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Finally the day is here for the NRL Grand Final. The 2009 NRL Premiership match will take place this Sunday at ANZ Stadium and it is bound to one hell of a match.

The Melbourne Storm are in top form after smashing the Broncos last weekend in the semi-final. They have had a great season and will appear in their 4^th NRL Grand Final in as many years this weekend. Meanwhile, the Parramatta Eels have had an incredible finals series and will be keen to take the NRL premiership after finishing 8^th and barely even making the finals.

Melbourne Storm

The Melbourne Storm has once again made it to the NRL Grand Final this year and has a very good chance to take the trophy. They have been in great form of late with their last four games being 28+ point victories. So far in the NRL final series they have smashed Brisbane by 30 points (last weekend) and in the first week of the NRL finals they were able to absolutely dominate against Manly winning by 28 points and eliminating last year’s premiers.

The Injury list for the Melbourne Storm hasn’t changed since last week with Sika Manu, Anthony Quin and Matthew Cross all still out of the side. All three of these guys have been missing for a while now so I don’t really believe that it will have much effect on the outcome.

Parramatta Eels

The Parramatta Eels have won all of their NRL final series games so far and have really earned their place in the 2009 NRL Grand Final. Since the start of the finals, which they only just made it to by the skin of their teeth, the Eels have dismantled the Dragons in the first week of finals, the second week seen an impressive victory over the Titans by 25 points and last weekend they got up over the Bulldogs in a great match by only 10 points.

The injury list at Parramatta continues to be blank with no major troubles for the Eels.

My Opinion

The simple fact that it is the NRL Grand Final means that it will more than likely be an incredibly tight match. With both teams in fantastic form it really is hard to choose one way or the other, but I would like to see Parramatta take the NRL Premiership. The Melbourne Storm is by far the favourites however and they should be able to take the 2009 Grand Final win.

My Tip – Melbourne Storm

I would recommend Betfair for placing your 2009 NRL Grand Final bets. They have plenty of options for anyone as well as the best NRL Premiership odds. Some options include the first scoring play, Clive Churchill Medal, and they also accept bets on the winning margin.

Having participated in the season decider for the past three years, The Storm have only one premiership to show for their dominance over this period. There are many who think that the team has passed its peak and this season looms as a testing one for the men south of the border.

How Much Will The Departure Of Folau Hurt The Storm?

Much has been made of the departure of Israel Folau, moving closer to home by joining the Brisbane Broncos. And while there is no doubt he is a huge loss, I don’t think it will be the difference between them having a good season and a great one. Two years ago when Melbourne were in their best form, they never had Folau and his loss will be to the gain of the new centre pairing Will Chambers and Willie Isa.

Captain Cameron Smith has singled out Chambers as one to watch this season, after the disappointment of injury curtailed his season in 2008. “We only got a glimpse of Will Chambers last year,” Smith said “but with Israel Folau gone I think you’ll see just what he’s capable of”.

Chambers is Super 14 bound next year after signing a contract with The Reds, so will be looking to make the most of his last season in the NRL (for now).

Strength In The Backs, Forwards Consistent

There are plenty of other attacking options in the backs with potent strike weapons Billy Slater and Greg Inglis, and they will be served well by halfback Cooper Cronk. The Storm has scored over one hundred tries per season for the last six seasons, which immediately highlights where a major strength of the team has been.

Cameron Smith has proved himself to be one of the most dominant hookers of the past decade, and he leads from the front in all that he does. He is surrounded by a pack that is consistently good, without necessarily being full of superstars. Much of this season’s success will depend on this pack maintaining its form and paving the way for the backs.

Player Movements

As always in the NRL, when a team rises to become successful as a result of no name players becoming game breaking superstars, at some stage there has to come a point when those players require more money and the salary cap becomes an issue.

This point has arrived for the Melbourne Storm. Their off-season turnover has seen them lose more players than they gain, and the depth in the squad perhaps isn’t quite what it has been over the past few seasons. Apart from Folau, the Storm has lost stalwart Matt Geyer and four quality forwards including England-bound Michael Crocker. Whle Wairangi Koopu is a great signing for the club, injuries in a few key posiitons in the forwards could really stunt their season.

Then when you take into account the unpredictability of how players will come through the rep season, doubts linger in the mind as to Melbourne’s ability to match their exploits from the recent past.

One of their real strengths in this regard is their coach Craig Bellamy, who has established himself as one of the very best in the game (although NSW origin fans would like his track record to improve this year). He has been with the club since 2003, and has consistently displayed a knack for quickly developing the talent of younger players and helping them achieve their full potential in the sport. Storm fans will be hoping he can do the same this year.

The Storm open their campaign with tough matches against the Dragons, then on the road in queensland against the Broncos and the Cowboys. We will very quickly get an idea as to how the team will shape up for the rest of the season.

Current Odds To Win The Premership – $6

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