The valiant Sharks kept coming for the Storm, but brilliance from Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes and resolute defence secured Melbourne another berth in the grand final after a compelling, high -quality prelim on Friday at AAMI Park won by the home side 22-14.
Hughes was influential throughout, having overcome a fractured arm just to be named and then surviving a brutal high shot that left him bloodied, to prove his class against a fierce adversary. Midway through the second half, Sharks’ five-eighth Braydon Trindall rushed out of the line and collected the Storm playmaker, who came up with a mouth dripping red. Despite protests, Trindall stayed on the field.
However, the Storm No 7 would have the last laugh, as he helped grind out a result in a second stanza that was try-less until winger Xavier Coates crossed to seal victory with five minutes to go. The victory is the Storm’s fifth consecutive finals victory at AAMI Park, and returns them to the grand final where they have the chance to make amends for last season when they were beaten by the Panthers. Hughes was taken off in the final minute to warm applause.
Following a whirlwind of a first half that produced five tries, the contest was reduced to a physical struggle after the break. Having led by eight at half-time, the Storm seemed never far from snuffing out the Sharks’ resistance. But repeat sets on the Sharks line were defended bravely, and the home side lacked the polish to finish the job.
So the 29,233 fans packed into AAMI Park could not enjoy this spectacle of rugby league without anxiety. The Storm had made 19 tackle breaks to the Sharks’ eight and had almost double the number of offloads at the break, but Cronulla were hanging in there. And the Sharks got to within six thanks to a penalty goal with 22 minutes to go. Arguably, it should have been more.
Cronulla backrower Briton Nikora was at full tilt five metres from the line, but Ryan Papenhuyzen and Munster prevented what looked like a certain try by wrapping up the ball and holding their opponent up in goal. Marginally high contact from Papenhuyzen gave up a penalty, but Cronulla were left shocked it was not more. That proved to be the crucial moment, as the fatiguing Sharks began to run out of ideas before Coates’ sealed the game.
The first half was a masterclass from Munster and Hughes, the latter returning 22 days after fracturing his arm to produce the moment of the match. The halfback took an offload from the imposing Stefano Utoikamanu and beat four tacklers in a straight run to the line. His left forearm survived a fend on Jesse Colquhoun, and then landing on it with all his weight onto the tryline. But he bobbed up celebrating, and the crowd celebrated part in relief, and part disbelief.
Munster almost replicated Hughes with some craft in midfield that took him close to his own four-pointer. Having stepped through the defence, the five-eighth was away and the line loomed large. But the Sharks defenders first dragged down his pants, revealing red and white underwear, and then the rest of him.
Munster may have been foiled on that occasion, but his side wouldn’t be minutes later after a masterful fifth-tackle play took advantage of Sharks’ fullback Will Kennedy defending in the line. Munster’s dink found Papenhuyzen who kicked ahead himself and beat Kennedy for the put-down, pushing the lead to eight.
The visitors had taken advantage of Storm indiscipline to open their account in the first half. Nicho Hynes was tackled marginally late from Trent Loeiro, and in the ensuing goal line siege Kennedy made the most of a half-broken play to send Sione Katoa over in the right corner. The same man crossed again to eat into the Storm lead midway through the first half, but this time it was constructed further out after Hynes put Billy Burns through a gap. But it would be more than 50 minutes until they found the line again, when KL Iro crossed after the whistle.
The Storm now look forward to grand final week again, the eleventh under coach Craig Bellamy. They will benefit from a longer lead-in than their opponents given the Panthers travel to Brisbane for Sunday’s clash against the Broncos. Given their professional performance on Friday, the Storm are likely to come in as favourites against either.
