NRL Grand Final Preview & Predictions

However, maybe the term rivalry isn’t the best wording - Melbourne have notoriously dominated Brisbane over the course of the last 15 years, winning an astonishing 28 of the last 31 meetings between the teams. The Storm have advanced into their sixth Grand Final in the the last 10 years, with Craig Bellamy looking to further cement his legacy as one of the sport’s greatest ever coaches. Meanwhile, the Broncos are aiming for their first premiership since 2006 - when they conquered none other than Melbourne in the final.

Brisbane have undoubtedly been the story of the finals - they’ve staged miraculous comebacks in both of their games, with Reece Walsh inspiring his side to an extraordinary 29-28 victory over minor premiers the Raiders before Adam Reynolds showcased nerves of steel to convert a sideline kick to hand the Broncos a 16-14 victory over the Panthers in the preliminary finals, ending Penrith’s four-year dynasty in the process.

Payne Haas was an absolute machine, getting through the entire 80 minutes as he made 48 tackles and ran the ball 20 times for 182 metres. Kotoni Staggs is one of the form centres in the competition as he crossed for another try, while Pat Carrigan will return from suspension for the GF.

Melbourne’s pathway to the premiership decider has been far more comfortable - they defeated the Bulldogs and Sharks by exactly eight points, simply doing what they needed to do and not over exerting themselves. That’s basically been the story of their season. Jahrome Hughes made a triumphant return from a fractured arm to lead Melbourne to that 22-14 preliminary final win over Cronulla, scoring a try and letting Cameron Munster play his natural game. Stefano Utoikamanu has also taken his game to another level in the finals series - his battle with Haas through the middle will be pivotal in the Grand Final.

The stage is set for a cracking contest on Sunday night, with the Storm the slight favourites with the bookies early in the week.