MELBOURNE—The most consistent team of the decade now has a chance to become the greatest after Melbourne booked a NRL grand final showdown with Parramatta with a 40-10 annihilation of Brisbane on Saturday night.
The Storm were simply dominant in the seven-tries-to-two victory as they secured a spot in their fourth straight grand final and a chance to add to their 2007 premiership.
It is the first time since Parramatta in 1981-84 that a team has reached the decider in four successive seasons.
The Storm booked their date with destiny in style, the emphatic victory continuing their irresistible finals form after a 40-12 thumping of minor premiers two weeks ago.
Fullback Billy Slater (two) and centre Greg Inglis (three) scored some breathtaking tries at Etihad Stadium but it was the performance of five-eighth Brett Finch that also stood out.
Finch set up two tries and is now set to become the story of the grand final as he faces the former teammates and club he walked out on just four weeks into the 2009 season.
Finch took just three minutes to make his mark on Saturday's game, throwing a superb pass for Will Chambers to score untouched and spark a rampant first half for a 22-0 lead at the break.
The former Eel was at it again almost immediately into the second term, busting through the line from a scrum to offload for Inglis to score his second of the night.
Inglis scored his third with an 80m intercept while Slater capped the victory in front of 27,687 fans when he latched onto a Cameron Smith kick in the 73rd minute.
It took Slater's amazing record to 13 tries in his last five appearances at the enclosed stadium, a tally which should have been 14 but referee Jared Maxwell refused to check the fullback's effort in the 12th minute even though the ball was resting on the tryline.
Slater left no doubt with spectacular solo effort in the 20th minute when he broke out of the clutches of two defenders and grubbered for himself to score in the corner.
The star fullback didn't just score tries, he saved two.
He joined Cooper Cronk and Inglis for a first-half trysaver on Ben Te'o, then denied Tonie Carroll with a superb solo tackle midway through the second half.
It was a dark night for the Broncos, who looked a shadow of the side which had won their last seven games and couldn't find a genuine replacement for injured halfback Peter Wallace.
Utility Alex Glenn, the man named in the No.7 jersey but replaced by Carroll in the run-on side, crawled across in the 59th minute while Israel Folau scored off a kick after the final siren.
Adding to Brisbane's woes, centre Justin Hodges was put on report for a mid-air tackle on Dane Nielsen in the 66th minute that could result in a suspension during the Four-Nations tour.
NRL Grand Final Factbox
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4
Grand final
Head to head: Storm 12, Eels 9
Last 10 games:
Eels 18-16 at Parramatta Stadium (rd 19, 2009)
Eels 24-22 at Parramatta Stadium (rd 16, 2009)
Storm 26-10 at Etihad Stadium (preliminary final, 2007)
Storm 14-10 at Olympic Park (rd 23, 2007)
Storm 12-6 at Olympic Park (qualifying final, 2006)
Storm 34-22 at Parramatta Stadium (rd 14, 2006)
Eels 26-14 at Olympic Park (rd 6, 2005)
Storm 22-16 at Olympic Park (rd 20, 2004)
Storm 36-16 at Parramatta Stadium (rd 10, 2004)
Storm 50-12 at Olympic Park (rd 23, 2003)
Played 10 - Melbourne 7, Parramatta 3
Biggest head-to-head wins:
Storm 50-12 Olympic Park (rd 23, 2003)
Eels 54-10 Etihad Stadium (rd 20, 2001)
Recent form: Storm LWWWW Eels WWLWW
In form
Storm: Billy Slater has six tries in his two finals appearances this season, and was unlucky not to have a seventh when the referee decided against going to the video referee against Brisbane. His broken field running has been spectacular, while his chip and regather to score against the Broncos was breathtaking.
Eels: Who else but Jarryd Hayne? Cleared by the match review committee to take his place in the grand final, Hayne looms as the man to stop for the Storm. Time and again he has been the man to get te Eels going, like against the Bulldogs in the preliminary final when he beat four defenders from a standing start to set up Joe Galuvao for Parramatta's opening points.
Summary: The Storm haven't beaten the Eels since their preliminary final battle in Melbourne two years ago, but the Eels have already proved this season that history means nothing when you have momentum on your side. They are already the first side to come from eighth to nab a grand final berth, while Daniel Mortimer and Jeff Robson would become just the second halves pairing since 1977 to win a competition without an international in the No.6 or seven jumpers. The Storm are the first side since the Parramatta sides of the early 1980s to make four grand finals in a row, but they need a win in the grand final if they are to earn themselves a place alongside those legendary sides.
Key: The easy answer would be the Billy Slater v Jarryd Hayne battle, but whoever has the best help from their supporting cast will most likely walk away with a winner's medal.
Injuries: Storm - Brett White (shoulder); Eels - Nathan Cayless (hamstring).
