GRAND FINAL 2012 THREAD: Bulldogs v Storm [Predictions]

[Vlasnik]

When Frank Pritchard was left out of the Penrith side that won the 2003 premiership, he was consoled by the fact coach John Lang assured him another chance would soon come along.

But nearly a decade after acting as 18th man in the Panthers' win over the Sydney Roosters, Frankie P is still awaiting his own premiership ring.

Redemption could come next Sunday night when he and his Bulldogs team-mates look to tame Melbourne and clinch the 2012 premiership.

But Pritchard has been around long enough to know not to take anything in football for granted.

"The thing he (Lang) said to me was 'you know it's been a great year, and (another grand final) will probably come again next year'," Pritchard recalled.

"But it hasn't come for nine years. They're the things you learn over the years.

"It's not going to come easy."

Now one of the veterans of the Canterbury side, Pritchard will spend the week imploring his younger team-mates not to let the opportunity of a grand final win slip.

Not that he wants them to over-play their hand or change the systems that have delivered 15 wins from the last 16 games.

"Nothing needs to change. The young guys just need to do what they do best," Pritchard declared.

"Do the simple things that they have been doing. They don't need to do anything out of the ordinary. Just keep doing what they've been doing all year."

Pritchard acknowledges the Bulldogs will have to be at their best to overcome a rampant Melbourne.

The bearded back-rower revealed he switched the TV off at half-time on Friday night as the Storm dismantled Manly, fearful he may be psyched out.

Pritchard said: "(They were) devastating. It wasn't the game that we thought was going to happen.

"We thought it was going to be a bit of a grudge match but they're too strong.

"They set the bar. They've been there (grand final) five out of the last seven - I've lost count they've been there so many times.

"They're the team to beat, every year. No doubt it's going to be tough."

 

[dogie]

what are the betting odds on this game?

where can i view this information pls i.e. link?

 

[Dognacious]

Dogs by 4. Barba last try to claim the title of best fullback in the NRL!!

He technically already is. He was Dally M Fullback of the year as well as Dally M player of the year. Also players player of the year. So the players even think hes the best. Right now hes no.1. No prize for 2nd. Same as this match. We can do it by 5-10.

 

[Vlasnik]

Guys who would believe it? We finally have a home game this week against the Storm. :headbange

 

[finchie]

Dogs by 1
I hope cam smith forgets his goalkicking boots at home again.

 

[Nabzta]

Shut billy slater down and the whole Melbourne team is in tatters, that was evident when they lost him for the 5 weeks he was out and they lost, if we can match them with there discipline were gonna be taking that trophy to belmore baby!!!

 

[OTTO]

Guys who would believe it? We finally have a home game this week against the Storm. :headbange

I think the last real one was when Folau scored a hat trick in about 8 minutes ... lol so long ago

 

[The DoggFather]

Dogs 16
Storm 13

HT: Storm 13-6

MOM: Graham

 

[Bakes]

Dogs $2.10 Storm $1.75
Fantastic odds for us, load up!

 

[rainman]

Dogs 16
Storm 13

HT: Storm 13-6

MOM: Graham

The 2004 GF stats must still be firmly in your mind

 

[Owey]

13+ for mine. Similar to the Souffs game, they will throw everything including the kitchen sink at us. Our awesome defense will contain them and they will then struggle. We will open them up on the fringes with the likes of Inu and in particular Morris (MOM) with Barba scoring 2 of their line breaks. Ennis will make a thousand tackles and then stand tall on the podium to accept the 2012 trophy.

Jobs done!

 

[tezza1]

The 2004 GF stats must still be firmly in your mind

lol was going to write the same thing

 

[The DoggFather]

The 2004 GF stats must still be firmly in your mind

Just a tad LOL

 

[buddman]

Bulldogs 22-20
Melbourne 1st try within the first 7 mins
Bulldogs 1st try by Josh Reynolds. Krisnan Inu 2/4 with boot and Aiden Tolman Clive Churchill Medalist for 2012

 

[Özil]

Bulldogs 14-10

And this is how I predict

We score first through Morris crossing over in the 12th minute after he makes the break in our own half, Inu misses the kick 4-0

Melbourne comeback straight after we make a mistake in our own half, Hoffman scores when cam Smith makes break from Dummy half, Smith converts 6-4 17 minutes gone.

