Storm fall at final hurdle, falling victim to savage Penrith onslaught. ‘Fourpeat’ makes Panthers a special in NRL history. – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor).
The odds were heavily stacked against Melbourne Storm even before the kick off of the NRL Grand final and things worked to plan to keep the Premier flag away from Victoria.
Rubbing out Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa Solmona in the preliminary final for an inocous high tackle that had minimal effect, then denied a debatable but certain try in the evenly balanced first half, sealed the fate of Melbourne Storm and their attempt to wrest the Premiership from three time winners Penrith at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
The anti- Melbourne sentiment could not have been more pronounced than the booing of Storm’s Jahrome Hughes during his post match interview.
There was no doubt however, of Penrith’s clear dominance in the game, but momentum counts for everything, and the disallowed try by Jack Howarth ruled ‘held up’, that split the nation in controversy, made it a memorable Grand final.
Controversy did not end there with Cameron Munster cited for biting in the final minutes of a disappointing final an accusation he denied.
Superstar Nathan Cleary showed no issues with a shoulder injury he carried into the final, marshalling the team with the direction of a general.
Melbourne will reflect and address the lack of intensity and crucial mistakes that could have made it a closer contest. On the day however, Penrith’s hunger and intensity could not be denied.
It was a furious contest where lasting power was always going to swing the scales in favour of the fittest team. Penrith were clearly that, as a tiring Storm conceded a 16- 6 defeat.
Storm’s home and away victory in the league stage was a distant memory as the Panthers looked a very different and lethal combination in the final.
They did an excellent job in nullifyin the impact of Melbourne’s danger men Hughes, Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Xavier Coates.
Both teams must be applauded for their unrelenting defence which was a feature of a dogfight which saw them spent at the end of a gruelling contest.
Penrith’s ‘fourpeat’ put them in the record books as the only team in history to achieve this feat.
Melbourne Storm made their intentions clear early in the piece after relentless raids into the Panthers territory that resulted in a flurry down the middle resulted in Harry Grant smashing his way to the try line.
Undeterred by the early setback, Penrith launched a desperate comeback and minutes from the turnaround produced two tries to take a 10-6 lead splitting the Melbourne defence that was resolute upto that stage.
It was a exhausting second half as Penrith gained ascendency through strong raids into Storm territory with their superior strength and fitness that tested the resolute defence. They made one more incursion and breached Melbourne’s defence to put the result beyond doubt.
Melbourne fought it out till the end, but Penrith’s defensive structure was well coordinated and impregnable as they held on to a memorable win.
