour was as chaotic as it was high-octane as the pressure of a sudden-death grand-final qualifier tested the nerve of even the most seasoned NRL player. Amid the madness, the Broncos were becoming emboldened. But there was one major issue: Boyd, the most important cog in their playmaking spine, began breaking down.
In one key moment, two minutes before the break, the Storm placed Boyd in the furnace.
When Storm sensation Curtis Scott slipped a sublime ball for a flying Addo-Carr, who stepped past the struggling Boyd, it was a crucial pressure-valve moment that gave the hosts an 8-0 half-time lead.
From there, Brisbane were always staring up at Everest. Ultimately, they were left in the death zone. (B Slater 2 J Addo-Carr N Asofa Solomona tries C Smith 6 T Harris goals) bt at AAMI Park. Matt Cecchin, Ben Cummins. 28,821