Game will be end to end with mistakes from both sides.

Melbourne get 2 penalties in a row, Melbourn attacking our line again, Smith dummies and crosses over, the ref goes to the video ref to see Smith has been held up and the try denied by the video ref.

Half time 6-4

2nd half and 5 min in Melbourne Sisa Waqa crosses over in the corner, video ref to check if Waqa has grounded the ball and he has, video ref awards try. Cam Smith misses the kick, score is 10-4.

Melbourne dominate in the 2nd half for 15 min, attacking our goal line, Cronk putting grubbers in the in goal putting Barba under pressure by forcing the ball for the dropout.

Widdop attempts for field goal and misses with Barba catching it in goal, takes the quick tap and makes the break to put us into in an attacking position in Melbourne's half, Melbourne concede a silly penalty midway through the set, we attack again, we go left and Barba crosses over after a poor defensive read from Melbourne. ref goes to the video ref again to check for 'obstruction' and sees nothing wrong with it and awards us the try. Inu misses again and score is 10-8 to Melbourne.

Final 10 minutes, Melbourne are back in control, again attacking our goal line, we resist their attack. melbourne go close a few times... we finally get the ball back, Reynolds catches Storm's markers not square and we get a penalty. We take the mark from our 40m and Kasiano knocks on in the first tackle. Storm back on the attack and the Storm make a mistake through Sika Manu.

We are back on the attack from the scrum, we spread the ball to Morris and Morris makes a break, gets tackled by Slater 20m out, we spread the ball to the right, Reynolds runs the ball and gets tackled inside the 10m, we go back left towards Morris and Wright, Ennis puts in the grubber and Slater forces the ball dead. Melbourne take their time with the dropout, Cronk takes the dropout, Graham takes the first hit up, Proctor tackles him high, no penalty given as Graham gets back up and plays the ball inside the 30, Perrett takes the ball from dummy half and gets us an extra 10m, we spread the ball to the right again Eastwood goes very close to score, Kasiano takes the hit up and also goes close again, this time we spread the ball to the left towards Morris and Morris crosses over to take us into the lead with 5min of the game remaining, Inu converts and its 14-10.

melbourne take the short kick off, they get the ball and are on the attack, they get a penalty. Smith kicks the ball into touch and take the tap from inside our 20m, we hold them out for 3min and eventually get the ball back. We concede another error in the play the ball, Melbourne get the scrum 30m out with 2min and a bit remaining. They go left, they go close in 2 tackles, Fa'aoso makes the mistake and we get the ball as we are in the last minute of the game and finish it off for the win.

We win 14-10

Tolman to be the CC Medal winner

Ive been writing this up since monday night hahaIt is wishful thinking by the way...

 

[Owey]

Bulldogs 14-10

And this is how I predict

We score first through Morris crossing over in the 12th minute after he makes the break in our own half, Inu misses the kick 4-0

Melbourne comeback straight after we make a mistake in our own half, Hoffman scores when cam Smith makes break from Dummy half, Smith converts 6-4 17 minutes gone.

Game will be end to end with mistakes from both sides.

Melbourne get 2 penalties in a row, Melbourn attacking our line again, Smith dummies and crosses over, the ref goes to the video ref to see Smith has been held up and the try denied by the video ref.

Half time 6-4

2nd half and 5 min in Melbourne Sisa Waqa crosses over in the corner, video ref to check if Waqa has grounded the ball and he has, video ref awards try. Cam Smith misses the kick, score is 10-4.

Melbourne dominate in the 2nd half for 15 min, attacking our goal line, Cronk putting grubbers in the in goal putting Barba under pressure by forcing the ball for the dropout.

