The Melbourne Storms 16-14 win over the Brisbane Broncos is one of the most amazing games I have ever seen in my life.
Both teams started off nervous, which was very unusual for these two big match teams, but it was the Broncos who stole an early try and put the pressure right on the Storm.
The Broncos were dominating the Storm and to be honest, in that first half, I thought the Storm were gone. They looked like three years or being the best team, the long seasons, having to be up for every game, Origin, Test matches….it just seemed like it was all finally catching up with the Storm.
They looked tired and run down and because of it, their attention to detail was lacking.
At this point I want to bring up a sporting quote I love, and if you know who said it, you deserve a gold star.
Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion!
The Broncos came out of half time and it looked like if they could score again, they would win the game. Lockyer was controlling things beautifully and the Broncos forwards just did not give up for even a second.
Both teams were in an all out brawl, both were taking punishment and at one stage I was sure that the first team to falter would lose the game.
Then it happened….the Storm had a player sent to the sin bin after hitting a player off the ball. It was a soft sin binning, but after a few blow ups and a number of warnings, I can understand why the referee made the decision.
They had their excuse, down to 12 players, against a team that was ahead of them on the scoreboard and playing well, that was the Storms out. Their excuse to say they tried their best and they just had too much against them.
Like a true champion, they lifted.
You couldn’t tell the Storm were down a player, they lifted to a man and managed to score a try while playing at a million miles an hour. The onslaught was met by the Broncos but it was just one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.
The Storm were coming back with Billy Slater adding spark, the Melbourne forwards going toe-to-toe with the Broncos pack, and Michael Croker just everywhere, he had one of the best games I have ever seen by a forward.
At the same time Darren Lockyer was trying his guts out and was so close to breaking the game open a number of times. In fact as the second half rolled on the Broncos found themselves help up over the line on no less than three occasions.
The Broncos fought so hard to win this match, they had it too, it was in their grasp. Then it happened.
Devastation.
Ashton Sims, a former Dragons player, a huge player but one known for his dropped ball and stupid mistakes, was hit hard 20 meters out from his line with just seconds to go. He lost the ball and it was like a heavy weight title fight where the Champion hits the challenger with a big uppercut as the ten second warning is heard.
In the wild ending to the game, with players and fans emotionally drained, with so much fatigue and pain taking hold, the Storm kept cool under pressure.
They were clinical, they took the ball to the posts, then spread it wide, man on man, they had an overlap, and they scored in the corner with a knockout blow.
Its hard to describe the ending to this game, you had to witness it, you had to ride the ups and downs over 2 hours.
The Broncos were devastated. Players dropped to the ground weeping. Darren Lockyer, one of the greatest players to ever play the game, was as emotional as I have ever seen him.
30 seconds ago the Broncos were one game away from playing in a fairy tail Grand Final. Now, the season was over, Tonie Carroll was retired, Michael Ennis, Ben Hannant and a handful of other player Broncos careers were over, and Wayne Bennett, the man who made the Broncos what they are, was gone, forever.
You could see it all in Darren Lockyers reaction, you saw it all hit him and he was shattered.
They were the reactions I have only ever seen from teams that have lost a Grand Final.
As for the Storm, wow.
Ive never seen a club team that just refuses to lose. They just have an iron will, they won’t let other teams beat them.
Yeah, they have a few things to get right going into next weeks match against the Sharks in Sydney, but geez, they are just such a special side and its hard to look past them.
