GRAND FINAL PREVIEW

September 25, 2018

It's like Christmas for rugby league fans.  Grand Final week.  All the intrigue and the mind games leading up to kick off on Sunday night.  The top two teams all season, Melbourne and the Sydney Roosters will clash to see who takes the trophy home.

Incredibly, in such a tight competition, this is Melbourne's eighth Grand Final in just thirteen years.  In one of those years, they weren't able to play for points, making their record even more impressive.  However, their record in the big game is patchy.  They have won four and lost three.  This is their third Grand FInal in a row, and they won't be lacking in big game experience, although it will be strange to see Cooper Cronk in a Roosters jumper on the big day.

Of course, the talk today is all about Billy Slater.  Tonight, Slater goes to the judiciary to fight a shoulder charge infringement which threatens to rub him out of the Grand Final, and end his career.  Opinions are split, with Phil Gould launching a passionate defense of Slater, while Brad Fittler is among those who think Slater should be suspended.  Either way, the result will generate its share of controversy.

As for the Roosters, they are playing in their first Grand Final since 2013, despite being near the top of the table consistently over the last five years.  The additions of Cooper Cronk and James Tedesco have already reaped rewards, but the Grand Final experience of Cronk against his old teammates will be invaluable.

The forecast is for showers, which could turn the game into a similar slugfest as their last match, played earlier in the season in Adelaide.  The Storm won that one, 9-8, thanks to a Cameron Smith field goal.  The forwards almost cancel each other out, but it could be the wingers that provide the impact.  Blake Ferguson and Daniel Tupou have made big metres this year as they carry the ball back from kicks.  The Melbourne pair of Suliasi Vunivalu and Josh Addo-Carr can create points in a flash.  Both were outstanding in last year's Grand Final.

I'm tipping Melbourne to become the first team to go back to back in a united competition since Brisbane won in 1992 and 1993.  It will be very close though.  The Clive Churchill Medal is one of the few things in the game yet to be achieved by Cameron Smith.  At the end of Sunday night, he may have ticked that one off his list as well.

Melbourne by 2

You can read more about Grand Finals in Grand Final Heroes here.