Widdop attempts for field goal and misses with Barba catching it in goal, takes the quick tap and makes the break to put us into in an attacking position in Melbourne's half, Melbourne concede a silly penalty midway through the set, we attack again, we go left and Barba crosses over after a poor defensive read from Melbourne. ref goes to the video ref again to check for 'obstruction' and sees nothing wrong with it and awards us the try. Inu misses again and score is 10-8 to Melbourne.

Final 10 minutes, Melbourne are back in control, again attacking our goal line, we resist their attack. melbourne go close a few times... we finally get the ball back, Reynolds catches Storm's markers not square and we get a penalty. We take the mark from our 40m and Kasiano knocks on in the first tackle. Storm back on the attack and the Storm make a mistake through Sika Manu.

We are back on the attack from the scrum, we spread the ball to Morris and Morris makes a break, gets tackled by Slater 20m out, we spread the ball to the right, Reynolds runs the ball and gets tackled inside the 10m, we go back left towards Morris and Wright, Ennis puts in the grubber and Slater forces the ball dead. Melbourne take their time with the dropout, Cronk takes the dropout, Graham takes the first hit up, Proctor tackles him high, no penalty given as Graham gets back up and plays the ball inside the 30, Perrett takes the ball from dummy half and gets us an extra 10m, we spread the ball to the right again Eastwood goes very close to score, Kasiano takes the hit up and also goes close again, this time we spread the ball to the left towards Morris and Morris crosses over to take us into the lead with 5min of the game remaining, Inu converts and its 14-10.

melbourne take the short kick off, they get the ball and are on the attack, they get a penalty. Smith kicks the ball into touch and take the tap from inside our 20m, we hold them out for 3min and eventually get the ball back. We concede another error in the play the ball, Melbourne get the scrum 30m out with 2min and a bit remaining. They go left, they go close in 2 tackles, Fa'aoso makes the mistake and we get the ball as we are in the last minute of the game and finish it off for the win.

We win 14-10

Tolman to be the CC Medal winner

Ive been writing this up since monday night hahaIt is wishful thinking by the way...

This will dead set kill me with stress if this happens. Love the end result though.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2

 

[Vlasnik]

NRL Grand Final Preview: Bulldogs v Storm
26/09/2012 5:23 PM
VENUE & TIME: ANZ Stadium, Sunday, September 30, 5.15pm (AEST), 7.15pm (NZT)
COVERAGE: Channel 9/Sky Sport
HEAD TO HEAD Played 29 - Bulldogs 15, Storm 14
LAST TIME: Bulldogs 20-4, June 24, 2012
RECORD IN FINALS: Played 3 - Bulldogs 2, Storm 1
LAST TIME: Bulldogs 43-18, Semi-final, 2004

MISSING IN ACTION:
It's been a smooth run through the finals for the Bulldogs with coach Des Hasler naming an unchanged line-up for a third straight week. Back-rower Dene Halatau has been named on a five-man bench but unless there are any late mishaps he will be the unlucky one that misses out on a grand final berth.

There's a bit more uncertainty surrounding the make-up of the Melbourne side with Craig Bellamy selecting an extended 21-man squad. Winger Sisa Waqa has been named despite battling a knee injury which forced him to pull out of the win over Manly last weekend. Storm officials are confident he'll play but if not either Anthony Quinn or Mahe Fonua will come into the team. There were reports centre Will Chambers tweaked a hamstring in training this week but he will play as long as he gets through training on Thursday. Utility Ryan Hinchcliffe and forwards Kevin Proctor, Jaiman Lowe and Richie Fa'aoso are likely to win the four bench spots.

FORM:
Not surprisingly both sides come into the biggest match of the year in brilliant form. The Canterbury juggernaut has been rolling for almost four months, with last week's 32-8 preliminary final win over South Sydney their 15th victory in the last 16 games. Meanwhile Melbourne's five-game losing streak midway through the season is all forgotten after seven wins on the trot. The Storm's form in the finals has been more impressive than the Bulldogs although they did appear to get the Rabbitohs and Sea Eagles on off days. The two sides have met twice this season - splitting it one apiece - and their head-to-head record is just as tight with the Dogs edging it 15-14. History is on Canterbury's side with the minor premiers winning 16 of the 25 times the top-two ranked teams have played in the decider, although Melbourne have won all three clashes between the two clubs at ANZ Stadium. If the Bulldogs win Hasler will become the first coach in rugby league's 104-year history to win back-to-back premierships at different clubs.

