Storm vs Cowboys

The Melbourne Storm and the North Queensland Cowboys are home to a few of the best rugby league players to grace our planet. We've enjoyed watching Jonathan Thurston pass and kick like he's got some sort of mind-bending connection with a footy ball for years now and we've also seen Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk tear their opponents apart with a ruthless level of efficiency time and time again.

If you take any of these three players out of their respective team, then the Storm and Cowboys would certainly struggle to be where they are now. But the reason there has never really been the buzz about the Cowboys as there is now is because they have nailed a supporting cast that compliments Thurston so well. It's taken a while but the Cowboys have a variety of weapons for Thurston to use as well as having a variety of weapons that can be used instead of Thurston.

It's the same with the Storm who have always been there or there abouts thanks to Craig Bellamy's ability to get the most out of NRL battlers and journeymen. In 2015 however, much like how the Cowboys have finally seen the stars align, the Storm have one of the best rosters that I can remember them having which has come on the back of young players stepping up into that 'journeyman' void.

The Storm have been able to consistently hang with the best this season because there is some venom in their forward pack. Last year it felt like they could be overrun by a more aggressive or enthusiastic group of forwards but these days there's always a solid platform laid down by the likes of Jesse Bromwich, Tim Glasby, Dale Finucane, Tohu Harris, Kevin Proctor, Kenny Bromwich, Jordan McClean and Nelson Asofa-Solomona. Not only has that allowed two of the greats in Smith and Cronk to work their magic, but we've also seen Blake Green flourish as he has a simple job to do.

This then is the perfect time to see the Storm's up and coming forward pack in action because we've just witnessed one of the most impressive performances from a forward pack this season. The Cowboys absolutely dominated the Sharks last week thanks to Matt Scott, James Tamou, Jason Taumalolo, Gavin Cooper, Ben Hannant, Ethan Lowe and Scott Bolton. They would back each other up, each putting a dent in the Sharks' defensive line and waltzing up the field. 

Not only do Cronk and Thurston have arguably the best forward packs in front of them of recent memory but they also each have a halves partner and fullback who fit in perfectly. The Cowboys have long struggled to find the right partner for Thurston but in Michael Morgan they have one of the best halves in the game right now who scorches defenders on the outside for fun. Since Matt Bowen left Townsville, the Cowboys have eagerly awaited the moment when Lachlan Coote would reward their faith and this season he has done just that. Coote and Morgan both take a little heat off of Thurston, but they are above-average NRL players themselves with Morgan's running game something to watch out for and Coote's expert kicking game also a nice little sideshow.

Cronk has a stable hand in Blake Green who runs their left-edge but if you took Billy Slater out of the Storm in previous seasons then the Storm would definitely struggle. Cameron Munster has been a revelation this season and the Storm haven't lost too much with Munster replacing Slater because Munster is quite similar to Slater with a dynamic running game and a silky pair of hands.

Here's a few hard and fast thoughts...

Jake Granville has slid a little bit since the Finals began and the Cowboys will need his creativity around the ruck to help break down the Storm's defence.

There's no 'star' player in the outside backs with Will Chambers the most high profile player having earned representative honours recently. But don't let that be an excuse for not appreciating the work of Kurt Mann, Kane Linnett and Justin O'Neil who are all good on both sides of the ball and rarely make mistakes. 

I mean, Matt Duffie and Antonio Winterstein have both worn Kiwis jerseys (and Samoa) while Marika Koroibete is a Fijian international and one of the best wingers of 2015. Throw in Kyle Feldt who was given an opportunity a few weeks ago and hasn't looked back and you've got a low key impressive group of outside backs.

Jason Taumalolo vs Nelson Asofa-Solomona? Yes please, more of that.

The Cowboys and Storm are both in this position because of the players that they have put around their marquee club-men. While the forwards will go to war in the trenches and the supporting hands of Green, Munster, Coote, Morgan and Granville will all be crucial, this game will be decided by Smith, Cronk and/or Thurston. 

They are all experts at controlling a game, which in a semi final is extremely important as you can limit the influence of a Thurston or Smith just by pinning them down their own end consistently. There's also the key hand they all play in attack with perfectly weighted grubbers, pin-point bombs and perfectly executed set moves the order of the day which when served up by Smith, Cronk or Thurston usually results in points. 

Enjoy the show. Enjoy greatness on display but also appreciate the work that has been done to assemble both teams because if Smith, Cronk or Thurston are slightly off their game then the other team has the strike-power through their roster to make them pay. I'm going with the Storm, but I'm emotionally torn so I'm just going to sit on the fence and love me some NRL footy.