BREAKING: Never before has an NRL team celebrated a Grand Final victory before kickoff, but that’s exactly what Melbourne Storm will be doing today after the ill-disciplined dropathon the Roosters served up in the Major Preliminary Final.
Melbourne should start as unbackable favourites. They won’t obviously, but they should.
Billy Slater’s inclusion is irrelevant as Roosters’ star halfback Cooper Cronk is set to miss the match due to rotator cuff injury.
And that’s like losing your Queen in chess.
Just like David Brent’s band, the result of the Grand Final is a foregone conclusion.
The last game at Allianz Stadium was a catastrophic mess. It felt like the ball was dropped every three minutes and a penalty blown every four. Even the Dragons, held together by sticky tape, limping on one leg, as they are, could have beaten either side.
In fact the match was so laughably bad the SCG Trust is considering tearing down Allianz Stadium.
And so, after a stunning season and soon-to-be crushing grand final win, the Melbourne Storm have rightfully let their hair down in ‘Mad Monday’ pre-post-season celebrations.
Veterans Cameron Smith and Billy Slater both co-ordinated their outfits and went as Egyptian Pharaohs.
Meanwhile, Josh Addo-Carr called on the ‘70s disco era for his outfit inspiration.
The team will continue celebrating at Crown Casino for the rest of the week, before flying to Sydney on Sunday.
In a brilliant show of sportsmanship Master coach Craig Bellamy has permitted the team to play drunk in the Grand Final in order to, “Challenge the players and attempt to make some sort of contest out of the final game of the season”.