FOR BULLDOGS TO WIN: Make sure they start well. It might seem like an obvious thing to say but there's no team that plays front-runner better than Melbourne. The Storm have won 27 of 28 matches in the last two years when they've led at half-time. Under-rated halves Kris Keating and Josh Reynolds have been considered weak links of the Canterbury side for most of the year but have thrown that back in their critics' face and will need to stand up again on Sunday. If there's one area the Bulldogs look stronger it's in the forward pack and if the likes of Sam Kasiano, Frank Pritchard and James Graham can get them rolling forward it will put the Storm on the back-foot. Centre Krisnan Inu is capable of a touch of magic whenever he gets the ball. This is his third grand final in four years and after two losses previously, he will be desperate to finally grab a premiership ring.

FOR STORM TO WIN: Stop Ben Barba. The Dally M Medallist was the star the last time these two sides met, scoring a try and setting up two others including his remarkable run from inside his own in-goal area to set up Josh Morris. If he fires again then the Storm's hopes will severely diminish. It means Melbourne's kicking game must be spot-on as it has been for most of the year. Cronk and Widdop need to find the corners at every opportunity. They say big players win big games and there's no bigger than the Storm's big three. If they fire then Melbourne will win their first legitimate title in 13 years.

WE THINK: It's fitting that the two most consistent and dominant sides all season will meet in the grand final. Canterbury coach Des Hasler has done a superb job transforming his team from an also-ran last season to title contender in his first year in charge. He takes the club into their first grand final in eight years and comes up against his old adversary Craig Bellamy. The two fiercely competitive coaches have met on grand final day twice before, winning one each, with both games being absolute landslides. It will be much tighter this year. There really is little separating the teams. They both possess brilliant No.1s, classy and dogged hooker's and in-form backlines. If grand final experience is anything to go by then Melbourne will come out on top but Canterbury have shown all year they aren't overawed by the big occasion. For that reason it's Bulldogs by 2 points.

TEAMS
Bulldogs:
1.Ben Barba, 2. Sam Perrett, 3. Josh Morris, 4. Krisnan Inu, 5. Jonathan Wright, 6. Josh Reynolds, 7. Kris Keating, 8. Aiden Tolman, 9. Michael Ennis, 10. Sam Kasiano, 11. Frank Pritchard, 12. Josh Jackson, 13. Greg Eastwood
Interchange: 14. James Graham, 15. Dale Finucane, 16. Corey Payne, 17. David Stagg, 18. Dene Halatau (one to be omitted)

Storm:
1.Billy Slater, 2. Sisa Waqa, 3. Dane Nielsen, 4. Will Chambers, 5. Justin O'Neill, 6. Gareth Widdop, 7. Cooper Cronk, 8. Jessie Bromwich, 9. Cameron Smith, 10. Bryan Norrie, 11. Sika Manu, 12. Ryan Hoffman, 13. Todd Lowrie
Interchange: 14. Ryan Hinchcliffe, 15. Kevin Proctor, 16. Jaiman Lowe, 17. Richie Fa'aoso, 18. Rory Kostjayson, 19. Mahe Fonua, 20. Siosaia Vave, 21. Anthony Quinn (four to be omitted)

Referees: Tony Archer/Ben Cummins
Video Referees: Shayne Hayne/Chris Ward

 

[OneEyedEagle]

Storm by pleeeenty. Dogs supporters to be crying, holding their heads in their hands at fulltime...... Ahhh the serenity.

 

[KoolDavid]

Storm by pleeeenty. Dogs supporters to be crying, holding their heads in their hands at fulltime...... Ahhh the serenity.

shhhh your season was over last week.

 

[vietorious]

Bulldogs 16 Storm 12

FTS - Wright
MOTM - Tolman
HT - Storm 12 - 6