HOW THE NRL GRAND FINAL SHAPES UP
NRL grand final : Melbourne v North Queensland
Sunday, October 1, ANZ Stadium, 7.30pm
* Head to head: Played 35, Melbourne 25, North Queensland 10
* Last clash: Melbourne 26 bt North Queensland 8 at 1300SMILES Stadium, Rd 22, 2017
* Head to head in finals: Played 3, Melbourne 2, North Queensland 1
* Last final: North Queensland 16 bt Melbourne 10 at AAMI Park, Preliminary Final, 2015
* Tab: Storm $1.30, Cowboys $3.60
Melbourne head into the match as short-priced favourites after one of the most dominant seasons of the NRL era. But history says such a regular season record is no guarantee of a title. The Storm are looking to send off Cooper Cronk a premiership winner, while Billy Slater could also play his last game for the club. The Cowboys have become just the second team in the NRL era to qualify for the grand final from eighth spot. After they lost representative co-captains Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott to injury early in the season, they only made the finals after Canterbury upset St George Illawarra on the final day of round 26. Since then they have shocked Cronulla, Parramatta and the Sydney Roosters in come-from-behind finals wins. Coach Paul Green was coy when questioned on Scott's possible return from knee reconstruction surgery next weekend.
Key: Cooper Cronk's clash with Michael Morgan could represent a passing of the baton in Queensland and Australian rugby league. Cronk could hang up the boots after Sunday's grand final, while Maroons utility Morgan has established himself as one of the best players in the game over the past month. Few would have picked this as the key battle of the grand final at the start of the season, but the duel between the two halfbacks will go a long way to deciding who lifts the trophy.
Tip: Melbourne by 10 points
Share
