Canberra

The Storm beat the Raiders and win a spot in NRL grand final

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• published: 24 Sep 2016
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Storm force! Melbourne book place in NRL Grand Final after holding on against heartbroken Canberra Raiders Storm beat Raiders to book place in NRL Grand Final on Sunday October 2 Melbourne will now play Cronulla Sharks for the premiership title Raiders were hoping to go to Grand Final for the first time since 1994 Storm seal 14-12 win after Canberra's Jack Wighton was sin binned Melbourne Storm set up an NRL Grand Final against Cronulla Sharks next weekend by crushing the dreams of Canberra Raiders. The Raiders were hoping to end a 22-year drought without a Grand Final appearance, but it was not to be for their loyal fans. The key moment of the game came midway through the second-half when Canberra's Jack Wighton was sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes and that allowed Melbourne to move clear after what had been an even contest. Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy said after the win: 'You've got to give Canberra a lot of credit, they just kept hanging in there. But I'm really happy for our whole squad to get a reward like this. For these young blokes, they've got to understand you don't get this opportunity too often.' Canberra, who were last in the Grand Final in 1994, broke through for the first try of the game when Jordan Rapana was on the end of a slick cross-field move before just touching down over the line. But the lead did not last long as Cooper Cronk took advantage of a big hole in the Raiders defence to mark his 300th game with a superb individual try. The tension of trying to reach the NRL Grand Final was evident as numerous players from both sides squared up to each other after Cronk went over, although it was ultimately no more than a bit of push and shove. Storm, who have won four NRL premierships since the Raiders last appeared in a Grand Final, also had an early Cameron Smith penalty on their tally to give them a narrow 8-6 lead at half-time. The Raiders have lit up the competition this season with their exciting attacking play, but time and again they came up against a predictably well-drilled Storm defence. And it was actually Melbourne who produced a scintilating counter-attack from their own line with Marika Koroibete running deep into the Canberra half before finally being hauled down. But Canberra's Jack Wighton then held on for too long after the tackle and was sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes as punishment. It proved immediately costly as the 12-man Raiders could not keep out Cheyse Blair for a try and Smith added a penalty soon after to put the Storm eight points in front. But it proved to be a nailbiting finish as Whitehead crossed for Canberra and Aidan Sezer added the conversion. Storm held on in the final few minutes and the Raiders will now have to deal with the disappointment of defeat, as well as the fact that every other NRL team apart from the Gold Coast Titans - who were only formed in 2007 - have featured in a Grand Final since they last managed to play in the big game. But Canberra coach Ricky Stuart said: 'This loss will help us achieve success in the near future. We have to learn from this loss tonight. It’s not something we throw away.'