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BroncoKiwi
Match of the Round - Round 22
August 7th 2008 22:23
Category: Opinion
Melbourne Storm v Manly Sea Eagles
By Matthew Johns
7.35pm Friday
This is a no brainer.
The rematch between unquestionably the two form sides of the last two seasons simply cannot be missed.
The game shapes up as the acid test for Manly who get no better chance to show the dominant Melbourne Storm that there is more than one serious contender for the 2008 crown.
They will get no better chance to make their point than at Brookvale Oval in front of their diehard fans.
All Des Hasler can be hoping for is the right mix of passion and attitude. If the Sea Eagles go into this game thinking they are the under dogs, they will lose.
They must forget the previous three loses in a row that the Storm have dished out and treat this as their Grand Final. They have to believe they are the best and it is their time.
The Storm have the mental edge as they believe they deserve everything, and nothing less that total domination will satisfy them. They were shown up in Auckland by a staunchly determined Warriors outfit, and did exactly what was asked of them a week later to get back on track, smacking the Titans 44-4.
Manly have arguably one of the most creative line ups in the competition and the likes of Brett Stewart, Matt Orford and the ageless Steve Menzies will take advantage of every gap that is created. They will miss Anthony Watmough who would not be out of place in the centres with his bullocking runs.
However the Storm just ooze class all over the field, and are so hard to bet against. Led by Cam Smith and Cooper Cronk, they will work hard to release three of the superstars of the game, Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and Bronco bound Israel Folau.
So who wants it more...?
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