By MICHAEL BYRNES
IF YOU believe the media, the NRL could have saved itself two weeks of disgraceful referee bashing and awarded the 2017 premiership to the Melbourne Storm at the conclusion of round 26. Yet on the back of the Cowboys’ remarkable journey of self-discovery, there is a growing belief that the trophy is still up for grabs.
The Storm is building
The Storm have somehow managed to be simultaneously impressive and disappointing in their two finals appearances.
Against Parramatta, they looked in another class for the first 15 minutes but couldn’t translate that dominance into points. When Cameron Munster went to the bin for a professional foul, the Eels stole the ascendancy and the Storm needed every inch of their guile and tenacity to wrest it back. It was gritty and uncompromising but it was far too close for comfort.
In the preliminary final, they scrambled to repel an inspired Broncos outfit that bombed one or two certain four-pointers in the opening stanza. In true Storm fashion, they ended up grabbing one of their own in the shadows of halftime and the game was as good as dusted. The Storm won both games because of their 80-minute effort  but they would not be satisfied with either performance.
 The Cowboys: a journey of self-discovery
Meanwhile, the Cowboys should have been necking schooners on Mad Monday. It is testament to the Dragons’ consistency in 2017 (or lack thereof) that the Cowboys made the finals at all. Battered and bruised in the wake of the Origin period, they lost five of six down the stretch. In the process, they redefined themselves. They were getting beaten, but they were perfecting a tough brand of Melbourne-like football, making teams beat them, not gifting their opposition victories a la the Dragons. They were earning respect from the pundits, yet clearly they were also earning respect for each other in the process.
Amazingly, without Matt Scott and Jonathan Thurston, the Cowboys might still boast two of the top five players in the competition in Michael Morgan and Jason Taumalolo. Add the tireless go-forward of Scott Bolton and Coen Hess, the hole running of Kane Linnett and Gavin
Cooper, the self-assurednesss of Lachlan Coote at fullback, the slick finishing of Kyle Feldt, the X-factor of Jake Granville and Te Maire Martin and you can understand why they’ve never lost their self-belief.
Breaking it down
The rock that has anchored the Cowboys throughout their finals journey has been their incredible discipline with the football in hand – and at the same time their opposition’s disrespect for maintaining possession. The Cowboys’ completions were a key discriminator in all three of their finals victories (80-60 vs the Cronulla, 85-74 vs the Eels, 90-68 vs Sydney Roosters).
The occasion won’t over-awe the Cowboys on Sunday but the Storm’s like-minded approach to playing ball-control football may well do. The Storm recorded 79 and 82 per cent completions against the Eels and Broncos respectively, which is a step up from what the Cowboys have faced throughout the finals series. They will have to be at the peak of their powers to worry the Storm, who will have timed their preparation for this game to the minute. It’s been their focus for many months, not merely weeks.
Yet one thing the Storm have demonstrated in this finals series is that they can be contained – they can be put under pressure. The Cowboys have the artillery to do it but do they have enough petrol in the tank to overcome the most complete and consistent team in the competition? That’s the seed the Storm will want to sow in the minds of the Cowboys players, by starting fast and getting one or two scores on the board early. That might be just enough for the Cowboys to start feeling their legs. On the other hand, if the Cowboys can stay within a converted try of the long-time premiership favourites, the sense of destiny will grow, and that will start to worry the Storm as the clock ticks down. Both sides will be very aware that the Storm lost the 2016 grand final at the death.
This grand final has the potential to be the greatest of the modern era. We can only hope it pans out that way.
Fearless (worthless) prediction: Melbourne 18 North Queensland 14.
