Eels or Storm Poised For Premiership Glory
September 29th 2009 00:15
Eels or Storm Poised For Premiership Glory
After twenty-six rounds and three weeks of an action packed finals series, the moment has finally arrived – the 2009 NRL Grand Final is here.
This year is unique and unprecedented in the fact that in the first time in history a team that finished eighth in the regular rounds has made it all the way to the premiership decider. The effort by the Parramatta Eels to make the grand final after sitting in fourteenth position mid-way through the season is as remarkable and unpredictable as the season itself.
If the Eels were to win on Sunday, they will re-write the history books and better Canterbury-Bankstown’s efforts in 1995 when the Bulldogs won the premiership from sixth position. On the other side of the coin, the Melbourne Storm will cement their place as the team of the decade if they are able to beat the Eels. Not since the great Eels team from the early eighties has a team made four consecutive grand finals, a feat that Melbourne will equal on Sunday.
As always though, the big game hype has also brought its fair share of controversy, with Jarryd Hayne and Kris Keating avoiding suspension after dubious incidents from last week’s win over the Bulldogs. The threat of Hayne being suspended was never really in doubt however. There was no way that the NRL would allow its brightest and most exciting star to miss the biggest game of the year, especially when his marquee value is so great. At the end of the day, Hayne could have king hit Bryson Goodwin and then spear tackled him in the tenth row of the stands and the NRL would still have allowed him to play.
Another element riding on the game is the unique nature in which the NRL premierships have played out over the last decade. Since the Knights took the title in 2001, there have been eight separate premiers in eight years. If the Eels are to win on Sunday the trend is set to continue, sparking hope for the remaining seven teams searching for premiership glory in the coming years.
Right now however the only focus of the NRL world is on the showdown on Sunday afternoon. In my opinion the Storm are the better team. They are seasoned and have the class to beat any side. They are well coached and disciplined, but also boast the star power to be spontaneous and adaptable based on the current state of play. On the other hand Parramatta are flamboyant, unpredictable and with Jarryd Hayne and Fuifui Moimoi in their ranks, the Eels can never be written off.
So the stage is set. The Parramatta Eels verses the Melbourne Storm. Jarryd Hayne verses Billy Slater. Sydney verses Melbourne. If the Eels are to win it will be the greatest fairytale season since South Sydney’s efforts in 1955. If Melbourne wins their dominance of recent seasons continues. In any event, the NRL Grand Final of 2009 will surely go close to being one of the greatest spectacles of all time.
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