BIG THREE GONE, BUT NOT STORM
MELBOURNE Storm is ready to hit back at detractors and prove it can win a premiership without NRL legend Cameron Smith and claim backto-back titles for the first time.
The Storm faces Penrith at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday with a place in next Sunday’s Queensland grand final on the line.
This has been the first season it has been without Smith since 2002.
He racked up a league record 430 games in a glittering career that saw him play in eight NRL grand finals.
Smith’s last game was the 2020 grand final triumph over Penrith.
With the “Big Three” – Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Smith – no longer at the helm, many tipped the Storm to slide in 2021.
But it produced the most dominant season in history, winning an remarkable 19 games straight and only losing three to be crowned minor premier.
Now the Storm wants to prove it can win a title without Smith for the first time in almost 20 years.
“We want to do it to prove we can win a premiership without Cam,” five-eighth Cameron Munster said.
“People will say we can’t do it without the ‘Big Three’, so this would make a premiership even sweeter.
“There is a lot of pressure on us. Everyone is expecting us to make the grand final and probably go on and win it.”
While the star trio have departed, the Storm has unearthed a group of excellent key position players.
Munster is one of the NRL’S premier pivots while halfback Jahrome Hughes, fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen and hooking duo Harry Grant and Brandon Smith are elite.
Hughes said the clubs wanted to dispel the theory it could not win without Smith.
“We haven’t spoken about it much and it’s not a driving force, but if we were able to do that it’d be pretty special,” he said.
“We could prove a point and prove other people wrong.
“They said when ‘Coops’ left we wouldn’t be able to win. Then when ‘Slattsy’ left they said the same thing.
“Now ‘Smithy’ is gone, people were saying we couldn’t make the top eight or top four. If we were to win one it’d be pretty special.”
While the Storm has been a dominant force for nearly two decades, it is yet to win back-to-back premierships.
The Storm have a golden opportunity this season.
“I know missing out in 2019 really hurt the guys, it was disappointing,” football chief Frank Ponissi said.