Melbourne Storm vs. Manly Sea Eagles Preview

I’m flying up to Sydney around midday tomorrow to attend the 2008 NRL grand final between the Melbourne Storm and Manly Sea Eagles. It is the second year in a row that the two teams have faced off in the season decider. I am a lot less confident this time around than I was last time, but I think I’m actually more fires up. If the Storm do happen to get over the line I think it will be a whole lot sweeter than last year given what has gone on in the last two weeks.

Over the last few seasons the media from the Northern States (rugby league heartland) have been pushing an agenda against the Melbourne Storm and in particular highlighting the supposed use of the illegal grapple tackle. The fact is that yes the Storm have had some ugly tackles, but so has every other team, they just fail to be highlighted because they aren’t from the Storm. In my opinion it is tall poppy sydrome at play and and the media and opposition fans are looking for some sort of out or way to take the gloss off the Storm’s dominance. Mostly, I believe, because they can’t handle the fact that a team outside of New South Wales and Queensland can have had so much success. The same thing happened to the Brisbane Lions when they won three premierships in a row, Essendon and Colling wood tried to balme salary cap conessions and take away from their success.

At the end of the day Cameron Smith is super stiff to be missing the Grand Final and there doesn’t seem to be any jsutice whatsoever if you comapre his involvement in the two tackles he was suspended for this year to that of others in many incidents across the season. We will have to fight for a premiership without our captain, but the great thing about the Storm is that they are a well drilled and balanced team. We have our super stars, but we also have 17 contributers every week and we are the best unit going around. Manly have improved a lot though and the physical drain that having to player three weeks of gruelling finals in a row may show.

I’ll be going to the game with Hui and Rohan. It will be our first re-union since our trip to Vegas. Hopefully I’ll have plenty to report after Sunday from the game and maybe some photos!